Evening star., 1916-10-15

job they had to Offer but after looking for long
while they discovered that all of the really first
class lawyers in the city .had conscientious OBJ
jections against investigating rich and powerful
a possible client. The committee was beginning
to be pretty well discouraged when some one
mentioned a lawyer named Hughes, who said
to be really very able, though almost unknown.
So Hughes employed.
A howl went up from the newspapers. white
wash, they cried "just whitewash. Unknown
lawyer Worse than that, Baptist-and John
ID. Rockefeller is Baptist. Just frame-up to
conduct fake investigation and give the COM
pany clean bill of health
Hughes said nothing. He had several carloads
of records and ledgers sent over from the COM
pany's offices to his Office and for several weeks
he lived with those figures, eating them drinking
them, absorbing them into his blood. And when
the investigation opened New York was treated
to such an entertainment as it had never known.
Hughes made those figures tell tale of carnival
and corruption that read like fiction. "The man
is wizard said the same newspapers that had
scoffed at him. But it wasn't wizardy: it was
simply work
AFTER the gas investigation came the insurance
investigation. Again Hughes took deluge of
figures, and when the overlords of the insurance
world were put on the stand one after another,
he amazed them by the things he knew Out of
the industrial world Secret meetings and cabas,
and the bribery of legislators and the mis-
handling Of the peoples investments by little
coteries of irresponsible men, began to give way.
Business began to be done in the open, and great
Offices came to be regarded great trusts.
| came back from the Chicago convention this
year and met a prominent man in New York
who once had large holdings in one of the in
surance companies Hughes investigated. He had
been supporter of Roosevelt for the nomination,
and expected to find him much disappointed at
the outcome. He appeared entirely reconciled.
81 wanted Teddy, to be sure" he said; "but |
want to tell you that they have nominated real
man. l went all through that insurance investi-
cation. Those were pretty bitter days. But
when the investigation all over there wasn't a
man in any of those companies that wasn't
Hughes friend, except those that We're crooks at
heart. And most of them dead. He is
straight they make EN-, and he simply
don't know how to be unjust"
While the Investigations were going on, the
Republicans in New York City, needing help
possible savior and offered him the mayoralty.
His letter in reply is worth quoting:
l have no right to accept this nomination. A
paramount public duty fOrbids it. The
political character of the investigation and it's free
dom from bias, either of fear favor, only must
exist: they must be recognized. l can not permit
them by any action of mine to become matters of
debate.
So he refused the mayoraty. But a year later
the Republicans of the State were in just as des-
perate need. His Investigations were ended-hs
name every tongue. He was their one
chance to defeat Hearst and to win In a con-
vention that swallowed him at the behest of
its leaders like bitter pill, he was nominated.