The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-11-15
Low s'VAIN GLORIOUS"
PIatt Calls Citizens Candidate a
''Self Seeker"
FAILURE OF ANTI TAMMANY
FORCES TO UNITE EXPLAINED.

Citizens Union Declined an Alliance Unless
Republicans Should Admit They Had
no Right to Nominate Candidate--Inter-
esting Statement From New York Sem
a.or.
| New York. November Ex-senator Platt
tonight gave out the following state
ment:
sit is the plain purpose Of these Repub-
lican factionists who, failing in every
effort repeatedly made to control the Re
publican organization projected Seth Low
into the municipal campaign, thereby
dividing the anti Tammany vote, to force
into the public mind the impression that
the responsibility for this division at
taohes not to them but to the Republican
organization, and just as during the CAM
paign they stopped at no act of treaohery
| in order to create dissension, so now they
are hesitating at no falsehood OF calum-
nifty in order to promote it and keep it
alive.
"The malicious representations of these
incurable factionists must not go un-
challenged. No fair-minded Republican
who will allow his mind to go back over
[ the events of the last six months can fail
to remember that the attitude of the
Republican organization up to the very
last moment at which the law PERMITTED
q nominating certificate to be filed, was
much more than favorable to a union
with the Citizens organization. Fair
minded men will remember that when
Mr.. Quigg assumed the presidency of the
county committee he made the offer of
union distinctly and in terms. They will
remember that his offer was distinctly
refused by those to whom it was
adressed. They will remember, indeed,
that when the Citizens association or
ganized, it adopted platform which was
intended to commiu it's members to the
| 'sgo it alone" policy. This platform
denied the relation of national political
party to municipal affairs. 1t challenged
the right of the Republican party to
make a Republican nomination. 1t
| placed upon the doctrine of non-partisan-
ship new Interpretation and one which
it forbade the possibility of cooperation
between the Republican party and the
Citizens Union.
"This was done, we must remember
way back in the spring and before the
average citizen had begun to con slider
what his political course should be- No
body paid much attention at the time
for nobody supposed it could mean that
the citizens were going deliberately at
work to defeat themselves or that they
could obtain candidate who would
stand with them in such suicidal poll
cy The Republican leaders, however
who had long experienced both of the i'm
practical political theorists who had de-
vised this follow, and of the Republican
t factionistsswho. were expected to advocate,
perceived it's significance and the peril
GUS situation to which it was bound to
lead. 1t anticipated everything which the
Republican party could 90 to secure a
union and repudiated it all in advance
1t demanded the unconditional surrender
of the Republican party, not simply to
Objectionable candidates, but to impossi-
BILE platforms 1t demanded that the
Republican party must say that in mum
icipal affairs it would not allow itself to
be the Republican party and would as
sert no right to make nominations or
define policies
"The Republican leaders met this
insolent challenge without bitterness or
resentment. They found no fault with
the candidate whom the Citizens Union
picked out as the expression of it's pur
pose and ideas. They do not deny that
they regarded him as a man practically
the sort that he has turned out to be a
vain, glorious, self-seeker, masquerading
as Republican, but willing at any time
to wreck the Republican , ship on the
ledge of his own ambitions. The Repub.
lican leaders do not deny that they were
then opposed to the candidacy of Seth
Low, but they allowedsstheir opposition tc
take no definite or irritating shape,
They simply insisted THAT. the Republican
party did have a just and inevitable
relation tc municipal affairs; that it did
have the right to nominate and that ii
must exercise that right; that. the views
, and wishes of its adherents weresssntitled
: to consideration and that there ought to
be union between the ECitizens' organi-
J zation and the Republican party, but that
it ought to be an honorable, friendly,
equitable union under the terms of which
both should have voice IN choosing
candidates and in defining policies.
"This was the exact state of things ur
] to the time when the Republican county
committee adopted Commissioner Col
J lis's resolution inviting all anti Tam.
many organizations into conference In
: order that a day might be fixed when
they should all hold their nominating
conventions SO that ready conference and
harmonious action might be assured
The Citizens Union ssrefused to partioi
pate in this conference, frankly assignins
as its reason the fact that it was com
mitted tojthe go it alone policy.
"Can any honest man, in the face o.
t that fact, charge the responsibility fol
disunion upon thel Republican pe~ty
, Does not every honest man know tla