Perth Amboy evening news., 1905-11-24
M1N-JEKOAfE.

O0AAACA A0h AN0NCAARCA
tains an admirable sketch OF Mr..
William Travers Jerome, the re-elec-
ted District Attorney of New York
City, who made such a nadmirable
run as an independent candidate and
beat the bosses of every party. Mr..
Edwin Bjorkman, who writes the ar
ticle, says in part:
Jerome is first of all a teller of
truths-not of one abstract univers-
al truth, but of particular. individual,
Immediately applicable truths that
concern the present day and place.
Next he is a fighter. He was born to
battle, and there is nothing that
pleases him more than a real hot tus-
sic with q foe worthy of his steel.
Ambition he possesses beyond a
doubt; but it is subordinated to such
a deep-rooted conviction of its flu
tility whenever its satisfaction be
procured by the sacrifice of a prin-
ciple hat 1t practically becomes a
negligible quantity in the mans
life. If he could buy the presidency
by one little lie. | think he would
cry out: "Phraw. | never wanted it!'
But there is Il doubt in my mind
whether he would not compromise
even with his passion for veracity If,
by so doing, he could get into a good
fight for a good cause
And there are two things he hates
only less than a lie-injustice and
oppression. Think of that mar tell
ing himself hat there would be a
fine fight this fall and he not in IL.
Think of him brooding on the idea
that but for his honesty and truth
fulness and eficiency-the very quail
tiles making a mar fit for public
service-his participation in that
fight would be a %foregone conclusion.
Think of him recalling-while tend
ing to the ~thousandfold duties of his
office or etching steel in his shop at
Lakeville-how day after day, In
endless ways, his fellow-citizens had
shown him that they loved and trust
ed and respected him. Think of him
realizing in the quiet watches of the
night with ever-growing vividness
what it was that stood between him
and the Office which formed the tan
giblc expression of his fellow-men's
confidence and goodwill. Think of
all this-and you can feel the wrath
rising until that born fighter simply
had TO go into the fray. And what
occurred TO him first was a battle for
the office-for the right to serve
not for the people and their right to
be served. But being a man of inn
4 "a uinntinn an1 of utnn1nrftt1 frfVfffrn
perception of the currents running
silently in the depths of human ma
ture, it took him only a short time
to forget all about his primary OBJ
j~ective, so that he could see nothing
but the state of the people-enehain-
ed, boss-ridden, and seemingly help
less.
The gradual development of an
other phrase that played a c~onspic-
uous part in his campaign speeches
gives an illustration of his passing
from the tangible object to the alb
stract idea. from the lesser to the
greater truth. One of the first
things he said was: This is not q
mere scramble for Office; it is not a
fight against any party; it is a fight
against Charley Murphy"
That was the germ. BY slow de-
grees those words crystallized into a
mighty battle cry which rang re-
frain-like through the latter part of
the struggle, until the echoes of 1t
spread to the utmost shores of the
continent: This is not the fight of a
man against any other man; 1t is the
fight of the people against the boss,
and am only your humble standard
bearer. The challenge was made by
me, but the fight is yours"
From a mar fighting for his own
rights he had grown to one fighting
for the rights of all.