Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-06-05
SOME SECRET POLITICAL
HISTORY

Kohlsaat, a wealthy Chicago news
paper owner who was a power in
politics in the days of Mark Hanna
and William Mckinley. 1t is OF
great interest to old timers who
remember the politics OF those
days. Particularly is it or interest
to Montana men of the older gen.
Grafton who remember how Will
liam Mckinley, who was known as
an eloquent and able supporter OF
the free coinage of silver, suddenly
switch his position and accepted a
nomination on a gold standard plat
form. Mr.. Kohlsaat was n OF
the rich men who paid the debts
Of Mr.. Mckinley in order to make
it possible for him to run for presi-
dent. He is very frank about these
details. incidentally, he tells us
all about the gold standard plank
and the part Henry Cabot Lodge
took in it. The public will re-
member that Henry Cabot Lodge
got out of Elihu Root a copy of
the Versailles treaty which came
into his hands in a confidential
way. and read it in the United
States senate before President
Wilson was ready to send it to the
senate. Bearing this in mind, the
story of Mr.. Kohlsaat takes or
added interest. He says:
"On Monday. June IS, 1896,
Gust before the convention that
nominated Mckinley, I was in
Mr.. Hanna's room in the Southern
hotel, when Senator Lodge, who
had arrived in St. Louis Sunday
afternoon, lame in and walked to
the table where Mr.. Hanna was
reading the speech of the tempo
rary chairman of the convention,
Charles w. Fairbanks.
Without any preliminary greet
ing, Mr.. Lodge said: Mr.. Hanna,
I insist on a positive declaration
for a gold-standard plank in the
platform
Hanna looked up and said:
Who in hell are you?'
Lodge answered: Senator
Henry Cabot Lodge Of Massachu-
sets
"'Well, Senator Henry Cabot
Lodge Of Massachusetts,. you can
60 plumb to hell. You have
nothing to say about it, replied
Mr.. Hanna.
Lodge said: All right, sir; l
will make my fight on the floor of
the convention
al don't care a damn where you
make your fight replied Hanna.
After Lodge left the room, l
said: Mark, you made a mis-
take. W. don't want a fight on
our hands. Let me show Lodge
the plank we agreed on last Fri
day
Hanna replied: You can't
trust that blankety-blank man; he
will give the plank to the press
Il again said: Let me show it
to him and tell him how important
it is to keep it quiet, so as not to
have a silver bolt in the conven-
ton
Hanna said: All right. but you
do it on your OWL responsibility
II went to the Massachusetts,
headquarters, which was in the
same hotel; found Lodge, intro
duced myself and told him I heard
the tilt between him and Hanna F;
that he must not resent Mr..
Hanna's attitude, as he had had but
little sleep for a week; and showed
him the plank agreed upon by the
Mckinley managers, and of our
pledge Of no publicity.
"He read it and said: Why,
that plank is all right; the only
change I would make is to knock
out the words and unlimited in
the sentence We are opposed to
the free and unlimited coinage of
silver The two words are un-
necessary
Lodge asked me for a copy.
81 said: I cannot give it to
you
He replied: I want to show i,
especially to one man who is going
to make a fight on the floor. ]
will keep it confidential
II was weak enough to consent,
and his stenographer copied it
This happened Monday morning
about II o'clock. The evening