The Washington herald., 1913-10-26

the kind of politics which is allied to
big business were most involved we
clashed hard-and clashing with Senator
Platt meant clashing with the entire Re-
publican organization and with the organ
lied majority in each horse of the legis-
lature. One clash was in connection with
the superintendent of insurance, a man
whose Office made him a factor OF inn
mense importance in the big business cir
cles of New York. The then incumbent
Of the Office was an efficient man, the
politician and one of Mr.. Piatt's right
hand men. Certain investigations which
I made-in the course of the fight-showed
that this superintendent of insurance had
been engaged in large business opera
tions in New York City. These opera
tions had thrown him into a peculiarly
Intimate business contact of one sort and
another with various financiers with
whom I did not deem 1t expedient that
the superintendent of insurance, while
such, should have any intimate and Sc
cret money-making relations. Moreover,
the gentleman in question represented the
straightest sect of the old-time spoils
politicians. / therefore determined not
TO reappoint him. Unless I could get his
successor confirmed, however, he would
stay in under the law, and the Republican
machine, with the assistance Of Tam
many. expected to control far more than
a majority of all the Senators.
PIatt Issues UItimatum.
Mr. Platt issued an ultimatum to me
that the incumbent must be reappointed
or else that he would fight, and that II
lie chose to fight the man would stay in
anyhow, because / could not oust him,
for under the New York Constitution the
assent of the Senate was necessary not
only to appoint a man to ONCE, but TO
remove him from office. AS always with
Mr.. PIatt, / persistently refused TO lose
my temper, no mater what he said. He
was much too old and physically feeble
for there to be any point OF honor in
taking up any of his remarks, and 1
merely explained, good-humoredly, that ]
had made up my mind and that the gen.
tleman in question would not be retained.
As for not being able to get his sue
cessor confirmed, l pointed out that as
soon as the legislature adjourned l could
and would appoint another man tempo
rarily. Mr.. Platt then said that the in
cumbent would be put back as soon as
the Legislature reconvened. 1 admitted
that this was possible, but added
Cheerfully that I would remove him again
just as soon as that legislature ad
IOlIltu. anu lildN even L hao aA
uncomfortable time myself / would guar
antee TO make my opponents more I'M
comfortable still. We parted without any
sign OF reaching an agreement
There remained some weeks before
final action could be taken, and the Sem
ator was confident that 1 would have to
yield. His most efficient allies were the
pretended reformers most OF them my
open or covert enemis. who loudly in
sisted that 1 must make an open fight
on the Senator himself. This was what
he wished, for at that time there was no
way Of upsetting him within the Repub-
lean party; and. as l have said, If l
had permitted the contest to assume the
shape of a mere faction fight between
the Governor and the United States Sem
ator | would have insured the victory of
the machine. So l blandly refused to let
the thing become a personal fight, eX-
planning again and again that was per-
fectly willing to appoint an organization
man-and naming two or three whom 1
was willing to appoint-but also explain
ing that 1 would not retain the incum-
bent. and would not appoint any man
uf his type. Meanwhile pressure on be-
half of the said incumbent began to
come from the business men of New
York.
The superintendent of insurance was
not man whose i'll will the big life in
suraucc companies cared to incur, and
company after company passed resolu-
tiuns asking me to reappoint him, al
though in private some of the men who
signed these resolutions nervously ex-
planned that they did not mean what
they had written, and hoped ! would re-
move the man. 4 citizen prominent in
reform circles. marked by the Cato-like
of his reform professions, had
n son who was a counsel for one of the
insurance companies. The father was en-
gagged in writing letters to the papers
demanding in the name of uncompromis-
ing virtue that l should not only get rid
IF the superintendent Of insurance, but
IN his place should appoint somebody
nr other personally offensive to Senator
Platt-which last proposition, if adopted,
would have meant that the superintend-
ent of insurance would have stayed in
for the reasons / have already given.
Meanwhile the son came TO see me on
behalf of the insurance company he rep
resented and told me that the company
was anxious that there should be
change in the superintendency; that If
/ really meant to fight they thought they
had influence with four Of the State.
Senator's. Democrats and Republicans,
whom they could get to vote to confirm
the man I nominated, but that they
wished to be sure that would not aban-
don the fight, because it would be
very bad thing for them. I started the
fight and then backed down. I told my
visitor that he need be under no appre-
tensions that ! would certainly see the
fight through. man who has much to
do with that kind of politics which con-
Germs both New York politicians and
New York business men and lawyers is
not easily surprised, and therefore l felt
no other emotion than a rather sardonic
amusement when thirty-six hours later
I read in the morning paper an open let
ter from the officials Of the very COM
pany who had been communicating with
me, in which they enthusiastically advo-
Gated the denomination of the superin-
tendent Shortly afterward my visitor,
the Young lawyer, called me up on the
telephone and explained that the ofi-
ciaIs did not mean what they had said
in this letter. that they had been
obliged to write 1t for fear Of the super
intendent but that IL they got the
chance they intended 20 help me get rid
Of him. 1 thanked him, and said
thought could manage the fight by my
self. I did not hear from him again |
though his father continued TO write
public demands that I should practice
pure virtue, undefiled and offensive
4 RIun to the Limit.
Meanwhile Senator Platt declined to
yield. had picked out man, friend
OF his, who / believed would make an
I1-GA ov4l NnTkr rNCn