The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-02-28
JEROME REFUSES
TO Do HIS DUTY
Is THE CHARGE PREFERRED
AGAINST DISTRICT ATTORNEY.
SHIELDS RICH CRIMINALS.
A Petition Asking for His Removal
from Office Is Presented to Gov.
Hughes by Stockholders in
a Street Railway.

New York, Feb. 2S.--Twenty-two spe.
cific charges are made in petition
praying for the removal of William
7. Jerome as district attorney of the
county of New York which was sent
to Gov. Hughes at Albany Thursday by
committee of stockholders of the
Metropolitan Street Railway Co
through their chairman, William f,
King.
The petition alleges that Jerome
failed properly to prosecute charges
of alleged Jury fixing and the giving
OF false testimony in street railway
cases; that the prosecution of viola.
tions of the criminal law by the life
s insurance companies of New York. as
disclosed by the Armstrong committee,
has been delayed; that an alleged
criminal conspiracy to divert the prop
erty of the Metropolitan Street Rail.
way Co. into the hands of few men
was allowed by Mr.. Jerome to go on
and hundreds of stockholders robbed
of their r~'ney, and that no attempt
was made to punish men alleged to
have committed other frauds in con-
nection with New York traction deals.
Mr.. Jerome's statements as to
Judges are alleged to have been not
only improper but scandalous in their
nature. and to have tended to destroy
the confidence of the people in the in
tegrity of the courts. The committee
also charges that the district attor.
ney misconducted himself in failing to
indict and seek to convict some one of
the officials of the New York Central
Railroad Co. in connection with the
collision in that company's tunnel in
1902, when II persons We're killed.
Various other cases of alleged failure
of the district attorney to perform his
duty are cited in the complaint.
The petition charges that contribu-
tions to the campaign fund to elect
Mr.. Jerome were received by one of
Jeromes assistants from men connect
ed with large corporations seeking ia
vors from the district attorney and
that the sum, the amount OF which is
unknown, was upwards of $4,000.
Among these contributors. it is al
legged, was the attorney for James II.
Hyde, who contributed $4,000.
Albany, Feb 2S.-Gov Hughes said
last night that the charges against
District Attorney Jerome would take
the usual course. A copy of them will
be sent to Mr. Jerome, so that he may
send an answer to them TO the gov
ernor. after which the governor will
decide as to his course.
William F. King. former president of
the Merchants association who filed
the charges, gave out a statement in
which he severely criticised Jerome
81 maintain" said Mr.. King. that
much of the blame for the present de-
plorable condition of affairs is due to
hn Cot Of Ia
attorney, to prosecute the rich graft
ers who have robbed our people and
disgraced the name of our city COM
mencing with the ice trust, the in
famous clique who fllched the money
of policyholders from the great in
surance companies and last in the
list. but first in open, shameless au-
dacity and barefaced stealing, the
men who looted and wrecked the Met
ropolltan Traction Co.
'The public exposure of these rich
criminals, and the failure to prosecute
them and others of the same ilk, whe
controlled many great banks and trust
companies, is the primary cause of
the want of confidence that caused
people to rush to banks to withdraw
their deposits and place them In safe
deposit boxes. and although the So
called panic is practically over as far
as the banks are concerned, the want
of confidence Is here to stay, and will
stay until the people see some of these
wealthy criminals punished--not fined,
but put in jail. just the same as would
happen to criminals Of less promi-
nence. The failure to enforce our
laws is breeding socialism and anar-
chy."