The Washington herald., 1910-05-29
.ORVILLE H. PLATT.


An Old-fasbiOned Senator.
A fine and dignihed contribution 20
American political biography is the life
Of the late Senator OrviIIe II. PIatt, Of
Connecticut, by Mr. Louis A. Coolidge.
formerly Assistant Secretary Of the
Treasury. IAN Old-fashioned Senator
is the title Mr.. Coolidge has given to
his volume and his subtitle. "The story
of Life Unselhshly Devoted TO the Pub
lie Service" ftdngly indicates the fine
and loyal spirit in which the author has
done his work
For II is not light task that Mr.
Coolidge has undertaken in thus writing
the biography OF a man who served as
| United States Senator from Connecticut
FOR over quarter Of a century; who was
identified prominently with legislation
/ that Is an important part Of the history
Of his country. ana who sun In harness
and with an eye single to his duty to his
nation and his people, died in his seventy
eighth year.
Mr. Coolidge thoroughly understands
that fully to comprehend the character
OF such a man as OrviHe II. Platt Il IS
! eXpedient % set forth something OF the
] time and place that gave him birth. and
1 so his biographical work begins. not with
/ the birth OF Mr. Platt. July 10, lS27 but
! harks back beyond that 10 the Platt
/ family history, and 10 "a vivid description
/ of Litchheld County, Conn. with which.
\ and the surrounding New England coun-
/ try, Mr.. PIatts forbears had, for years.
been closely identified
To have been born I'm LtchGeld 20 the
early days OF last century. points out the
/ biosrapher. was 10 have been born TO uu-
usual opportunity. The town Itself Is one
/ Of the historic places of America. Here
was established the earliest law school
/ known on this continent and many OF
| America most prominent men and women
/ had left their mark upon the place.
! Lyman Beecher preached here for wears.
/ Henry Ward Beecher and Harriet Beecher
/ Stowe We're born here. II was the home
/ OF oliver Wolcott and the birthplace OF
I Ethan Allen. Aaron Burr lived here for
a year as "a young man. and many others
might be named whose fame lends in
]
IL was a parI0us time M which OrviUe
/ II. Piatt came into the world. The ab0u-
/ ton movement had reached even then.
/ an acute stage and the house Of Daniel
/ Platt his father, was one OF the stations
on the underground railway" and Or
| vile. boy ia his teens, used 20 accom-
pany his father frequently on trips aiding
/ slaves % freedom
/ In 1885 young Plat began the study aof
/ law In Judea- he taught at the Academy
! 10 exc out his resources and in 1880 bee
I was admitted Co the bar. and Immediately
married his first wife dying in November.
lN2 He was married again To- an old
| sweetheart then q widow, in 1857.
/ Young Plat took up the practice of law
/ in Meriden i1 the spring Of ISL and
! there DE lived for tweuty-eight years
and from the first took an active interest
/ in politics, and until the time of his cleo
/ ton TO the Senate was one Of the most
/ active party workers i'm the State. and
was not without his political rewards:
/ Judge OF probate f1r Mer.J.u. clerk ~
state senate chairman OF American and
/ Republican State committees, member ~
! Senate member OF state house OF repre-
sentauyes. speaker of house of reprcsen-
/ tatives, states attorney for New Haven
/ United States Senotor-that is the record
! II was In the Fo-ty-siNth Congress that
/ Senator Plat first took up his duties. on
/ March is. $50. and le remained a locker
/ on. feeling hi- way. but always studying
/ the work before him for some time. SD
/ as 90 prepare himself FOR the big work
he was Co DO IN bis later years
The first biz work DE did was TO save
/ the patent system from serious injury,
and. as his l.oErapher justly SAYS.
Though De had done uauRHt else. the
/ service Doe rendered i'm the F0rty-eieath
/ Congress Gas savior of the patent sys-
/ tenn would have been enough 10 earn
him the lasting gratitude Of american
. inventors
Another great work with which Seua-
tor Plat was identified was that ne ac-
I complishcd for international copyright.
/ Under his skiIlful leadership. the cam
| palgn. which for over half century had
/ been carried on without practical results
| by the publishers and authors OF the
/ United states, eliminated in the enact
/ Weut 10y the Fifty-hrst Congress OF q law
/ which for the first time assured recIpro-
/ cal protection for native and foreign
authors. The details Of this work Mr.
! Coolidge gives i'm fun
! For fourteen years, too. Senator Platt