Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 January 1911 — New News Of Yesterday [ARTICLE]

New News Of Yesterday

by E. J. Edwards

Famous Quarrel Explained s' '————— <v. .

Hitherto Unpublished Version ofc- the Real Cause of Thomas C. Platt's Resignation From the Benato Given by E. J. Edwards.

In a recent number of a popular magazine the late Thomas C. Platt tells, In his autobiography, his version of the situation that led him and Roscoe Conkling to resign from the United States senate a few weeks after President Garfield had sent to that body the nomination of Judge William H. Robertson as collector of the port of New York. In one place the senator Bays that when he learned that the man who had been Instrumental In defeating the Grant movement for a third-term nomination had been favored of the president without the (knowledge and approval of the New York senators, who had fought for Grant’s nomination, He, Platt, walked over to Conkling and exclaimed: shall send my resignation to Governor Cornell tonight.” Then the two went Into conference, Conkling insisting “that we should wait and fight it out In the committee to which the Robertson nomination had been referred." But, “I finally Induced Cockling, on May 14, to Join me In offering our joint resignations.” Why did Senator Platt not desire-to “fight it out in the committee” to which this nomination, which was so distasteful to him, had been referri ■ Because “we have been so humiliil as United States senators from tflW great state of New York,” is the reason he gives. That may hav.t been the reason in part, perhaps, but as the belief is quite general in old-time national political circles thlx Senator Platt did not reveal all he knew- about the Robertson Incident in his autQblography, I am telling today a hitherto unpublished version of the real reason of Platt’s resignation, and I tell it on the authority of the late Col. John R. Van Wormer.. “The' real, and not the ostensible reason of Mr. Platt’s resignation from the United States senate dates- back to the closing days of 1880 and the first days of 1881 when, prior to the Republican legislative caucus at Albany, the party leaders were busily engaged In trying to determine upon the man to succeed Francis Kernan, a Democrat, in the United States senate,” said Colonel Van Wormer. “That legislature was Republican by a safe majority, and, therefore, Mr. Kernan oould not be re-elected. “Now, there was a strong element of the party in favor of the election of Richard Crowley, who had represented one of the New York districts in congress for a number of years. ‘Dick’ was a very popular man. He was a very strong Stalwart, the name of the party faction headed by Conkling. “But there was a wing of the party, under the leadership of Chauncey De-

pew, which, while not exactly opposed to Senator Conkling, was disposed to be friendly to Judge William H. Robertson, who bad taken such a leading part in blocking Conkl!ng*s plans for a third-term nomination for Grant. This Depew-led. wing was rather favorably disposed towards the nomination of Tom Platt for senator. “But when we who were backing Cro.wley heard that Levi P. Morton, who, it was thought at that time, would of the treasury under Garfield, looked with favor upon Platt’s candidacy, we at last had a meeting with Platt At that meeting we told him that if he would pledge himself not to make any war upon Judge RObertson for upsetting the Stalwarts* plan to nominate Grant — if he would not encourage any further factional disturbances in the party—we would throw the Crowley support to him, and thus assure him of the senatorial nomination and election“lt would be impossible to conceive of any more earnest assurances than Mr. Platt then gave us. He declared he was sick and tired of factional disturbance and wanted to bring about a general reconciliation, and with that pledge made to us Mr. Platt was able to-secure a sufficient number of votes

to place him in the United States senate. v ■ ;C. “A few weeks after Mr. Platt had taken his seat, President Garfield, unknown to the senator, sent to the senate the nomination of Judge Robertson as collector of the port of New York. The very same Robertson who had led the bolt of the New York state delegation at the Chicago convention which defeated the nomination of General Grant, had been named for the most Important political federal office in the Empire state! “Tom Platt was in a fix. I have heard that the night following the announcement of- the nomination he did not sleep a wink. x He had more to be worried about than Senator Conkling, even, for there was that pledge to us old Crowley men. It was that that bothered Tom Platt most, and it was that that finally forced him to reach his unalterable determination to resign, ‘I can’t vote to confirm Robertson’s appointment,’ was his conclusion. ‘But, on the other hand, I am under pledge to those who made my election as senator possible not to oppose that appointment with my vote. I am between two fires. There is nothing left for me to do but to resign from the senate.’ ‘That,” emphasised Col. Van Wormer, “is the real reason of Platt’s resignation from the senate.” (Copyright, 1910, by E. J. Edward*. AU Rights Reserved.)