Evening journal., 1898-10-29
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE
oRAFaAM VERsrs ELK.


validity Of the personal charges prefer /
red. or, rather limited at, against MIR.
George S. Graham, Pniladelphia's Dis
trict Attorney, we remember prophesy-
ing that Mr.. Graham would Give to
fight another day." Well, the day ar
rived, and the fight came off. The re-
suit was somewhat OF a foregone con-
clusion, for, in sporting parlance,
Graham was first, Beck bad second.
AIr. James NJ. Beck. the Fusion can
didate for the District AttQrneyship
recently and publicly charged Mr.
Graham with administering the duties
of his office In an Irregular manner
Let us say. by way OF parenthesie, that
II Mr.. Beck imagined that II would ma
terially assist the forlorn chances OF
his canvass to attack Mr.. Graham
who Is not a candidate FOR office-then
he committed a most egregious error.
The charges made by Mr.. Beck were OF
a general character, on a par with the
aforesaid imputations OF a personal ma
ture against Mr.. Graham. Mr.. Graham
challenged Mr. Beck to meet him in
open debate and to specify his charges
then and there. Mr.. Beck accepted the
challenge, and made lame attempt at
on Saturday evening last. Mr.. Beck
claimed that in the FIVE years preced-
Ing the current year 6l60 untried cases
were still pending on the doclets OF the
Graham's reply to all this was preg-
nant and to the point. His clear and
incisive reasoning cut the ground from
under the feet OF Mr. Beck and his spe-
cious allegations. The facts presented
by Mr.. Graham bore directly on the
business OF the District Attorneys Of
fee, and he conciusiveiy proved that
the percentage Of untrled cases IN tha
District Attorneys office was no more
than the PERCENTAGE Of untried cases in
the United States District Attorney q
office. And Mr.. Graham also demon
strated the fact that the business of the
District Attorneys office accumulated
TO such an extent that 1t became a
sheer impossibllity for the Courts, but
two in number. TO dispose OF that
criminal business with all due celebrity
the consequence being that the bust
ness became cumulative, arrears plins
upon arrears. Mr.. Graham's argument
WAS we'll taken, inasmuch as no sane
man will attempt to question its rea-
sonableness. That there are not more
Courts, adequate to the discharge O
criminal business, is, OF course, a sin
OF omission not to be laid at Mr.
Grahams door The system, a penny
wise and pound foolish system 1t is, o
narrowing the facillties for dlsposing o
criminal business cannot be charged "
10 Mr.. Graham, or to any other in.
cumbent OF the office OF District At
torney.
Mr. Beck, in his speech at the Acad,
emy, waxed irrelevant importing int
his remarks vague innuendoes con
cerning the personal or moral charac
ter OF MT. Graham, and under the bur
den Of which lnnuendoes he, Mr.. era
ham, has labored for some months
And In his peroration, or what h
meant to he a telling philippe. Nh
Beck sarcastically characterized MI
Graham as "a man OF sentiment" Foo.
ish Mr.. Beckll Wefl, it is safe to as
sert that James NJ Beck will never
called upon to face any such charge a
that; for Il would be far easier TO dis
cover a needle IN the traditional hay
stack than 10 find a more common
place, prosaic earth-of-the-earthy pei
sonality than that OF Mr. James
Beck. We could very readily imagin
this gentleman applauding to the ech
the eminently practical Joseph SUI
face. OF school for Scandal" fam
when he exclaimed: There's no damn
ed sentiment about me-" Suffice It I
say that Mr. Bccl's charge OF malfeai
ance OF Office against Mr.. George
Graham melted into thin air and n
solved itself into dew beneath Il
logical, truthful ana battering-ran
like reasoning Of the latter gentlema
II was merely a case II words, word
words, with Mr.. Beck In fact, N
James NJ. Beck reminds us, with ee
tain physical reservations, Of the pc
portrait which Charles Dickens, tn
greatest Of alb modern readers OF h
man nature, has given to the world
the average Member Of PsrllameI
Here it is-'He was a tough, burl
thick-headed gentleman, with a lol
voice. a pompous manner, tolerat
command OF sentences with no mea
ing in them and, in short, every req5
site for a very good member indeed
Charles Dickens died in 20, but :
feel confident that he would have pos
poned his untimely taking off II
could have foreseen the pr jecti
upon this planet OF a James NJ Bee