New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-05-15
part Of Piatt's speech. and then arose !
coIloquy followed:


Ma: Hoas: May I ash, the Senator from c,,..
Mr. PIArT: Certainly.
ments derive their just powers from the sosss
The trembling voice with which the aeeo y,
chusetts Senator put this question lcnns5ah assL
CooIidgel betrayed the tenseness OF bis sapees "
was the conclusive. damning appeal 10 fSa 4
ration Of Independence which was So go. Decs.
a feature of the anti-imDerialist propagan5icss
when Senator Platt replied with quiet sr1a I'D
was gasp of disuay Then Senator Plat sss
The State OF Massachusetts govern. va,
cannot read and write, and it governs the, va
efsectuaIy too. If they commit any crirps1 'el
There 100000 American citizen % yo.e
five miles OF the spot where stand. They wis vita
His consent is not asked The goyernr,s saa V0
District Of Columbia certainly does NOT IN IN u
tor f,om Massachusetts hold that this me ne, Ssaa
for governing the District OF Columbia ers0s
that Congress shall have exclusive j1riss1cats an
ten square miles Tn the District Of ColurnIIa =
dependence that all governments dervs ts..1 b.
powers from the consent Of the governed7 Ez
senator. wish to detract from. to dinn fisod an
little the power OF his government? WIN -
ments to hamper It's operations and circn5nsa.1Es
Its province? Rather should we in our nati osss
Rather should we bid it CIodspeed In its Snsts
TO relieve the oppressed. to right every wrong s
to extend the institutions Of free government ID
II Is no wonder that this constructive s..,-
man had no time to play mere personal uorT.,
His state reelected him invariably withou, :.
position There Is a fine touch in this s,,,,
ment, made In private letter in 1896:
have never had any personal political follow,
nominations or to build myself up b. patrorzgsn
bargains I cannot do 1t now, If I would and :
organization which would look after the nor5s, :
tons for the Senate and the House in NV inte-ss
than / could fly. / have had just one object -
purpose here and that is to represent nv sat- a
well as could in the Senate I incline to the ~
glad to see me re-eIected and If so b @oeie -
their wishes may prevail against any arts of exs-
shall, of course, submit with the best grace Il;
can.
Mr. CooIidge's biography IS straightforxad
piece of work He refrains from extravagan
eulogy, skiIfully allowing Senator PIatt's recon-
to make It's own impression. The book is rnalnF
chronicle of hard. competent and successad
work, but the personality of its hero is arnE
outlined.
When an old friend drove the newly eleetes
Senator to the station at Meriden in 1879 M,
Piatt said. John, you won't hear much Of A
fellow named Piatt for some years. I'm gous
to listen and learn, and I won't begin to taIk
until I stand for something" He went SLOWLY
and surely; it has been said Of him that he
Thought on oath" Thus, gradually he gained
the experience that brought him to the iron,
and made him a power. Years before he gained
much reputation outside the Senate chamber
says his biographer, he was regarded there as
one of the most effective men in public life
Whatever the problem Of the hour, he gave il
all his attention and mastered it in all its de-
tails His wider reputation was retarded by the
fact that he spoke but rarely:
He was no orator He had no faculty for rous-
ing enthusiasm and was quite lacking in the per
sonal magnetism which Sways men in masses. =.
When he to speak. he used slowly to Streteh
his arms over the desk unbend his legs and get
to his feet by degrees if heSitatng what to say
whether to speak at ALL Whenever he had any
thing his mind he said it without waiting %
whether the galleries were full or empty He
had way OF talking straight on. slowly and DE-
Hberateiy- using honely phrases and few adjecdves
with simplicity and dlrectness thaJ carried con.
little of the art of oratory, yet in the sCriptua
dignity of his diction he sometimes rose 70 he1gns
which could not be surpassed by those more skilled
in rhetoric
Some well chosen examples of this simple
telling oratory are given in the book. It Is
tempting to quote more than one of them. but
we must be content with a single extract from
Senator Platt's rebuke to MIR. Morgan. of Ala
bama who had patronizingly referred to what
are called the inferior or humble classes Of So
ciety, whose fathers and mothers. with them
selves, toiled in the field for the bread of Life
until perhaps fifteen or twenty years of age
He said:
am one of the men who commenced this life in
what the Senator from Alabama is pleased to cal