New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-08-19
JEROME ON LABOR UNIONS.
Has Not Shown Discrimination-Calls Him
self Tammany's District Attorney.

An interview with District Attorney Jerome re-
gardng his attitude toward the labor unions and
the present trials extortion is published in the
current issue Of THE Unionist" The interview is
prefaced with a description Of Mr. Jerome as 'an
honest man-an impUlslve. original, rough and
ready character" and is in the form of an an
swer TO certain statements published in previous
number OF The Unionist"
According to the interview, after stating that he
wished the votes of the laboring men, not for his
own personal or political fortunes. but in aid of
the lettering Of the city, Mr.. Jerome said:
What I said at that uptown East Side Settlement
was not reported II such q way as 70 give true
u me isr g G j the T5ions ' tba9 IN
any ofSer element Of Society / do saw that graft
is the great peril that our American institutions
Now all who have heard me utter my views on
the subject know am believer in organized labor
I haven't sought to be purifier of unions En-;
p.oyeIs came 70 me IN several cases ana sloInlttea
committed. No enploye, Oh the other hand ever
ceeded with the employers cases. If this step was
MADE the most Of before the public, had nothing
As to these points Of union men refusing to
pay for waiting time cited at the outset those de-
csons t5V91ng ffS ual9TT mar my got{onS o5q
desire or expect is no fault 81 mine FINES ana as
form by unions themselves, are not necessarily Il
If it has been published that encouraged en-
ployers TO believe that was going 10 oEcrturn tue
fines and assessments. am not responsible You
I the employers baSelesS hopes; l say l
never gave them any hope You say that in trying
to prove charges of blackmail by impositions OF
waiting time 1 entered On a large undertaking: l
reply never took UP with such proposition.
This case you bring Up relative 10 employers
Building Trades is OF bribery. Such a
transaction be bribery, must concern public Off
Gals Every element OF moral oblQulty IS there,
but here is no law against ii.
If ! took up no labor cases before TINS present
row. it was because labor matters were not in my
way. The number of cases coming 10 the DISTRICT
Attorneys office last year was thirteen thousand,
Besides I have had hand special investigat tons
OF the docks. the police. the aqueduct ana two
with my Office tweuty-eight OF them lawyers. Bust
ness with us is always moving fast. When went
into the office, S64 awaiting trial. There
are to-day but 299 a reduction of more than five
hundred. We have got the prison cases down so
that we dispose Of them average IN ten days.
Rail cases we wind up in three weeks. mention
these figures to show begin reform at home-ln
my otfice-and show record there.
In conclusion. I started out on a crusade
against the trade unions their officers. My re-
marks regarding walking delegates were dscrlm-
mating and properly modified al the time / made
them. but I can't control newspapers or employers.
Attorney. 7 mean to be District Attorney Just as
much for the unionists the employers; just as
much for any element in society as for all
others; Just much for political party rs the
others I am District Attorney for the East Side
and the West Side for the newspapers and the
Stock Exchange, for the men on the docks and the
men Fifth-ave. l everybodT's District At
torney, without distinction am Tammany Halls
District Attorney