Woodruff County news., 1901-04-18
THE RULE OF BOSS PLATT.
Sudden Ending of the New York Re- publican Kings Reign Has
 Come to Pass.

For so long time had Thomas Collier Platt ruled without influential opposition in the counsels of the re- publican party in New York city and state that for many years past he has been accepted by all save few thousand independents, with repub- lican affiliations or leanings or long ings, as the autocratic ruler of the party during the remainder of his natural life. The independents have once or twice started a revolt against his dominance, but without other re- suits than to draw upon themselves still larger measures of his scorn and hatred. They have been constant in bitter censure of him and have held him up to ridicule as one of small intellect and narrow intelli- gence, performing political antics be- fore the country and high heaven. But all this censure and this ridicule has been uniformly-until now drowned in the louder chorus of adulation by the faithful.
 The truth is that Thomas Collier Platt's intellect is not small and his intelligence is not narrow. The most detractive thing that can be said of him in his presumptuous role of statesman is that he has a mercantile mind, with a fondness for and grasp of details, together with an ignorance of or contempt for great principles of state. III health defrauded him of the higher education and while still a youth he took up with mer- cantile life. He succeeded, and had soon money enough to enter the banking business. At the same time he conducted lumber interests of his own in Michigan, but not to the neg lect of his political interests.
 As budding politician it was in his favor that his home was in Os wego-in that part of New York state where Roscoe Conkling needed trusty friend and ally. He was elected in 1872 and reelected in 1874 to congress. Mr. Conkling was then serving his first term in the senate. In Washington the two men formed an alliance, offensive and defensive, according to the secret terms of which they were to endeavor to con- trol the federal patronage for New York. and also the state patronage. All things went smoothly with them till about 1879, when their enemies made an attempt to take control of the republican state convention and set up a new order of proceeding. MT. Platt was delegate in that con- vention, in which it was for a day undecided on which side the majority was, but so skillful was his manage ment that he brought the majority over to him and was himself made the chairman of the convention. Conkling was indorsed, the organiza- tion perpetuated in his and Platt's hands, and the next winter the legis lature reelected Conkling to the sen ate. Tn 1881 Platt's election to the senate was dictated by his friend and partner in politics. But then arose the quarrel between them and Presi- dent Garfield over the patronage, and, being worsted in that quarrel, they both resigned from the senate.
 The partnership between the two men ended when they failed in their endeavors at Albany to be returned to the seats they had haughtily va cated.
 MT. Conkling thenceforward es- chewed politics, but Mir. Platt con tinued to play the game. His talent for details enabled him soon to get control of the organization of his party, and, exercising that control, he managed to bring to his support many of the great corporations of the state and all the corrupt inf1u- ences of his own party and many of the corrupt influences of the oppos- ing party in New York city. Then he became the acknowledged "boss" of the New York republicans and one of less than half a dozen bosses of the republican party of the entire country. In 1897 he had himself elected to the United States senate. Since that time he has been terror and a burden to MT. Mckinley and his administration.
 And now the supposed impossible has suddenly come to pass. Mir. Platt is defied at both Washington and Albany, and the whole country resounds with the announcement that the rule of Boss Platt is ended. But -"the boss is dead; long live the boss''-some other politician of near ly the same stamp will arise to fill the place from which he has been so suddenly hurled. One cannot con- ceive of the republican party with out it's boss in the Empire state!- Chicago Chronicle.
 An unreconstructed editor wants