The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-11-09
TOM PLATT AT HOME
Whatever He May Be in Poll tics, He
is Not a Boss in His Family.
AS FATHER AND GRANDPA"
For Twenty Years He Has Occu-
pied the Same Three Rooms With
His Family In a Hotei-Few
Know Him intimately

". Y. Corr. of the Philadelphia Press.
Seated Din his large sitting room in
the north wing of the Fifth Avenue
hotel, overlooking quiet side street,
evening after evening, can be tound
Thomas c. Plat, the so-styled Boss.
Thomas c. Platt is boss in the polit-
ical sense of the word. He knows
what is going on and can tell what Is
to come. Title and position are hon
orary, given by popularity and ready
to be taken away in the same manner.
But a boss at home is an interesting
creature. Thomas c. Platt is a man
of habit For 20 years he has occupied
the same rooms in the Fifth Avenue
hotel When he went there he had
growing family of three boys. All are
gone now. but Mr.. and Mrs. Piatt sun
remain. When they took the rooms
there were three connecting ones In
the suite. All alone now. they stu
keep their suite. the three rooms the
same as when they went there to llVe
And there one of them. at least, can
always be found.
Thomas c. Plat is a man who pas
sionately loves his own home and
country. 1t is torture for him ITO go to
Europe. Mrs Plat is abroad now.
She has been absent from America
half a year, and Mr.. Plat. during that
time has lived the life of an old bach
elor, coming and going ito business,
leaving and returning to his lonely
rooms, and in the summer dropping
down to his accustomed haunt by the
sea, all alone. He would rather do
all this and deprive himself of all that
this means than to leave his own be-
loved country for a stay on foreign
shores. Washington or New YORK,
Chicago or Jacksonville; give me my
own country" he said once ITO friend
who reminded him that he might have
gone to Europe as he had been away
from his own fireside to these cities
for the last three months out of the
four.
MILD HAMMERED AT HOME.
Though dubbed a boss in politics,
Mr. Platt Is not a boss in his own
home He makes the utmost conces-
sions daily, asking of his family only
the one great concession that he be
allowed to live in a hotel, within a
foot of the party committee whose do
ings he views with so much Interest.
Mr.. Platts own party uses that hotel
as a rendezvous, having large rooms
there for these many years past, and
1t is these rooms that Mr.. Platt loves
next to his own comfortable three.
Once within the walls of his rooms
the attitude of boss is thrown off and
T. c. Plat, though given abundant
honor in his own country, ceases ito be
a prophet. For many months daily
visitor ITO the Plaltt parlor was curly
haired little tot of years, who used
to shout with ioy as the elevator was
raised, and whose delighted cry of
'Csrandpa, where's grandpa?' was a
familiar sound to the jewellers on that
floor. The baby's gone now. And the
sorrow was one of THE keenest ones OF
the ex-senator's life. But there are
other little ones in the rapidly growing
family of T. c. Platt and descendants,
and Grandpa" bids fair never TO be a
boss at home any more than he Is now.
They pull the paternal beard, steer the
paternal footsteps into a defenseless
corner and proceed 20 make raid
upon the paternal pockets like bold
highwaymen. holding UP each pocket
at the point of several sets of prying
fingers.
In politics they are mugwumps, hav-
ing belonged to every party under the
sun. To-day they are high protection
lists, placing a heavy tariff upon their
kisses and favors. Tomorrow they
shower them with democratic freedom.
Next day they are populistic, wanting
TO follow the most public paths, taking
grandpa to the circus and placing a
hand upon popular sentiment by join
Ing street crowds and street parades.
An hour later they showed anarchistic
tendencies by declaring for an equal
division OF everything in grandpa S
pockets, and leaving the richest as
poor as the poorest. They really show
no stability: and most remarkable of
all, they carry with them always one
grown-up, gray-bearded. elderly gen.
tleman as an enthusiastic follower. Al
home I. c. Plau does not know his
own politics The historic ME, too
is his figurative and literal cry.
MYSTICAL HABITS.
The habits of this man. discussed
from ocean to ocean. disliked as much
as liked. and feared as much as re.
spected, are as mystical as the char
acter OF the man himself. He might
be a myth in personality. so little is hi
actually known. He goes down towT
each morning early to the express OF
fee OF which he is president. Here HI
works industriously with pen and ink
A valued assistant is his son Harry
who will succeed his father in the i'm
portant affairs of the company. Earl!
in the day T. c. Plat leaves the ex
press office and takes a cab up town
At that moment his day begins to him
His regular business in the express OF
flee Is a matter of necessity. But tn
business afterward is the greatest 10.
of his life. lhis life's real occupation.
Sometimes ) o'clock will come an
the rooms in the Plat wing have no
been occupied. Eight o'clock and tn
Hon T. c. Plat is not home TO dine
Ten o'clock and still he comes not
Where can he be? Next morning, a
regular as clockwork. he Is at the OF
fee OF the express company. Thos
who have sought him and failed
find him turn over the morning paper
with Disconnected ponderings and read
Thomas c. Plat spent yesterday al
ternoon al Ellers1ie with Levi =. MOI
ton. Both declined to discuss the on
tect of the visit" That's all. At Nigh
the sphinx-like Platt is again at hi
hotel as usual. Nothing has happier
ed. But knowing ones declare that tn
slate of a future presidential cand
dacy has been written. and still mol
knowing ones claim 10 be able to te
whether Il Is to the liking Of ex-Sen.