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THE GREEN BAG
of the office. Under his administration the office was well organized and all its work was thoroughly done. It is one thing for a public prosecutor, who handles more than five thousand crimi nal cases in each year, to make a record in occasional prosecutions of great public im portance or interest. It is quite another matter and requires skill of a higher order for a public prosecutor to strike terror to the criminal classes generally. Thorough ness and efficiency characterized Mr. Deneen's administration of his important of fice. While he was State's Attorney crimi nals, whether little or big, could not count on either laxity or mercy at the hands of the public prosecutor. Punishment for all manner of offenses was never so certain in Cook County as during the past eight years. Mr. Deneen, as State's Attorney, con ceived it to be his whole duty to bring criminals to justice. To his mind no part of the pardoning power should be admin istered by the public prosecutor. The issue in each case was the guilt or innocence of the accused. That issue he pressed home to court and jury. He believed that guilt should lead inevitably to conviction and punishment; that only the innocent should go free. A story was told of him, in his first year as public prosecutor, to the effect that some of his party leaders appealed to him to make it as easy as possible for one of their number accused of ballot box frauds, urging that the accused "is of our party and a leader in the ward." Mr. Deneen replied: "I recognize no criminal as a member of my party. When a man commits a crime he by that act becomes an outlaw and belongs to no party." The accused was promptly convicted and served his term at Joliet. That such was the unfaltering attitude of the new public prosecutor towards criminals of all classes soon became known to the entire community; and it is but the truth to say that, during Mr. Deneen's service, "pull" was unknown in his office. While
of course crime was not suppressed, it was not encouraged by laxity or favoritism on the part of the public prosecutor. We have seen that as State's Attorney Mr. Deneen exhibited executive ability of a high order. His office during his term of service handled more than forty thousand cases. He had an average of about fifteen assistants, besides clerks, detectives and other subordinates. From four to six trial judges were kept constantly occupied, and during most of each month a grand jury was in session. It is difficult to understand from this mere statement of totals the extent of detail, the directions to be given, the wit nesses to be seen, the papers to be served, in carrying on so great a business. Mr. Deneen called to his aid a body of able and aggressive young lawyers chosen on the basis of merit. He persistently day and night, from first to last, gave his per sonal attention to the entire work. To this end, he gave up social and club life and made his home merely a place in which to sleep and occasionally eat. Again and again almost every week he remained at his office into the night with some of his as sistants preparing cases for the grand jury or for trial. In many cases he personally saw the witnesses, examined trial briefs, and consulted with his assistants. He par ticipated in some of the more important trials. In these cases he usually left to his first assistant the examination of the wit nesses and the opening to the jury. He would carefully watch the proceedings, ad vise with his assistant, take full notes of the evidence, and make the closing address to the jury. The accused had much to fear from the closing speech of the State's Attorney. Mr. Deneen is neither sensational nor eloquent. He speaks directly, plainly, earnestly, con vincingly. As public prosecutor he ad dressed himself to the jury. He knew that it was composed of average men; and he used language and illustrations intelligible to such men. He had no thought of the
