Evening star., 1901-12-07
GOTHAM'S ARBITER
Personal characteristics of William
TraVers Jerome.
WILL WORK WITHOUT FBkROR FAVOR
Has Shown Himself to Have
Broad Sympathies as Judge.
PLENTY OF VIGOR LEFT
Copyright, 1901, by S. S. Mcclure Coz


| Written for The Evening Star by Pendenns.
More than any other one man William
! Travers Jerome will determine what man.
ner of place the metropolis of the country
will be after the 1st of January His pol
icy as district attorney of the county Of
New York will affect more millions of per-
| sons, both citizens of New York and visit
ors to the city, than could the policy of any
other man in this country except a few who
/ hold high places in the national govern
| ment. 1t is his to say whether the city is
to be wide open" or tight as drum 1t
| is his part to check and control the social
evil-that vice which can never be extermi-
mated, only regulated. On the district at
| torney-elect's plans depends, to a great ex-
tent, the license to be permitted to saloons,
pool rooms and gambling houses. How
great or how little the amount of blackmal
| levied by dishonest police officials is to be-
his official activity will decide. The amuse-
ments usually classed as innocent" may
be suppressed by him if he concludes that
they do not merit that term. He may close
a theater or shut up a dance hall or put a
| stop to the business of a restaurant 1t is
not likely that he will do all that he might
| do; it is certain that he will do much. Just
what that much will be is the most inter-
| eSting question of the day to many thou
sands of people
If the district attorneyshp is so potent an
ofhce, why have not former incumbents
cut greater figure in lne public eye? The
answer is not far to seek. With the eXcep-
| ton of the present holder of the office, who
! only fills out another'S term. every district
attorney for many years has been ham
pered by political ambit ions Judge Jerome
! says he hasn't any political ambitions-a
! common observation among successful cam
! didates-but he is unique in this, that he
| acts as if he meant it. Although a demo-
! crat, he is an anti-Tammany man. AL
! though elected on a republican-fusion
| ticket, he bitterly aSSailed the leader of the
republicans, Senator PIatt a few days he
| fore election. Now that he is elected he
proposes to do what seems best to him, un-
hampered by political considerations, un-
| considering of punishment or reward. That
is why ne is IN puplc anticipation the most
| important figure in the municipal life of
| the city of New York.
Has Many Sides.
Judge William TraVers Jerome has as
many sides to him most men, but each
| side, so to speak, is always facing you
Whether he likes you or not whether he
intends to befriend or to annihilate you.
the judge looks you straight in the eve
1 doubt If there is another man in this
great city today who is in greater per
sonal peril than the district attorney
elect, both because of his intimate and
detailed knowledge of the criminal condi-
tions in the city tmuch of them unknown
and unsuspected even by its lifelong resi-
dents) and because the office to which he
accedes is, under an honest and efficient
official sword imminent above the heads
OF Wrong-doerS, official and unfficial. Judge
Jerome stands absolutely alone in one re-
spect; there are no rewards to bestow for
political services in his new office, because
there is no tiger behind him, threatening
his integrity for private gain. The loyal
admirers, the decent fellows who wanted
him elected because they were swayed by
the energy, the vitality of the man, stand
around and admire him. In the intervals
OF his duties the bench of the court of
special sessions they wait about in corners
to shake hands with him, holding on tight
ly to their own integrity of purpose as they
look into his face, lest they might yield to
the old political system of asking favor
and thereby be forever cast out of Jerome's
good books.
Jerome has a radiant smile, an unmis-
takably sympathetic personality. but it is
not the sympathy Of the sentimentaIist
It is the wisdom of his mind that clari-
fieS things about him, and it is more far
reaching than mere sentimental sympathy
1 spent the first day after his election i'm
the special sessions court room with him.
surrounded by ignorance, misery vicious
ness, suffering and all the misfortunes of a
criminal atmosphere. His honor. being the
presiding judge, sat between his two asso-
ciates, in the gorgeous silk judges gown.
which he wore more unconcernedly and
with less pomp and owliShneSs than either
of his associates. He conducted the exam
nations very often personally, and when
steam behind the words, that every accent
was distinctly heard throughout the room |
The cases were not important in a news
sense, but it was noticeable that whereas |
his associates were interested in the law
of the matter chiefly, the cold, stern letter
of the law, Judge Jerome was keenly alert
to the human side of prisoners and wit
neSseS.
He Wanted to Know.
For instance, longshoreman with big
face, a small, close-cropped bullet head in
the witness chair felt no restraint in Civ
ing his testimony. but talked colloquiaIly.
intimately, with the judge after the latter
had said to him in his peculiarly democrat
ic fashion,:
Now, then, Foley, tell us all about this
fight and what you saw of it," and settled
back in his chair comfortably attentive
"A judge who has no heart has no busi-
ness to be on the criminal bench" he said
to me one day In his chambers as he signed |
bail bond that was none too solid, releas-
ing poor woman he had previously COM
mitted for stealing baby's shawl worth |
70 cents.
H,st L.