Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-27
NOTED FOR ITS INVECTIvE
Calls Chairman of Probe Committee
Severe Name.
OTHERS HANDLED ROUGHLY
Demurs to Judgment Of Editors Of
Yellow Journals as to His
Official Course.

With a flood Of invective that attested the
bitterness Of his spirit. District Attorney
Jerome made here yesterday his final ar
gunner mt in the proceedings brought by the
Kings committee of Metropolitan street
railway stockholders to obtain his re-
moval from Office.
He laid before Commissioner Richard l..
Hand: appointed by Gov. Hughes TO hear
the testimony. a collection of epithets
that began by calling William F. King.
chairman of the prosecuting committee.
mixer of corporations and wound
up by labelling Supreme Court Justice
Seabury "a cad William r. Hearst
figured in the word picture as hydra
headed corporation.
Much of the evidence taken by the
Armstrong insurance investigating COM
mittee was characterized as 'twaddle. =
and a great deal was heard about zap
ping yellow journals and muddle-headed
FOOLS
Mr. Jerome began his summing up after
the fling of brief by Franklin Pierce.
attorney for the complainants. The dis
trict attorney presented no brief on his
own behalf. but 1t is understood that he
will file one for Commissioner Hand S
perusal at the conclusion Of the hearing.
The district attorneys argument occupied
the entire days session
The conception of the man that con-
ce.ves of the discharge of responsible
duties Of public prosecutor in the spirit
OF bloodhound springing at the throat
Of his victim Is a conception so base that
Ii there were proceedings to remove from
the bar. as there are from public office.
man as being unfit to discharge the
duties of an attorney, surely no better
evidence would be needed of the unfitness
Of any man to practice law or to claim
TO be an honorable or decent. fa.r-minded
gentleman. l conceive that the duties
that were laid upon me In that Office
AMI which l have striven to discharge
were those to be fair and just. to apply
one law to all persons. not to apply one
: law to the poor man and another to the
rich man.
Jerome Defends Himself.
Mr. Jerome launched into lengthy an
alysis Of the motives which, in his belief.
animated those most active in bringing
and pressing the charges against him. He
supported his contention that the proceed
ings were "fimsy and mendacious'' by
asking the commissioner to note. for one
thing. that the complaint had not been
verified, mot even on information and be-
lief"
Il have lived all my life in the city of
New ork." said the district attorney
land the sixteen best years of my life
there were given to the public service.
Twice / have run for office In that city
and have been elected the last time
against every political party and all alone.
and I consider l was elected to exercise
my Judgment in the discharge of the du-
ties of that Office. and not the Judgment
of irresponsible editors of yellow journals
and what they might say l ought to do.
Il consider continued Mr.. Jerome.
that the duties that were laid upon me
in that office. and which have striven to
discharge, were these: To be fair and
just: to apply one law to all persons. not
to apply one law to the poor man and
another to the rich man.
Hedged in by the Law.
II have stood. sir. under great pressure,
before that grand jury room as a south
ern sheriff has often stood before a south
ern Jail when he knows the prisoner with
In is guilty and worthy of punishment
but will only allow him to be punished as
the law provides"
Regarding the charge that he had re-
fused to advise the grand jury to indict
George ". Perkins in the so-called fifty
tnousand-doilar political contribution case.
Mr.. Jerome said:
1t was perfectly plain that Bryan's
election would have been followed by a
shrfnkage in the value of the securities OF
the New York Life Insurance Company
OF say at least 10 to II per cent. so tina,
with $3.50. 100000 Of securities this contri-
button by Mr.. Perkins was a shre~d bust
ness move. even If II were illegal But
was. 1t illegal? Moreover. there was
abundant evidence that the officials of al
most every financial institution In New
York city had contributed to the republi-
can party committee to help defeat Bryan
so that If Perkins was guilty then had
my work cut out for me good and plenty
for year or more ahead.
Il tried to get judicial decision In the
matter. Judge O'Suilivan refused to take
II up and decide it.
Il mean TO make no comment on the
governor Of the state Of New York at
years have known him personally
some tweHtyseven now-that he thong hit
IT was better for me that matters of this
KIND should be ventilated and sworn tes-
umony such as might exist might be ad
duced, and so in that spirit | have no
doubt he ordered this reference to yo1,r
honor.
Jerome Grows Sarcastic.
4 accept the gift In the spirit in
"hlch X is given l appreciate the fact
that in the height Of the labors that are
cast upon me by the duties of a very
dimcult position / should be compelled
10 take from hve to six weeks to clear
this air at the solicitation of persons who
nave SHOWN such an interest in the public
veal as Is indicated BY this comni,tee
II is delightful when one thinks OF his
former assistant. the present learned den.
uty attorney general. a man who in his
nour OF need. and. practically. in snita
or his abuse. you have kept in your own
ONCE and then whipped him at the nous
In the contest before the people to sea
him violating his oath OF Office as a den
uty attorney general IN committing the
crime-iN permitting the learned counsel
for the prosecution in this proceeding 10
send his stenographer to his ONCE and
make copies or the" grand fury minutes
supposed to be secret from which he
mig nj examine "A man that had befriend
ed him
Those are pleasant things to contem-
plates. And II is pleasant to consider that
the attorney fer a newspaper asains,
whom you have had libel suit should
send mis- clerk to the office together with
this stenographer of Mr. Pierce's TO cony
those minutes. 1t Is pleasant to con
template that wild Indignation with which
MT. Osborne rushed into the office afte,
the minutes were copied. and l have no
doubt the punishment inflicted upsn tina,
poor. unfortunate office boy for permit.
ting those people To copy those minute.
was something terrible.
Never Took Dishonest Dollar.
Il am charged with befriendinR ane
protecting these wicked capitalists. who
are said to have spread their insdiou.
poison through the whole life of New
York city" he said yet there is no one
who has ever made even the slightest
insinuation that l ever took a dishopes
dollar"
Mr.. Jerome contended that the payment
of 900 Of the stockholders money Il
trace down those who were raiding thu
he1r0n0ltt l6QttimAte