232 POLITICAL LIFE -XII 



Syracuse, and Carroll Earl Smith, editor of the leading 

 Republican journal in central New York. The result was 

 that telegrams and letters were exchanged, these gentle- 

 men declaring their decided opinion that the matters re- 

 ferred to were bygones, and could not be resuscitated in 

 the coming contest ; that they would be lost sight of in the 

 real questions sure to arise ; and that even in the election 

 immediately following the vote which I had cast against 

 giving a large tract of Ward's Island to a Roman Catholic 

 institution, I had lost no votes, but had held my own with 

 the other candidates, and even gained upon some of them. 



Mr. Platt also discussed my relations to the Germans 

 and to the graduates of Cornell University who were scat- 

 tered all over the State; and as these, without exception, 

 so far as could be learned, were my warm personal 

 friends, it was felt by those who had presented my name, 

 and finally, I think, by Mr. Platt, that these two elements 

 in my support might prove valuable. 



Still, in spite of this, I advised steadily against my own 

 nomination, and asked Mr. Platt: "Why don't you sup- 

 port your friend Senator Fassett of Elmira! He is a 

 young man ; he has very decided abilities ; he is popular ; 

 his course in the legislature has been admirable ; you have 

 made him collector of the port of New York, and he is 

 known to be worthy of the place. Why don't you ask 

 him!" Mr. Platt 's frankness in reply increased my re- 

 spect for him. He said: "I need not confess to you that, 

 personally, I would prefer Mr. Fassett to yourself ; but if 

 he were a candidate he would have to carry the entire 

 weight of my unpopularity." 



Mr. Platt was from first to last perfectly straightfor- 

 ward. He owed me nothing, for I had steadily voted 

 against him and his candidate in the National Convention 

 at Chicago. He had made no pledges to me, for I had 

 allowed him to make none even if he had been disposed 

 to do so ; moreover, many of my ideas were opposed to his 

 own. I think the heaviest piece of work I ever undertook 

 was when, some months before, I had endeavored to con- 



