The Portland daily press., 1896-01-28
PLATT AND "REFORM.v
The Leader Inclined to Write il
Reform CD
He Replies Emphatically to His Critics
Insists that He is Sincere In His Atti-
tude Toward National Politics.

tude Toward NatIOnal I0l1tlcS.
New York, January 81. 27.-Ex-Senator 7.
G. Platt replied last night at the Fifth
Avenue hotel to the statements of his
opponents in the Republican party in
criticism of his course regarding the
local, state and national politics.
Among other things MI. Platt said:
"The conduct of the chiefs of the present
reform administration IN New York
city has been thousand times more dis
graceful than any of the known transac-
tions of Tammany Hall. Bribery and
corruption have stalksd through the
streets night and day. 1t is no secret
that positions with salaries of thousands
of dollars year have besn offered to Re-
publican leaders to betray the organiza-
tion. Neither Is it a secret that IN en-
who had obtained places are threatened
with dismissal, or have been dismissed,
when they failed to obey orders of the
tolting bosses. No man. black or white,
has been safe from the attacks OF the city
governments emmissaries.
"All this talk about fraudulent orga-
SU.
created these rolls in the first place? They
were the work, as l remember, of William
Brookfeld, Cornelius N. Bliss, Elihu
Root and their friends OF the committee
of thirty. had nothing to do with it,.
They framed the plan of enrolment.
They supervised the enrolment Tney
put on and took off at their own sweet
will, and then when voters thus enrolled
got together and elected county com-
Ill1ffQR nnntq1n1nr nNp ifxrx xx7l,r 1,J
acted politically with our friends they
proceeded to denounce their own work
and call it FRAUDULENT. They We're noisy
as fire alarm in demanding a new en-
rollment, and at last the county commit
tee, hoping against hope for harmony
and peace, decided that a new enrollment
should be made and they suddenly ex-
changed 'front.' They said they did not
want new enrolment and would not
have it. Extra turbulent souls like John
Sabine Smith wanted to go to law to
prevent it. And when the county COM
mittee timidly suggested that the rolls
contained the names of many persons
who had died or changed their places of
residence from one district to another,
and that the names of these would have
to be removed before a truthful enroll
ment could be obtained, they all had
spasms. They said that this was proof
positive of vile conspiracy to shut out
of the primaries all independent high
minded, conscientious, upright and gen :
uine Republicans.
In concluding his statement, Mr. Platt
said "Among the falsehoods they have
circulated in their effort to justify them
selves is the statement that I am endeav-
oring to carry to ST. Louis personal
organization through which to obtain
a high office under the next administra.
tion. shall have to strip them of this
excuse also. This charge of insincerity
and is intended to disguise their own
dupiicity.. ..and treachery to Governor Nor
ton. My interest in politics consists
onlv in my ardent desire for the triumph
of Republican principles and the materi.
al prosperity to the state and nation
which victory for Republican principles
will most surely bring about.