Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-03-15

political ruin they had dealt out to others.
For two years he had gone about unmolested as
member of the honest administration, reformer
fulfilling his responsible duties with the most con-
spcuous honesty of all. No one but his enemies
pected what brewing against him. and only few OF
them were in the secret. His own good works were
shaping themselves into the well approved expectancy
of reward by higher office at the next election.
THEN day, like sudden shooting pain through
the body polite, the blow. His enemies were
last ready into the open, to abandon cam
paign ortory for the deader OF criminal prose-
cution. They ready to make him answer IN
of law the specific accusation that he chairman
of the public franchise committee of the Board OF Alder
men, had accepted bride in exchange for his vote and
influence in obtaining especially desirable franchise
under favorable conditions for of the great
traction interests of the city.
The District Attorney whose official duty it to
press the charge against the "One Good Alderman, as
he was called looked upon the real leader of the
reform party that had been placed in power He had
won that leadership by his effectiveness campa1gner
and his own vote had been second only to that of the
Good Aldermans.
In Office although he labored sincerely and unceas-
ingy in the public cause, he looked well to his po
Htica future at the time, and his good works
being carefully shaped into the expectancy of greater
prefernent Thus it had resulted that the District
Attorney and the Good Alderman had emerged out of
the general the two potential rivals for the
highest office in the gift of the city at the next election
he D1Str1cC by MS own promises ana the
expectations of his constituents looked to to the
powers of his office to drive the last vesge of corruption
out of the city and to bring punishment to
the corrpters Imbued with the double motive of pub
lie service and personal ambition he had become pos
sessed of the conviction that the Good Alderman was
not good and that therefore it his proper duty to
bring political ruin to him, his rival.
While all of his efforts before this and his
public house cleaning in other directions had
stnted praise, the sudden revelation of this all
pected phase of his activities came as public shock
that won divided approval only The disapproval it
produced took the form of vehement recriminations
against him that he actuated solely by vindctive
ness for his own personal advancement Thus it
that the trial than trial. it struggle
between these two men, conducted in fever heat of
partizanship that the stern atmosphere of the
court could not exclude
The accused Alderman fought back with every means
at his command Outside the court he and his adher-
ents who seemed grow with his arrest lost chance
to cast discredit upon the District Attorney and
make political capital of the situation Into court he
took with him the most skfu lawyers his ample
could procure, and they fought for him with all the
strategy of delay obstruction, and technicalty that
court practice allowed So marked did these tactics be-
come that they brought down upon themselves small
measure Of impotence from the presiding Judge
He was Judge who although ripe in years and SER
vice. noted for his progressive views in regard to
court practice He believed that commonsense, not
mere precedent should be the ruling principle in court
procedure and had little patience with lawyers who
sought try their by reliance the tech
nicaities of the law than the merits of the
In the Alderman's trial he insisted upon this prin-
cple and the result host of objections the part
of the lawyers for the defense His dspleasure at their
tactics was not concealed and among the Aderman's
adherents he charged with being prejudical in
his rulings to their hero's interests that
the trial had become simple persec1-
ton by the combined powers of the
A.