The labor world., 1911-02-11
CONTINUED
CHAPTER vi.

.Transcontinental railroad in
New York, and during that time nei-
ther John Burkett Ryder nor Judge
Rossmore had been idle. The former
had Immediately set in motion the ma
chinery he controlled in the legislature
at Washington, while the judge neg
lected no step to vindicate himself be-
fore the public.
Ryder for reasons of his own prob
ably because he wished to make the
blow the more crushing when it did
fall-had insisted on the proceedings
at the board meeting being kept pro-
found secret, and some time elapsed
before the newspapers got wind Of the
coming congressional inquiry. No one
had believed the stories about Judge
Kossmore, but now that quasi official
seal had been set on the current gos-
sip there was a howl Of virtuous in
dignation from the journalistic muck
rakers. What was the country coming
to? they cried in double loaded type.
After the embezzling by life insurance
officers, the rascality Of the railroads.
the looting Of city treasures, the greed
of the trusts, the grating Of the legis-
lators. had arisen new and more
serious scandal, the corruption of the
judiciary. The last bulwark of the
nation had fallen. The country lay
helpless at the mercy of legalized
sandbaggers. Even the Judges were
no longer to be trusted The most re-
spected one among them all had been
unable to resist the tempter. The sul-
preme court the living voice Of the
constitution, was honeycombed with
graft Public life was rotten to the
core!
Neither the newspapers nor the pub.
lie stopped to ascertain the truth or
the falsity Of the charges against Judge
Rossmore. It was sufficient that the
bribery story furnished the daily SEN
sation which newspaper editors and
newspaper readers must have. The
world is ever more prompt to believe
i'll rather than good Of a man, and no
one, except in Rossmore's Immediate
circle of friends, entertained the slight
est doubt of his guilt. 1t was common
knowledge that the big interests
were behind the proceedings, and that
Judge Rossmore was a scapegoat, sac
rt6ced by the system because he had
been blocking their game: If Ross
more had really accepted the bribe,
and few now believed him spotless, he
deserved all that was coming to him.
Senator Roberts was very active in
Washington preparing the case against
Judge Rossmore. The latter being Of
the party which was in the minority,
and "the interests controlling a ma
jority in the house, it was a foregone
conclusion that the inquiry would be
against him, and that a demand would
at once be made upon the senate for
his impeachment.
Almost Frustrated by the misfortune
which had so suddenly and unexpect-
edly come upon him, Judge Rossmore
was like man demented. His reason
seemed to be tottering, he spoke and
acted like a man in dream. Natural
ly he was entirely incapacitated for
work, and he had applied to Washing
ton to be temporarily relieved from his
judicial duties. He was instantly
granted a leave of absence and went
at once to his home in Madison ave.
nue, whore he shut himself up in his
library, sitting for hours at his desk
wrestling with documents and legal
tones in a pathetic endeavor to find
some way out, trying to- elude this net
in which unseen hands had entangled
him.
What an end to his career! To have
struggled and achieved for half a CEN
tury, to have built up q reputation
year by year, as man builds a house
brick by brick, only to see the whole
crumble to his feet like dust! To have
gained the respect of the country, to
have made name as the most incor.
ruptible of public servants, and now to
be branded as common bribe taker!
Gould he be dreaming? 1t was too In
credible! What would his daughter
say-his Shirley? All, the thought of
the expression of incredulity and won
der on her face when she heard the
news cut him to the heart like a knife
thrust. Yet, he mused, her very un-
willingness to believe it should really
be his consolation. All, his wife and
his child-they knew be had been in
nocent Of wrongdoing The very idea
was ridiculous. At most he had been
careless. Yet be was certainly to
blame. He ought to have seen the
trap 80 carefully prepared and into
which he had walked as If blindfolded,
That extra $4,000 worth of stock, on
witch he had never received cent in
terest, had been the decoy in a care
fully thought out plot. They, the plot
ters, we'll knew how ignorant he was
Of financial matters, and he had been
an, easy victim. Who would believe
his story that the stock had been sent
to him with plausibly worded letter
to the effect that 1t represented bonus
on his own Investment? Now he came
to think Of it, calmly and reasonably,
he would not believe 1t himself. AS
usual, he had mislaid or destroyed the
secretary's letter, and there was only
his word against the company's books
to substandate what would appear q