The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1908-03-14
CHARGES
AGAINST JEROME

NEW YORK, Feb. 27.-TWenty-tWo
specific charges are made in a petit
ton praying for the removal of Will
liam T. Jerome as District Attorney
of the County of New York, which
was sent to Governor Hughes at AL
bany today by a committee of stock
holders of the Metropolitan Street
Railway through its chairman, Will
liam 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
lions of the criminal law by the life
insurance companies of New York, as
disclosed by the Armstrong Commit
tee, had been delayed; that an alleged
criminal conspiracy to divert the pro-
perty of the Metropolitan Street Rail-
way Company, of New York, into the
hands of few men was allowed by
Mr.. Jerome to go on, and hundreds Of
stockholders robbed of their money,
and that no attempt was made to
punish men alleged to have commit
/ ted other frauds in connection with
| New York city traction deals. Mr..
! Jerome's statements as to Judges are
alleged to have been not only impro-
per, but scandalous in their nature
and to have tended to destroy the
confidence of the people in the inte-
gritty of their courts.
the committee also charges that
| the District Attorney misconducted
himself in failing to indict and seek
to convict some one of the officials of
the New York Central Railroad Com
pany in connection with the collision
! in that company's tunnel in 1902,
when II persons were killed. Various
other cases of alleged failure of the
District Attorney to perform his duty
are cited in the complaint.
The petition also charges that con-
tributions to the campaign fund to
elect Mr.. Jerome were received by one
of Mr.. Jerome's assistants from men
connected with large corporations
seeking favors from the District At
tOrney, and that the sum, the amount
of which is unknown, was consider
ably upwards of $4,000. Among these
contributors, it is alleged, was the
attorney for James H. Hyde, who con-
tributed $500. 1t is also alleged that
the assistant who received these
funds and who has since resigned and
entered law practice, has undue in
fuence with the District Attorney.
I'm not worried" was District At
torney Jerome's comment when told
of the charges and request for his re-
moval. This is another one, | sup
pose. They file them up there every
week or so against me, according to
the reports. The Governor has never
asked me to explain. If he does, then
we will take cognizance Of them"
William F. King. former president
of the Merchants Association who
filed the charges, gave out a state
ment in which he severely criticised
District Attorney Jerome.
81 maintain" said Mr.. King, that
much of the blame for the present de-
plorable condition of affairs is due to
the failure of Mr.. Jerome, as District
Attorney to prosecute the rich and in
fluential grafters who have robbed our
people and disgraced the name of our
city, commencing with the ice trust,
the infamous clique who filched the
money Of policy holders from the
great insurance companies and, last
in the list, but first in open, shame
less audacity and barefaced stealing,
then men who looted and wrecked
the Metropolitan Traction Company.
"The public exposure of these rich
criminals and the failure to prosecute
them and others of the same ilk, who
owned and controlled many great
banks and trust companies is the pri-
mary 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 al
though the so-called panic is prac-
tically 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 prominence"