New-York tribune., 1921-03-20
he was regarded as AZ

-~~~N ~>S8
It seemed likely that safe man
would be needed. For the class Of
busybodies known as reformers had
been making things exceedingly
sultry for the big corporation, and
the grand jury had started in upon
one of those unnecessary and fre-
quently annoying frolics known as
investigations"
Just now they were on the city
waterworks and the big dam in
process of construction by the Tide
water Concrete Company. They
had found most appalling amount
Of sand in the concrete, and star
Ting discrepancy between the num-
ber Of cubic yards Of masonry GER
titled to the Comptroller and the
number actually erected. The press
said that the company's officers were
all criminals and that the dam was
the biggest steal in the history of
municipal corruption. But those
who were "wise" said that, after all,
the whole thing was more or less a
matter of opinion and that figures
were apt to lie anyway--so that, as
long as sssafe" man was in office,
nobody concerned was inclined to
worry.
A CCORDINGLY Randolph now
sat behind polished desk with
a row of mother-o -of-pearl buttons
ard received deputations of indig-
nant citizens who wanted every
abuse put an end to at once and the
millennium instanter. Thus. gra-
ciously but non-committally, he had
given audience to that prominent
body of distinguished representa-
tives from every walk of life" who
had demanded the Indictment of the
officials of the Tidewater Company
and the removal of the Comptroller.
Having listened patiently to their
diatribes and read their carefully
engrossed resolutions, he had bowed
them out, promising to give the mat
ter his fullest and most immediate
consideration.
Larry" he said, after they had
departed, to his special private con-
fidential assistant, Lawrence Endi-
cott, 3 native OF Boston and son
cf Harvard, "just dope this out for
me, will you, and see if it's frame
up %
For thus did it amuse the District
Attorney to tease his blue-blooded
and university disciple by
dropping into the vernacular of his
Office. Randolph was alleged to
have "peculiarities"; and this was
one of thenl-that he should have
ever about him this youthful Puri
tan who had no particular political
pull and who had wandered into
the professional staff quite by
chance.
ENDICOTT, nurtured on the
scanty soil on the sunny side
of Commonwealth Avenue, amid
family to whom the annual migra-
tion to the North Shore was the
chief event of the year, had plunged
into the griny, passionate life of
the Criminal Courts Building just
as his father before him had plunged
into the turmoil of Washington be-
fore Antietam. 1t was exhilarating
to Randolph to see this "blue stock
ing" throw off his coat and fight for
sweetness and light in an atmos-
phere that reeked of profanity and
tobacco smoke. 1t was stimulating
and bit disheartening to see the
foy's ideals remain unclouded.
Moreover, he knew that Endi-
cott saw him as he pretended
to himself that he was--a high
minded, valiant lawyer, trying to
practice clean politics "from the in
side" And the hot-headed, warm
hearted Southerner whose father
had fought for the other right on
the other side saw in this stripping
something that he could never be
himself, and set his own moral time
piece by the boys chronometer.
But Endicott was no prig, and
quickly adopted the manner and
speech Of the criminal courts. He
frequently reiterated the phrase in
his letters home that Randolph was
the biggest man in New York"
You heard all kinds of scandal about
men in politics, re said, but here
was q man who was big enough to
do the right thing in spite of "pri-
vate pressure or public clamor"-
This last a phrase borrowed from
one Of Randolph's speeches. Just
wait until he got after some of the
big grafters!
II AIRY worked like slave over
tho Tidewater Company papers,