New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-07-24
THE CT1TTORNEY'S REST.


The District Attorney has returned from
Balston and Saratoga in a state of great peace
and contentment, inspired by the assurance that
he did his best This is, of course, precisely
what all who know Colonel Fellows expected.
Few men have been endowed with larger
measure of seif-approval. He is fully com
mitted to the doctrine that whatever is is right
when that which is wrong is produced by his
own delinquencies. In the course Of some
what variegated career he has never manifest
ed distress of mind over embarrassments which
most men would have found gievous and hard
to be borne, though he has frequently confessed
to physical weakness by departing at uneX-
pected and critical moments in search of health.
The people are not at all satisfied with the re-
suit of the Doodle prosecutions nOtwithStand-
ing that the Distlict-Attorney has been steadily
preparing them for such an outcome. They
are not in the least astOnished now to hear HIM
say that no further effort will be made by his
authority to bring the Aldermanic bnbe-takerS
to Justice, but they are not deceived by his
jaunty assumption that he is not at fault
When, however, the District-AttOIney says
that he has done his best some persons may be
inclined to agree with him. No one who pos
sessed sufficient knowledge of the facts to be
entitled to an opinion ever supposed that
Colonel FeIlOWSs claim to the office had any
more substantial foundation than his campaign
services to the Democratic party. He has the
gift of fluent speech, of the kind most effective
on the stump, and as the leaders of his party
were always able to arrange that his time
should be at their disposal whenever they want
ed it, they had no difficulty in making him use
full A talent like his may also be effectively
employed in the public service, and as one of
Mr. Marines assistants he held place which
he was competent to fill. In the preparation OF
a case he was cipher, but when the hour ar
rived for fetching appeal to the jury, the
Col0nel'S rhetoric helped to get verdict. All
this was as well understood in the autumn OF
1887 as it is now by the men who dictated his
nomination, and it was generally acknowledged
by the community so soon as the Authorizations
of the campaign had faded away.
The election of such a man to bring criminals
to Justice was one of the strangest OF the many
strange performances in which good citizens
of this metropolis have participated. Primarily
they have themselves to blame if the result of
the Adermanic trials gives notice to the world
that Newly ork is safe place i'll which to con-
coct and practise rascality But if Colonel Eel
lows were a man Of different temperament and
more exalted standards he would not be salts
fed to shift all the Blame upon the shoulders
of Others lie would in that case be aware that
the proseo ution which he conducted at BallSton
was not of the kind which forces convictions.
His witnesses were exceedingly forgetful, but
there was very little effort to refresh their
recollections on discrimination, and we have
the Distrct-Attorney's word for it that no at
tempt will be made to remind them OF the I'M
doubted fact that they have broken the agree
ment which gave them their liberty. As for
the other Doodle cases, Colonel Fellows declares
that he would deserve to be removed from
Office if he should squander any more public
money by bringing them to trial. Since he
avows so delicate sense Of his pecunary re-
sponsibility he might greatly deepen the I'M
preston which he seeks to create by refunding
his salary for the time that he has already
wasted on McQuade.