The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-04-17
On. the stand.

II Mr.. Moss keeps after Mr.. RICHARD
CROKER many hours longer, there is danger
Of the destruction OF a popular ideal. No
small part of Mr.. C%RoKER's extraordinary
influence with the men OF Tammany Hall
has been due to their belief that his intel
lectual craft and imperturbability of de-
meanor under the most trying circum-
stances, and his quickness Of perception
and directness Of speech, all combined to
make him the match for any man living in
a contest Of wits like this.
In the encounter between Mr.. Moss and
Mr.. CROKER, the advantage Of position is
on Mr.. MOSES side, and all the weapons OF
attack by question, by innuendo, and by
surprise are in his hands; but these adj
vantages would be fairly balanced by such
a defensive armament as the witness is
generally credited with possessing, in COM
mon with the armadillo and tirst-class bat
tleships. Even il there were much that he
desired to conceal from his inquisitor, the
qualities which are characteristic OF the
ideal Mr.. CROKER should enable that gentle
man to withstand the most trying examina-
tion, under the conditions OF the present
ordeal, successfully il not triumphantly.
- ! . lillp'oOlpl' " llt HltSl loNdl
admirer of MIR. CRoKER's genius to study
the reports of the testimony without de-
tecting the very weaknesses displayed by
smaller men when placed in the same diff
cult position: by Mr.. JOHNNY CARROLL, for
example, or Mr.. PETER MEYER. We do not
refer particularly to the occasional breaks
in the tranquility of Mr.. CRoKER's per-
sonal bearing; for these might, under
conceivable circumstances, occur deliber-
ately and advisedly, as a part Of his
adopted system of defence. A great art
list on the witness stand, confronted by
another great artist such as Mr.. Moss has
shown himself to be, might find it to his
advantage in the duel to lose apparent con-
troll OF his temper from time to time, in or
der to interject matter that would not
otherwise get into the stenographer's
notes. We do not say that we suspect Mr..
CROKER of calculation or reconciliation in
his several bursts Of anger; merely that
such outbreaks might occur without serl-
Gus damage to his reputation either for as
tuteness or for equipoisc.
What will hurt Mr.. CRoKER IA great deal
more than that, in the estimation OF adj
mirrors, who, not being on the witness
stand themselves under Mr.. MOsS's. fire,
are able to study their revered leaders per-
fprmance in a calmly critical spirit, is the
almost naive manner in which he abandoned
his general theory Of defence at times when
he thought he saw plain sailing ahead and
no danger in being candid. This occurred
several times, notably in the instance when
Mr.. CROKER volunteered a statement as to
his profits from the real estate auctioneer-
witnesses general theory of defence is that
the MaZet Committee is not entitled to any
answer disclosing any particular of what
he chooses to regard as his private business
affairs. Therefore, when Mr.. CROKER was
led by the seeming i~nnocuousness OF some
of Slr. Mosss questions to take that gentle
MAJ and the committee and the public into
his confidence respecting certain details
of what he calls his private business, his
refusals to reply concerning other details
of private business gained emphasis, to
say the least. His Inconsistency in this re-
sprct was sufficiently marked to cause
grief in the parlorS OF the Democratic
Club, where every shade and infection of
his testimony is studied with deep political
and personal sympathy, but with sharp
scrutiny from the aesthetic and intellectual
points Of view.
Mr.. Moss left his antagonist ON Saturday
breathing hard but deilantly, and 50 shaken