Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-05-16
CHAPTER VIII
A Man OF the Fighting Plcbcs

A Man Of the Fighting Plebcs
SIYTHE West End Trust Building"
Jerry announced, stepping into the
car So eager was he to originate the
case of The People W. Jos. Maldono
In the matter OF conspiracy and extortion
practiced upon one Jacob Aurentsky,
that he had decided to see his personal
attorney and friend. Victor Robinson,
before going to the works for the day.
We'll. I'm damned :" said the lawyer
when he had heard the story.
II want you to go to the District At
torney. Victor. get yourself appointed
special prosecutor and go after that
fellow declared Jerry. He would
hardly refuse to cooperate
"No. think not" said Victor. as he
lighted his pipe "but criminal cases are
rather out of my line these days"
Fighting for right and Justice is not
out of your line" argued his young
friend eagerly.
"No, not II there was any prospect
of winning" admitted Robinson. with
dubious shake OF the head but do
you know what would happen to me II
we pressed this fight"
Tell me what you think would hap
| pen" proposed Jerry,
| why somewhere up the line we
should find the sluices of justice block
cd and damned"
But Victor. that's why | came to
you" argued Jerry earnestlv. You are
strong enough TO plant INT under the
dam and smash the combinations. You
are irrestihle. When you lower your
head and charge. things have to get out
OF the way when you lift up your voice
and roar no jury dare acqult that fel-
| low"
But have you thought what would
| happen to me II | throw discretion to
the winds and jam this prosecution
through by sheer personal force"
"No; md you arc not goirg TO think
| Of " either." said Jerry quickly.
But am going to think OF IT, because
it means that I'd lose half my business "
| why. how" demanded Jerry in
amazement
1T would just drop awav," explained
Victor coollv. Clients Of. mine cor
porations. trust companies banks
business houses that are under obliga-
tion one way or another to the machine
all would he appealed to- and they'd
take care TO cover Not that they'd
vulgarlv discharge mo as their attorney.
you understand, but they would hold up
pending litigation. they would start new
cases through other attorneys--and the
first thing YOU know I'd he out cha sing
the ambulances to get work enough to
keep the clerks busy"
is il as bad ms that---the ramincatiors
of the organization influence. 7 mean.
and as powerful and relentless?" in
dulred the young man whose eager op-
timism never permitted him to estimate
fully the difficulty which confronted him.
ITS worse, verse than you can
understand. Talk about AN inter.
locking directorate! Why. the Or.
ganization is an interlocking direc.
tOrate Of unsCruDulOus greed that
extends from Maidono picking pock-
cts in his division to the contractors
IOOting the Treasury at City Hall,
snd, sometimes ] think, TO the trac.
tiOn interests forcing extra pennies
from passengers. And to protect all
these. the interlocI,ing directorate
goes on from the City Hall TO the
State House."
! And the lawyer shifted his eyes away
into distance and was silently thought
| ful. his breathing quickened by the depth
of feeling his own words had stirred.
Rollinson was large. his skin was fair.
| his eyes were blue, his hair was blond
thick and worn rather long; his lips
were plant: they could look full and
red and voluptuous as a woman's: they
could be thin and cruel as he pressed a
cross-examination home; they could
scorn or scar with every bite OF the
| lash of his invective. The man was a
different type from Jerry. He had no
| breeding to speak OF. as breeding Is
spoken of in Philadelphia He had come
| up out Of the soil OF Germantown with
no sponsoring genealogy--a paper car
rier. II butchers boy. a student at night
school. and finally by Drodigious labor
| he had gathered In at Temple College a
law course and some ideals Finding
| the law course more serviceable than the
| ideals he had nevertheless not aba ndon ned
| the latter as, by the employment of the
former and an aggressive spirit which
| must have been born in some Viking
| ancestry. he had battled his way in a
short ten years of practice to the com
| manding place as a trial lawyer which
| he now occupied at the Philadelphia bar.
| Nor was II strange that Jerry should
have coveted this great Crsus Of n man
| for his cause. Besides the bond OF
friendship existing between them. the
| young manufacturer, whose particular
henius was orga anization. had seen the
need for enisting IA brain. heart. a
personality like Victor Rolinson's
And Victor loving right and hating
wrong. with the smell of the bottom
strata OF society from which he had
come still fresh In his nostrls. found his
sympathles and enthusiasm readily en-
I listed, but man who. once in the fray,
| fights relentlessy with every resource
at his command often enough is the
one who pauses coolly to count the cost
| before answering the first call to arms
and this was what Rolinscn was doing
! now.
Besides" the lawyer mused aloud. as
u the chain OF his silent thoughts had OF