Jasper County Democrat, Volume 11, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 October 1908 — COULDN’T STAND SHELDON. [ARTICLE]

COULDN’T STAND SHELDON.

Even Lt.-Gov. Woodruff, a Trust Character, Safa the. Present Treasurer of the National Committee, Would Jeopardize the State Ticket. George R. Sheldon, treasurer off the Republican National committee, whose trust interests are well known, was compelled, under fire, to withdraw from the New York state ticket in the fall of 1902 when he was eager to accept the office of Lieutenant-Gover-nor. His connections with the trusts and especially those owned and dominated by J. Pierpont Morgan and other favored trusts, became such an issue at that time that Governor B. B. Odell fought against his name being placed on the ticket. Odell even went so far as to wire Timothy Woodruff that he would not run on the same state ticket with Sheldon. United States Senator Thomas C. Platt was determined to have Sheldon on the ticket and informed the Republican leaders at the state convention at Saratoga that Sheldon’s name would remain on the slate. The wires between the convention city and Albany were kept hot and, finally, Governor Odell was compelled to take a tx>ln for Saratoga In order to prevent Sheldon’s name from appearing on the ticket. Governor Odell went direct to Senator Platt’s home in Saratoga and, after a conference which lasted until 2 o’clock in the morning, Platt yielded and Sheldon’s name was withdrawn and F. W. Higgins was nominated for the office sought by George R. Sheldon. When it was announced that Sheldon would not be on the ticket three hundred delegates in front of Platt’s house cheered the glad tidings. Lieut.-Gov. Woodruff, when asked at that time why he objected so strongly to Sheldon, said: "I have no personal animosity toward Mr. Sheldon. I believe that the objection* that hav* been raised to him are of the gravest sort and that they Jeopardize the state ticket.” Gov. Odell had this to say a day before Sheldon’s name was taken off the slate: •I fought against Georg* R. Sheldon because hi* buainee* connections Imooriled the whole ticket.”