The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-24
JEROME ASSAILS His CRITICS.
SCORES PARKER AND MAGAZINES
IN AFTER DINNER BLAST.
Denounces Those Who Wound Him Get
Insurance Convictions without Proper
Eyidenee-Referm Hysteria Hun Mad
Guest With Hughes Of Delta u. Men.

~ 'N-
-Guest With Hughes Of Delta u. Men.
District Attorney Jerome hit out at his
critics last night. Standing behind the
speakers table at the Delta Epsilon dinner
at the Savoy Hotel and facing 500 Of his
fellow fraternity members. who had shouted
themselves hoarse for him, Mr.. Jerome
made a speech which for bitterness has
probably never been equalled at any public
banquet.
1t was not alone his own critics that Mr..
Jerome went for last night. He also as
sailed with equal bitterness the magazine
exposers for defalning their country and
bringing on q reign of what he described
as hysteria. But it was when he came
down to critics of himself that Mr.. jerome
had the most to say.
He attacked the newspapers first and
followed this with an attack on Judge
Parker and others who, he said, had in
the craze of the moment eemed to have
lost their senses and wanted him to do
things without evidence.
at is because q Grand Jury would indiot
these men with OF without evidence he
said, that there is one public official in
New York to-day who will not permit
tnen W u1ulCU WITHOUT oNluenCo'
Mr.. Jerome's speech came after Charles
E.. Hughes, who shared the honors Of the
evening with him, had left. It directly
fol owed a speech by Erman j. Ridgeway
Of Erervbodv's Magazine, who had told
the gathering that they did not realize
how rotten verifying Is" This is Mr..
Jerome's speech:
II have one regret-that Mr.. Hughes,
for whom 1 AVE both honor and respect,
is not to be with US to hear what l have
to say. 1t is an easy thing to conduct an
investigation for a legislative committee,
Every man is at the mercy Of his counsel.
But the magnificent self restraint, the loyal,
manlike way in which Mr.. Hughes con-
Quoted, never for one moment descending
to cheap claptrap plays, can never be for
gotten.
Notribute adequate enough can be paid
to him. He had ever before him the. ap-
probation Of his professional brethren
and not the appreciation 1fthe yellow press.
more earnest, brings me to that situation
now confronting us about which l want to
say a word as to our duty as educated men
toward public opinion.
Public opinion goes hither and thither
like a ship, but in the long course OF time
it is sweet and sane and sound and will
make its port: but it lies on you to see to it
that it's tacks are no longer than they ought
to be. 1t is wasted power, that sentiment
Of the community that goes up one trail
and back again to another. To-day all
through his nation what do we. 1nd-a case
Of absolute hysteria.
"Gentlemen, no nation ever built its
national life on the warp and wool of per-
jury, tort and laroeny; and yet to-day
you would think this great country we
love was setting its course on this fouida-
ton.
David Graham Phillips is now writing
about the Treason of the Senate, for a
ma gazine. Treason is an ugly word. 1t Is
to superlstives that our own racy tongue
has become debauched and we, have no
superlatives left. The Senate of the United
States-is it a reasonable body? A body
that holds a man like Murray Crane Of
Massachusetts?
Because some men are there who ought
not to be there-some h bought the
position-shall we say hat the governors
Of our body polite are guilty OF treason?
Base men are there, but when In the bright,
breezy sentiments Of modern newspaper
life you assert there Is treason, you either
lie or misconceive the meaning of the Eng
aTake this reasonable body that would
strike down our national life and contrast
it with your representative body swayed
bill. Seven men voted against it. and not a
man able to understand it. But the yellows
said we must have something doing, and
so your popular branch said we must do
something, whether we understand it or
not.
with a President who thinks every
yearning can be constitutionally enacted
into law, with a House OF Representatives
typifed by William Sulzer, the Friend Of
the People, where would there be safety
unless in the United States Senator
Il hold no brief to defend individual
Senators, but there are many men there
who were there when we were at our mothers
breasts, who " their country and would
betray it no sooner than David Graham
Phillips would. The railroads are bad.
They ought to be checked, but not by some
thing those who vote for don't understand.
II that is the way we are TO govern give
me a benevolent ~despotism.
My friend Lincoln Stefrens blows into a
State and in three weeks has il torn up for
his magazine. He is sincere, but l can't
forget he wrote headlines once at police
Headquarters, and he can't forget 1t either.
| have lived here all my life. | should
hesitate to serve up New York as he can in
three weeks a State he never wasi in before,
Il met L gentleman Of large experience
on a yellow-now he's on a ma g~azine-sad
transit? He old me that they had had an
editorial conference and that they had
talked for two hours and hadn't been able
to find anything bad enopgh to expose.
Then they woke up and thought perhaps
that there was some good left, and deter
mined to build up their magazine on that
basis. e..
II me- Mr.. James Bryce on his last visit
here. His belief in our future was in re-
freshing contrast to the opinion Of the
literary freelances who, for 81 900 per an
mum, are engaged in turning up the base
ness of the American people,.
Now, gentlemen, much of this is due
to the newspapers, and again not. One
~carrion, and seek it with a sense Of recog-
milton. The others try to be clean and
right. Standing before these Others, how
ever, is the financial success Of these two
papers. The people demand hot stuff
at 80 much per, and their needs are met
by these publications. These papers play
in the guise Of leading public opinion.
Il have no words out words OF praise
or the honest papers. In our days criticism
OF public officers is right singing criticism
il II is Just. But let mt illustrate con-
oretely a type Of paper that would mould
public opinion and yet is aotuated by
base motives. Concrete illustrations come
back so much better than beautiful senti-
ments, as l remarked to-day to a Judge.
fIAughter.l
II was investigating a certain large cor
p~oration in this city, and the city editor
of a paper came to me with an article in
galley proof about it. The statements
in the article were false. / told him that
the report of my accountants, though not
vet finished, showed that.
: aN'nr IL iup't q rille for city ediforu IN