The Portland daily press., 1894-11-03
THOMAS COLLIER PLATT.
A Man of Whom Many Different
Things are Thought.

trious, Level Headed Man, VINO LOVES
aJoke and is Never vindictive.
Mr.. Platt is, think, the best or most mis-
understood man in our state poAlios u "
dav To many men of the State and TO
good many out of it his qualities are .no'o
Of the real political DOGGY man, writes
Holland to the Philadelphia rfess.
is the nersonality which is set up as the
type of all that is vicious, un"or'ns, ~
,,oralizing. insincere. and even olutai III
our political life. Many persons nave peen
con yinced by the iteration OF these charges
that Mr.. Platt is almost pol'ical nenu,
and that his methods are the methoos OF
those who are constantly undermining .he
nolitical morals of the people. Yet in spite
of these charges, now Tor nlIeeh years
made with the fierceness Of accomplished
pens and speech, Mr.. Platt stands preenil-
nent, and during the past year mas SO
managed to take advantage OF the popular
feeling that he seems to have leu IT,
mastered il, compelled it to serve MN
wheI cas- he is in fact really no more tnah
it's most conspicuous exponent.
Those who imagine Mr.. Platt as a sat
urnine. grim, and dismal person. WIN SGT
Inns and fixed eyes and constant glare VI
soowl. would be amazed and amused as weii
if thew could be thrown with him at 'ine
when he feels free to let his hoylsh spiri.
have it's way Conkling liked run, oul ~
was a sarcastic fun that had httle sUihs
in IT: Arthur was found OF merrlment, nu'
ii was the merriment of respectanle cohSiV-
1ality: but Mr.. Platt is real lover VI
manks. man who can play JOKE anu
who can take one, man whose opsoi '"n'
eve is as keenly directed toward the huhoi-
ous things that are to be seen upon Inc
streat of New York as was Dickens IN Lon
don. He can tell funny story with uhc-
tuous delight, and even IL those "iser-
able DAYS in the Senate when he was sunei-
;no from strain such as he never Will e2-
norience again he found genial relaxation
IN stndving.the comical attitudes OF little
Malone with his lace frilled cqSt ana pet
ticoated skirts and trousers balloon-shapeo
at the knees and laced at the ankle
At conventions where Mr.. Platt has been
nictured to the timid delegates as plotting
rnusual. almost wicked schemes, 1t mas Oh
ten happened that he was really letting MS
humorous perceptions run riot with MIN
and getting out of this theatre OF actual
life as much fun as farce upon the Stage
would give him, He is unlike Lord Beacons-
field in one re spect, for the English poll
tician used to say that he did not care Tor
+ba mimic drama, since he found all the en-
tartsinment that LIE desired upon the stage
of life Mr. PIatt is fond both of the foot
lights and the fun that goes on penino
them. and he also gets as keen relish from
observance of the whims. the fancies, ana
the oddities of men and the play OF their
passions, as ever Beaconsfield did.
But he really led double life from 1851,
because while he plunged into business he
was planning those things which were TO
,eyain for him his lost influence and to
bring If hack at compound interest. HIS
bnsiness engagements were many. BESIDES
the development of the express company Oh
which be is President he had other cakes
b.lino He became associated with those
who were developing properties in the
south He allied himself with some of
those VINO had railway interests In the
North Hs took some direction OF INNING
atf.irs He became, and right in the midst
of an excitin political contest. 700, one of
+be rac.iyers of the New York and New
England property. and he has lately asso-
ciated himself with that very powerful
group of capitalists who expect to make NJ
agara a tanned and subservient thunder clouo
which shall aid tho commerce and manu-
features of New York State. In this last
enterprise there are hopes Of millions fcr
those men who almost blindfolded and with
simple faith in the reports OF the scientists
and engineers, put millions into that work.
All this time Mr. Platt was again cultiva-
ting politics, turning from business voca-
lions that would have staggered most men
to his political purposes as easily as some
men 90 from their Offices to their yachts,
their stables, or their conservatories. So
in one sense with Mr.. Platt politics was
nothing more than a recreation; in another
sense, it was to be followed by him so that
an honorable pride which had been griev
ously wounded should be abundantly
healed, and. of course. SO that there could
be felt that sense of power which is the bot
tom principle of most political action.
He is a man whose manner is deceptive,
because it suggests disposition which he
does not possess. He is probably the most
industrious man in New York city, and in
this power of sustained and intense applica-
ton and the capacity to concentrate all
his powers upon whatever he has in hand,
are to be found the chief sources of his sue
cesses, both in business and politics. Yet
men have been presented to him in his
Office, have seen him turn with easy grcae
in his wheeling chair say few soft-spoken
words, and with the mannerism of indo-
Ienoe, sometimes almost as though it tired
him to speak, even tired him to wink; and
these persons have come away wondering
where man with such a perfect air of en-
nui stores away the energy which is neoes-
sary for the accomplishment of all that he
does.
But this is only mannerism, not even an
affectat1on. He has supreme art of TAX
ing things easy. He knows how to dismiss
the fancies of busy brain SO that sleep
comes when. he touches the pillow. He
knows where and when to take things easy,
where and when to be amused, and how
to avoid all nervous friction.
Sometimes at one of the downtown res
taurants of the humber sort we see COM
pany of two or three men come in, and one
of them, Jerking his thumb over his should
err, points to an inconspicuous man, his
derby hat thrust back upon his head, his
long. thin legs twisted about the stool on
which he is sea ted his elbows tOuc hing his