New-York tribune., 1909-05-28
THE BEyEFIT OF THE DOUBT.

Everybody Will agree that the Cooper Union
meeting was a personal triumph for MI. jerome
BEFORE an audience that was not oyeEfrlenuI! "I
tho start he withstoOd his "hecklers- IN
contest of wits he 'outpointed" them. TO use i
n1izerinc term which the circumstances hatu-
rally suggest to the mind. He proved MS cieNti-
moss and resourcefulness But, to stick 10 the
nrizering metaphor, no knockout DloN was
strnc- Al the end Of it all there were the enc
mics still on their feet, ready to take more pun
isbroen+ and there was Jerome still on his feet
with nlentv of fight left in him, too Ana the
snectatorS were perfectly satisfied to nave the
victory awarded to the District Attorney on
noints" for all accounts agree that they NsnC
away IN an amiable frame OF MIND Nheh
hardest messed Mr. Jerome def1ed his enemies
10 rrove one derelictiOn of his. and theE coul"
not And equally Mr.. Jerome did not prove
that he had not been derelict. On this issue the
situation is Just where II was DeIore ine az
counting was rendered. The only important
change is that Mr.. Jerome created for hlmSel
an opportunity to appear in becoming nShI
before the public He produced an impression
of n7anliness and courage. He gained sympathy
bz- apnearing boldly as one against many ana
admiration by an exhibition of cleverhesS anu
readv Wit. He won his audience as Jerome the
man but did he win it as Jerome the DlstrIcI
Attorney?
In the last analysis all that he was able 10
tell the people in rendering an account Oh Ms
stewardship was that in carrying out his cam
,aign radae 70 follow the trail of crime into the
Office of the Metropolitan company he had done
all he could and failed. But failure arouSes no
eptbusiasms Failure does not sweep the people
off their feet Failure is a poor record upon
which 10 stand for reelection If we are 10 as
s11ma that the failure of Mr.. Jerome with re-
gard to the crimes of high finance outWelghs III
fine n1lhlic mind the general success and useful-
ness of Mr.. Jerome's administration in regard
70 ordinary crimes. If Mr.. jerome won his
audience Wednesday night, does it mean any
more than that the people are now ready 10 say
II et us give Jerome the benefit of the doubt
"and some one else the benefit of the once
..who NAV succeed where he failed
Mr. Jarome's accusers say that he failed 10
n1nish the misdeeds of high finance, and with
an abundance of innuendo they suggest the rea-
sons why he failed. He replies with an equal
s1l,plv of innuendo against his enemies. They
were bears in Wall Street. They were caught
in selling Ice short. etc. With innuendoeS ellml-
mated. both the District Attorney and his ac-
cusers agree that he failed. There is widespread
unanimity this point. Well, then, 1t is nara
10 perceive in this any occasion for a popular
UPRISING for Mr.. jerome that viii sweep the
parties off their feet Assuredly he touched no
deep note Of popular feeling at Cooper Union.
Consider his failure TO trace home trails or
street railway corruption. How lightly he ap-
pears TO have taken it, It was merely one or
those technical defeats which must come to
every prosecutor If through his explanation
had run a note Of moral Indignation at the frus-
tration Of Justice it would have echoed through
tie audience and the city; but how i'll 1t would
have accorded with all that is known about Mr.
Jerome's attitude hitherto toward these cases
If it had been present all along, the Cooper
Union meeting would have been superfuous;
there would not be any hostile city to conclliate;
there would not now need to be any speculation
over the dispensations of fate. Mr.. Jerome
proved that his brain was all right, but what
the people asked for was proof that his heart
vas all right
Therefore. the District Attorney did not make
himself on Wednesday night the peoples can
didate"-for there is talk of another indepen-
dent nomination like that of two years ago. His
success at Cooper Union probably proves that
party could nominate him without excessive
risk This NAV make Tammany breathe easier