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Show II TBI PLAT! Story of Ihe Trouble Between (he "Easv Boss" and OdcII. . WOMEN'S FIGHT CAUSE" OF LEADER'S DOWNFALL New York Man Talks Entertainingly Entertain-ingly of the Famous Scrap. "The inside story of how Tom Piatt, lost his hold on the Republican machine, in New York and how Odoll grabbed it. for the time being nt lenst. has never appeared in print that I know of." said a Now Yorker In Salt Lake yesterday. "11 was a woman's light. Plait had just niairir.'d and asked Mr. and Mrs. Odoll down tu the Klfth Avenue hotel to meet the bride. Tho famous Amen corner,' by the way, was In Iho Fifth Avcnuo hotel, now torn down. Thin 'Amen corner' was the political headquarters head-quarters of Now York, and in many ways t lie national headquarters. Its only rival was Tammany hall, the lair of tho political tluer. where Croker. and later tho present leader. Murphy, held forth. Mrs. Odoll Balks. That night Odcll. then governor of Now York, suggested that Mrs. Odcll go with him to call on the Plaits. Rut Mrs. Odell promptly balked. Not a step would she go. tjo Odcll had to inako the beat excuse ho could to his boss, as Plait was then. This put Mrs. Piatt In a rage. She played - on tho old man's weakness and forced him to start a row with Odell. This led to tho political split between the two Republican leaders. "But tho Fifth Avenue hotel was more or less of a dingy placo and not a favorite fa-vorite with the women folks. So Mrs. Piatt Insisted that Piatt move to the Waldorf-Astoria, which ho did. Odell promptly Jumped the 'Amen corner. and the local, and In many cases the national, na-tional, politicians for a few days did not know what to do. Some of them wandered tip to the Waldorf and some of them hung about the old corner, hulf hoping that Piatt would come back. Odcll Jumps Claim. ' "But Mrs. Piatt kept tho old man In the Waldorf and Odell sat In the 'Amen corner.' so in a few days Piatt found himself very lonely in the Waldorf: but It was tort late to move back. Odcll had Jumped his claim. "This move of Mrs. Piatt's, based on social vanity, cost Piatt tho national Republican Re-publican leadership and put Odcll in his place, so far as New York was concerned. con-cerned. "Mrs. Piatt, never forgave Mrs. Odcll. hence Piatt never forgave Odell; and the way It worked out Odell did not need Plait's forgiveness. lie became Republican Repub-lican boss, only to go down and out In turn when the Morse Ice scandal was aired and when the insurance .scandals came to light through Hughes, which again In turn made Hughes not only governor, but boss." |