The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-16
SENATOR PLATT is SEVENTY.
pIBrHDAY CONGRATULATION
REACH HIM BY THE BUSHEL.
Sc.s Ills Picture I'm Fireworks and RE-
calls Ills First Meeting with RoOse-
Xct Back In 'SA-Gathering OF Future
Sotables In the Blaine Convention.

Sotables In the Blaine Convention.
The Hon. Thomas c. Plat, senior Re-
ruhlcan Senator for the State OF New
york celebrated his SEVENTEEN birthday
yesterday in quiet fashion Many flowers
gore sent to him He didn't come to his
vo,v York office, but remained OF the 0rien-
,ol Hotel. Manhattan Beach, where he re-
coived $40 congratulatory messages, most
of them by wire and the others by letter.
In the evening Senator Platt and party
sc his friends went to the Pain fireworks
show where one of the features was fire.
works picture of the Senator. It bore
the legend Many happy returns Of the
day
senator Platt was asked at one time to
v&ve his political "reminiscences. He has
had more or less to do with Republican
state and national politics since the FREE
mont campaign in 1855, when he was a
member of glee club in Tioga county
and wrote songs for Fremont. The Sena-
tor said, concerning any expression of his
"reminiscences;
81 told you once, and repeat it now, so
far az any "reminiscences concerning my
personal career in Republican politics are
concerned. that when l get to drifting
that way, you just go to the nearest drug
store and get an ounce of cyanide Of po-
tassium and come back and give it to me
and IN take it as if it were what we old
schoolboys used to call nectar fit for the
gods
when did you first meet President
Roosevelt, Senator Platt?"
"Ah yes, | rem ember when I 0rst met
the President" replied Mr. Plat 1T was
in the convention of 1854. The President
was a delega te-at- large for the State of
New York, an honor which I had not yet
aspired to- was a humble, ordinary dele
gate from Tioga. l was 81 years old. and
The President WAS ~. The President was
an Eimunds man.
"He was for George F. Edmunds OF YER
mont, but your humble servant was for
James G. Blaine of Maine, and let me tell
been warm friend of mine, but I believed
then that Mr.. Blaine was the man TO win
In that campaign. We beat our young
friend Roosevelt in the convention, and
vet the voters at the polls beat us Blaine
fellows and elected Mr. Cleveland SO it
was said.
senator Platt?'
"Why," replied Mr. Plat. Il first met
Mr. Hanna in that same convention, where
Mr.. Roosevelt was the chief delegate at
large for the State of New York. Mr..
Hanna was one of the delegates at large
for the State of Ohio, and William Mckinley
was power in that convention. Mr.
Hanna, at that time, was Al years old;
and while We are talking about these
matters, | think that in that convention of
1894 in fact, lam convinced. because some
folks have said that / have retentive
memory-I first met my dear friend tho
Hon Henry Cabot Lodge Of Massachusetts,,
and Lodge-just think of it-was "A years
old.
Here am continued Senator Platt,
in pleasant tones, Senior Republican
Senator for the State of New York, and
10. and l tell you when went to the Bla inc
convention of 1884 things looked little
gloomy. There was Brother Roosevelt,
20 years old; there was Brother Lodge.
"a years old (now he's one of the great
Republican powers of Massachusetts and
one of the foremost friends of the Presi-
dentl; and then there was my dear old
friend Mr.. Hanna (he's now junior Re-
publican Senator for the State Of Ohio:
and there was man named Joseph Ben
son Foraker, whom THE Sun used to call
didn't cotton to Mr. Mckinley in that con-
vention Of 1884. but l lived to see the day
when Brother Foraker made the nominal
ton speech for Mr.. Mckinley, at st. Louis
IN 1896.
Many Of the men Of those days, like
ConklinG. have passed into the shadows,
but Roosevelt. Lodge, Hanna and your
most obedient and obliged servant are
still on earth. And won't we have fun in
the next Republican National Convention!
Hale. Edward Everett" concluded Mr..
Platt, was a Harvard man like the Presi-
dent, and was Yale rooster but Hale's
words will fit the President now:
To look up and not down,
To look forward and not back
To look out and not in. and