Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-07-19
HOW DO YOU SWEAR?
A Scene in the City Controllers
Office Yesterday Will
RESULT IN A NEEDED REFORM.
The Value of the Average Oath Commented
Upon by officials.
LEGISLATION TO BE ASKED FOR

City Controller Morrow believes that it is
hardly in good taste, to say the least, to
make the Deity assistant bookkeeper for the
| city. Yesterday afternoon a man went into
the Controllers Office with bill for SS 13
for soap. He took off his hat, and so did
dozen more persons in the Office. Then the
man with the bill swore that "to the best of
his knowledge and belief the statements
contained in this bill are correct" The
claimant having complied with the law, the
Controller, as in duty bound, so. KID" the
bill.
Mr.. Morrow, in speaking of the matter
afterward, said that he intended to call this
matter to the attention of the Legislature at
its next session. He feels that it is almost
sacrilegious to ask the Deity to indorse the
correctness of bill. The Controller be-
lieves that the law might be SO modified or
changed as to make the penalty for present.
ing false account to the city as great as
that for perjury. Mr.. Morrow believes that
it would be better for the Legislature to
prescribe form of affirmation which would
be as binding as an oath, without calling
upon the Almighty and adding the crime of
W Iudb VI lying, IL IuC CAaAAaAI
was making false statement.
A CHANGE NEEDED.
Chief Brown, of the Department Of Pub
lie Safety, was asked his opinion of the
market value of oaths in bulk. He ap-
preached the subject with hesitancy, as he
stated that from time immemorial an oath
was considered to be the test of truth. 81
believe" continued Mr.. Brown, that the
oath might we'll be dispensed with in the
case of city officials. The Legislature might
make the penalty Tor city official, or
contractor for the city making a false re-
turn, as great as that for perjury. believe
that many people regard an oath as merely
matter of form, but there are others who
fully appreciate the solemnity and the re-
sponsibility Of their appeal to the Almighty
to substantiate their statements.
q Mayor GourleY thought that the oath had
become too common and matter-of-fact to
many people, but was not prepared to
suggest remedy.
Assistant Superintendent of Police Roger
O'Mara recognized the fact that at the
station house hearings the oath did not
always accompany the truth. He said:
'The officers do not distort the facts. While
there may be some men on thelforce who
buluh IL Is IutlE 10 COuflCL cFtIJOuc
they arrest they are very few. We believe
and try to inculcate the principle that it is a
police officers first duty to see that no
innocent person is convicted. There is no
doubt many persons lie under oath 10
save their friends, but an officer generally
tells nothing but the cold truth"
CASE IN POINT.
County Commissioner Mercer said he be-
lieyed that man who violated his affirma- |
tion should be punished as severely as |
man who lied under oath. Me recited a |
case to show how little regard the average |
citizen paid to an oath. When Henry !
Warner was County Controller a man |
presented a bill to which exceptions were |
taken. Mr.. Warner held that the county
was being charged double the market price
of the article supplied. The merchant in
sisted that he was only char ging the
regular price, and wanted to be qualified to
that fact, but the County Controller re-
fused to allow the man to add the crime of
perjury to that of overcharging. The mat
ter ran along for month or two, but finally
the merchant receipted the bill for 30 per
cent of the amount originally charged. Mr..
Mercer thought that the oath was not rever-
enced as it should be, and some action
should be taken to remedy the evil.