The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-06-14
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES MOVING ON TO ST. LOUIS.

| Their surroundings made me think of a
funeral, and this impression gathered
strength as I entered his room. The
hall was deserted knocked. The
door was opened softly and a sad, slick
quiet-looking man put out his head.
He said syes, Mr.. Platt was in, and L
could see him, but I would have to walt
few moments. He silently motioned
me to come in and with gestures like
those of an undertaken directed me to
sit down. There We're dozen politi-
clans in the little room and yet the
stiffness was so great that 1t could be
felt. No one spoke above whisper
All were stiff and sad, and in an arm
chair near the window sat the stiffest
and saddest of them all. 1t was Tom
Platt. Imagine a tall, thin, salloW-
faced, slender man with a students
stoop. Let him have brown hair, a
brown beard, and let him be dressed in
business clothes of brown. Let him
stop during his conversation now and
then and go off into brown study and
you have some idea of the great boss
as | watched him there whispering to
his callers.
AS l looked at him he seemed worried
and worn. His eyes were sunken and
the crows-feet about them were large.
l could see that he was nervous. Now
his foot tapped the floor rapidly again
and again like that of woman when
she is excited. Now he laid his palm
on the handle of his chair and with
the gold seal ring of his little finger
played devils tattoo on the mahog
any When l chatted with him he told
me he was not at all worried and was
not nervous, but / did not believe 1T.
He is disgusted with the situation. He
has less power here than he has had
at any convention for years, and he
is now passing through the most ner-
vous time of his nervous life He has,
YOU know, been one of our greatest
political fighters for the past twenty
years, and now at sixty-two he is
better fighter than ever. When Ros-
coe Conkling resigned from the United
States senate you remember how Platt
went out with him and how he got
the title of me too, Platt.' Everyone
then thought he was Conkling's pup
pet, and western senator, as he
passed one day, said Of him:
There goes a political suicide"
Mr. Platt, however is a very live
corpse. He has bossed New York state
ever since Cleveland's first presidency
and he has more power now than any
other Republican in the East He
has at times owned the Albany legis-
lature, and as a usual thing he runs
New York conventions as ne pleases
Platt's bossism Is curious in that he
rules without holding any political Of
flee himself Roscoe Conkling was
strong only when he was United States
senator and had the patronage. Matt
! Quay has held his own through hold
subordinate officials. Platt plays at
politics for the fun of the thing. He
devotes his day time to money max
ing and his nights to politics as side
issue He is, you know, rich man,
and as president of the United States
Express company, and through other
interests has an income Of many times
ten thousand dollars a year.
Of late, however, things have not
been running well with Tom Platt. He
thinks the New York delegation has
been sighted at this convention. He
will not take insults without resent
ing them, and he feels inclined to fight.
/ had been in his room perhaps ten
minutes before he was at leisure. He
then came over and sat down beside
me- I asked, what does New York
expect to get out of this convention" 2"
I'VE are here to elect a president, was
the reply I'VE want Levi P. Morton.
That Is what New York Is here for
ssBut If We can't nominate Morton,
what then %
IT don't recognize any ifs" replied
Mr.. Platt. When / go into a fight
! don't have any ifs about it. 1t Is not
good politics nor good business.
How about the PLATFORM"
1--WE are unequivocably for gold. We
want the gold plank as strong a. w