St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-09-12
PLATT AND-FAssETT.

PLATT AND FASSETT.
The absolute control of THOMAS c.
PLATT over the destinies of the Repub-
iican party III the state of New York
and the nomination OF j. SLOAN FAs-
SETT for governor of that great COM
monwealth are two more instances of
the sort of rewards which await the
clever in this country of ours. Mr..
PLATT is undoubtedly a man of ability,
and probably has been such from the
beginning of his career to have secured
the power which he now possesses.
And yet it is not many years since he
was the object of the utmost popular
contempt and the butt of endless pop
ular ridicule. Few examples of political
bossism have excited more general in
dignation than did his election to the
United States senate at the dictatIon of
ROSCOE CONBLING, and never in tn e
history of caricature and lampoonry
has there danced sOrrier puppet than
ME Too" when he followed his great
creator into retirement after their men,
orable conflict with President GAR
FIELD over the New York collector
ship. Famous in the fight for vim
dication which followed was the
tranSom scene in the Delevan house
at Albany; and when to the absurdity
OF his career as statesman he added
the disgrace of detection in a foolish
and disreputable woman scrape, he was
numbered with the dead men of the
hour and passed from public notice. A
decade ago Ton PLATT was out of poll
ties; and had his rise to the premiership
of his party been then suggested, the
idea would have been secuted as impos-
sibe aud preposterous.
To-day he is the undisputed leader of
the Republicans in the foremost state of
the Union, and awards patronage and
honorS at the suggestion of nothing ex-
cept his own will. Such a condition of
affairs suggests but one comment, and
that is the comment which has already
been made. He has triumphed over
circumstances because he has the abil-
ity to do so, and he is king in his faction
because he is fit to rule. The fact of
his triumph itself proves this, and so
also does his latest movement in prac-
teal affairs. Nothing could have been
cleVerer than his selection of j. SLOAN
FAssETT to head. the Republican ticket
III the coming fight, whether he goes
into the battle TO win or goes in it to
lose. Mr.. FASSETT is a young and
handsome man, deseryedly popular
in the state, we'll equipped to
make vigorous race for vie
tory and well fitted to discharge
the duties of the office. should he be
elected. He is typical American OF
his time and generation, and, like Mr..
PLATT himself; shows the possibilities
of life in this land. The representative
men of an earlier period were self-edu-
Gated, poor, achieving high honors at
the close of their careers by force of
character, intense application and COM
handing ability. Mr.. FASsETT is still
under forty. coliege-bred, fifteen years
ago was tutor i'll a private family,
since then has been lawyer; to-day is
rich, influential and successful. He has
made his way by a pleasant manner, a
nimble brain, remarkable adaptability,
grace of person and smoothness of
tongue. He has host of friends and
few enemies, and has gone throug h
many hard political fight without for
feiting the kindly feeling of his oppo-
nents. and has done important work for
his party without having his reputation
furnished by the slightest. suspicion of
dishonesty, or his availability weakened
by personal blunderlng or lack of tact
and diplomacy. If it is Tom PLATT' S
ambition to elect him, he is an admira-
BILE candidate. If it is Tom PLATT's in
tention to knife him, he is an admirable
candidate again. Defeat will not kill
him, as it did Judge FoLGER, nor will
victory find him wanting, as it did MI.
CORNELL. Tom PLATT is an adroit
general. but there is an adroiter one on
the other side watching him. and al
ready armed for the fray. The man
from Owego knows thing or two, but
he is child when measured against
DAVID B. HILL, that master of craft
and astuteness.