Show ¥ i t STUDEXT LIFE hearty reception The result of the election was as Jerome had predicted All the money power and influence of the mighty Tammany had failed to defeat the right when the people understood Jerome was elected His first great victory as district attorney was against the Western Union Telegraph Co For a number of years the company had rendered assistance to the unlawful enterprise of conducting “pool rooms” places where records of horse races are kept and where bets are made and stakes held and distributed according to the results of the races Without the aid of the telegraph the results would he reported so slowly that the busiJeness would he unprofitable rome investigated and found that he was' justified in his belief that the company in dispatching the reports was a criminal accomplice to the gamblers He therefore warned the company’s officers that unless they discontinued the practice they would he dealt with like other law breakers At first the Western Union people paid no attention to the warning hut when Jerome gave them until a certain date to cease breaking the law and had warrants for their arrest drawn up they saw that they now had a district attorney who would do his duty and on the day that the warrants were to have been served the president of the com pany issued orders that the practice should be discontinued “until further notice” and “further notice” has not yet been given It meant a loss of about eight million dollars annually to the company but this loss unpleasant as it was seemed preferable to a protracted residence at Sing Sing Then followed in rapid succession other victories Callous “Ward Healers” found guilty of illegal vote getting were made to grace the uninviting cells at the state prison gambling kings were brought to justice large and powerful corporations were forced to send their representatives to Jerome’s office begging for mercy the oppressed were relieved and their condition materially improved in short the office of district attorney in New York has come to be something more than a place for the transaction of useless legal routine it has become a power for good to a degree here- tofore thought impossible In the last election Jerome was He shunned all party alliances as before and obtained permission to enter the race “by petition” Two thousand voters signed a petition asking that he be permitted to receive their votes In this way it was made possible that those who wanted him could vote for him The is careless citizen rather average in his voting This is clearly seen in the fact that thirteen thousand re-elect- ed |