New-York tribune., 1903-03-29

According to Police Commissioner Greene, Che
rardi Davis, the newly appointed third deputy.
will net only have charge OF the fiscal work Of
the department. but will also preside in turn with
his two fellow deputies at police trials If Mr..
Davis is vigorous and relentless in combat
ing the forces of evil in Mulberry-st as he was
at Albany the four years he was there as As
semblyman there will be many quakinS heart
among the miscreant bluecOats.
AS a member OF the legislature the represen-
tative Of the XXVIIth District. because Of his
incessant war upon strike bills, sneak bills,
crook bills. laid aside" bills and the many
more dolphin coored forms Of bad legislation,
came to be known The Terror of the Strik-
ers' It not a random fight which MI
Davis made. Ii appearance. dress, speech
thought and action Mr. Davis is the exact Op-
posite Of the dilet-ante. There is system i'm all
that he does, and his persistency and endurance
IN battling bad measures Albany caused a
certain set OF Tammany politicians session
to dub him among themselves "pavy tha
Watchdog
Smooth shayen. with high forehead. made
the more prominent because OF partial bald
ness a long. strongly cut chin. and mouth
which shuts tight at times and Guivers at times.
Mr.. Davis impTesses one most by his franhneSs-
In the open features of his face one can easily
read mind which does not mince the truth.
it believes TO be right even II IL does sting
At Albany Mr.. Davis used TO carry I'm his vest
pocket a little Russia leather notebook. which
he called his strike bill book. In it he kept in
arithnetcal order the numbers of all bills which
he regarded as suspicious. Many new member
learning the purpose of this little pocke book
quietly wondered If his could he found
within It's Russia leather covers. And later.
some morning when the clerk would chance to
=; /
see MI. Davis him, open the leather
notebook and then challenge him before th-
other 14S members to explain its provisions
When the Assembly was in session Mr. Davis
was always busy at his desk. He never To
be found with that contingent which escaped
with every opportunity the lobby TO stake
their the big leather couches along the
walls. Mr.. Davis did not receive cards TO sre
friends in the lobby. Neither did h need to 90
out there for a smoke The member from the
XXVIIth does not use tobacco
When Mr.. Davis was not employed looking
after his own legislation he was poring over
stack Of bills which his page had put on his
desk whose numbers Tailed with the numbers
in the leather notebook. II customary
sight him sitting in his seat with the
strike bill book in one hand and the days
calendar in the other, and a bill spread Hat
open between them Occasionally he would
make a heavy cross with lead pencil against
a bill the calendar clamp his mouth together
a little tighter. and then nervousIy shake his
head. Then he would turn to some fellow Re
publican nearby and say:
The next bill is bad bill. a perniCious bill
1t strikes at the So-and-so Company Of So-and-
so-st."
The next minute he was on his feet with.
oh, Mr.. Speaker, l object. l move to strike
OUT"
The introducer would then struggle with an
explanation. cautiously ask to have it
laid aside At other times the bill would he
railroaded through despite all Mr.. Davis might
do to telescope 1t. Frequently when nearly
every other member IN the Assembly would vote
for a measure Mr.. Davis asked that his name he
recorded in the negative. because he had doubts
about the measure
On Friday mornings most of the city mem
bers are accustomed to be absent. They had
left Albany for home the previous day. The
session IL generally extremely short hut what
business is transacted is dispatched with great
speed Bills OF Importance can be put over till
Monday night for debate. on the strength OF
single objection, and thus the tradition has
sprung up that Fridays session is nobody's
session." and hardly worth attending.
But whatever the other members of the IeKis-
lature may have thought Of their responsible
ties on Friday Mr.. Davis was to be found in
his seat that morning. the same as at other
times Thus 1t Friday that the member
from the Murray Hill district" was sitting in
his chair earnestly studying his pocket note
book, when an upstate Assemblyman broke in
on his researches BY saying:
Wall. don't you ever take rest?'
Not on Fridays" was the answer.