New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-11-05
THE "vIND1oATIoE" OF HERRroK.

Orr neighbor "The New-York Times" tells us
that It has withdrawn it's charge that Judge
Herrick's conduct on the bench was an 'impro-
prietv" and A scandal" on the strength OF Mr..
Marcus T. Huns testimony that Judge Herrlck
had not continued to be an active managing
politician after going the bench The &C
ceptance Of this "vindication" by THE, Times
had escaped our attention, but we take pleasure
in now recording it and giving full publicity to
the fact that The Times" has Withdrawn It's
charge against Judge Herrlck. 1t asks us why
we have not accepted Mr.. Huns complete dis
proof" and we likewise take pleasure in inform
ing It,
The election of 1893 in Albany was so notori-
ously and abominably corrupt as to arouse the
indignation of the citizens, On call signed by
Bishop Doane a public meeting was held In
November, at which Judge Rufus ". Peckham,
q Democrat spoke against the political activity
of Judges with plain reference, as everybody
understood, 10 Justice Herick. committee
was appointed to prosecute for election crimes
and purify the city. On March 8, 1894, Marcus
T. Hun James Fenimore Cooper and H. A.
Peckham, as counsel for the committee, signed
a report saying that their work for honest cleo
tons had practically failed because they had
encountered ''the united opposition of almost
every officer of the city or county who could
"in any way do anything to defeat the success
"of these prosecutions" This report also spe-
cifcally denounced Mayor Manning Judge Her
rick's tool, in whose behalf Judge Herrick had
in the previous spring sought to intimidate MI.
Speer. for whom at the charter election of 1893
Judge Herrick had granted e~stay in the cleo
ton inspectors case, which excited the indigna-
ton of the whole State and drew from such a
stanch Democratic paper as The Rochester
Union the comment that this judge who stayed
another judges decision on the merits and pre-
vented any adjudication against Mr.. Manning
till after election was himself "the leader Of
the Manning faction" who was still in the State
committee, with AIr. Manning acting as his
proxy. A little later one of Mr.. Huns associ-
ate counsel Mr. Peckham Joined in organizing
the New Democracy, to promote clean politics.
and that organization in 1897 issued a public
appeal in which it declared that Judge Herrlck
habitually met his ward heelers in the judicial
chambers on Sunday morning; that as "a no.
toriOus fact" he continued Gin defiance of all
precedent and decency to manipulate local
politics" and said woe betide the lawyer
practising at bar who dares to disagree
with him in any political move or suggestion"
From 1891 to 1896 the Albany newspapers Of
both parties, and the newspapers elsewhere
were full of talk about Judge Herrick as the
active boss of the Albany Democracy. 1t was
everywhere patent accepted fact 1t was on
ham based his remarks in the public meeting
and with full recognition of it that Mr. Hun
undertook the prosecutions which failed owing
to the opposition Of Mayor Manning the prose
cutting officers and the courts Of justice In the
face of all these things, the belated assurance
of Mr.. Hun, who as official reporter of the Su-
preme Court has naturally come to have agree
able relations with Judge Herrick, that Judge
Herr1ck has, after ALL behaved with proprietv.
does not carry conviction. The weight Of testi.
mony contemporaneous with the improprieties
charged Is too strong the other side Judge
Herricks activity the boss of a corrupt ma
chine, under which elections were worse than
under John Y. McKane, according 70 .'The
Brooklyn Eagle" has for years been notorious
and undenied. The attempt, under pretence or
REFORM TO urge such man against an ad-
mlttedly able, independent experienced and
honest candidate like Mr.. Higgins is a miracle
OF Inverted moral standards
THE Times" wants to know about Tho T1er,o-
cratic campaign funds What right has II
While pretending to know concrete INSTANCES
OF e1toruon by Mr., Cortelyou. vet rofus-
ing to produce a shred of evidence in snnnor+
of its charges, to demand any bill of particulars
from anybody on anything7 Nevertheless wn
VIII say that we have what we believa N ha
trustworthy information that Judge Parker has
In the last three weeks received enorrno,,. -
from certain trust interests, and that wh,lo h.
is posing as the champion of the plain neonIo
MS managers are pouring into the do,,htr,,I
states two and three times as much rnonov oa
the Republicans have had, and are basInc oil
their hopes on the purchasable vote which IT,
gart and Hill know so well how to reach