The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-03-09

Avoid Paying Taxes in New York
by Converting Choate and Root to
His Plan.
The Cosmopolitan Magazine for
Anri, will contain some "reminiscences
of faraous political events by Senator
Thomas Collier Plat of New York.
who retired from public life last
Thursday. One of the most interest
ing features of Senator PlattS narra-
tive is his account OF the means ein-
ployed to bring about the nomination
Of Theodore Roosevelt for Governor
of New York in 1898. Roosevelt had
i,1st come back from Cuba, and Plat.
" h realized the advantage 81 having
a popular hero at the head OF the
State ticket, sent Lemuei Ely QulGs
to Roosevelt to ascertain it ne would
take the nomination.
would I?' said Roosevelt. /
would be delighted"
Roosevelt saw Platt at the Fifth
Avenue Hotel just before the State
convection and they buried past DIT
ferences. Then the friends of Gov.
Black threw q bombshell into the
Platt-Roosevelt camp by producing an
! affidavit made by Roosevelt, in which,
to avoid paying taxes IN New YORK,
he declared that Washington was his
regal ItSld6ilCt. I Adtl aiiSS ~
ing of friends TO discuss the situation,
among them Elihu Root and Chaun-
cey NJ. Depew.
"When this meeting was being
held" says Mr.. Plat, "a committee
f representing the opposition to Mr..
!, Roosevelt. headed by Mr.. L~auterbach
called in my rooms at the Fifth Ave
: nue. Hotel. I left the ~assemblage Of
my friends and went to meet this
committee. They had with them Mr..
Ton0onxrnit', a affidavit # hiC ,nr-raci-
dence in the State Of New York.
! which they asked me to read and ex-
plain how in the face Of such q de-
l laratiOn it would be possible to pro-
: coed with the plans for his guberna-
torial nomination. Lacking any other
I, ~expedient, | Informed them that II
they were possessed of all the facts
they would view the matter differently
and that later I hoped tc be able to
apprise them of such facts.
n 81 hen ~rejoined my friends in an
G other room and reported to then
what Mr.. Lauterbach and his associ-
7 ates had presented for my considera-
ton. At this juncture Mr.. Roosevelt
too me aside and said with q trepi.
: dation I had never before and have
Y never since seen him display, I can
e not remain in this fight: [ must with
draw from h race His desire tt
withdraw was made apparent to ever,
one in the room. The fatal effect O
his withdrawal was to me SO mann.
fest that I replied: You must no
Withdraw. You must trust to me t.
IL q solve this problem and elect YOU Gov
! ernOr of the State. In order to EN-
= phasiZe my determination and to re
u store his courage I said, with bruta
o frankness, Is the hero Of San Jual
e a coward?' He replied with his Gus
tomary vehemence. No, I am not
=, coward
q I'VE then resumed the discussion
1, Of methods Of procedure. and at m
% suggestion Mr.. Root went to Massa
le chusetts. where Mr.. Choate was so
n journing, in order to obtain from Nj
Choate his views in the premises. Til
meeting then ~disbanded and was re
q sumed at Saratoga some days later
where the Republican State conven
n ton was assembling.
$ A this second meeting there Wer
st present Mr.. Root. Mr.. Depew, Fran
Hitchcock, George w. Ray, smysel
e and others. Mr.. Root reported to m
70 that Mr.. Choate had expressed til
opinion that the case was hopeless
and added for himself that he ha
; ing q successful contention in Nj
- Roosevelt,s favor. He said that Nj
u eChoate expressed the further opinio
8 that the only hope of success lay i
forcing the nomination through tn
"a convention by sheer 1.eight Of mum
~ bers.
I'd 81 asked him if he had mentione
ad he nua!ter to any one else, to whic
= lepIed that he had not. 6nna1 :,
as him to refrain ~ n u $
ID M pnam that the ulan - ,ro.u ,.
ar- at All Lseve4t must ~carria tt..n..a
Il pear hafaSaafds and thar hes
'ne convention on the fal