The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1894-01-19
Public Morality in SnOhOmish.

AS was generally expected, Judge
Delany, counsel for the commissioners,
has begun dilatory tactics i'll the suit
of the prosecuting attorney against
the commissioners. Saturday he filed
in court a demurrer, that the charges
against the accused were not sufficient
to constitute grounds for action. The
demurrer must be argued and dispos-
ed of before the case can be brought
to trial. Judge Whitney had antici-
pated such actions and will press the
matter to the utmost. Had the COM
missioners any regard for their party,
any sense of public duty, or any self
respect, they would have allowed their
case to come before the court and
would have welcomed an opportunity
to show to the public their official re-
cord and prove to the people of the
county that the charges brought
again them were groundless. By
dilatory practice and by taking advan-
tage of technicalities the trial may be
delayed for perhaps fifty days longer.
But what spectacle is presented to
the public! Public officials warding
off an investigation of their public
acts! An honest man is always the
first to ask for an investigation when
he is accused of wrong-doing.
So long as the people and news
papers will wink at official crooked
ness and dishonesty, just that long
will public officers continue to abuse
their power and steal from the public
treasury. When public morality is
low, official dishonesty and corruption
will thrive.
Citizens of this state, who have been
observing events within the last few
months, have noticed that some OF
the most gigantic and self-confessed
crimes against public morality have
gone unpublished. Public officials
have deliberately and unblushingly
stolen from the public treasures, and
through the paid services of the press
and leniency or weakness of public
opinion, these criminals have gone
scott free.
Here in Snohomish county we are
witnessing precisely this condition of
affairs. Our county commissioners
and county auditor are openly charg
ed with fraud, dishonesty and theft
of public funds. There appears to be
no doubt whatever but that they have
so abused their public positions. The
public records give proof of their
wrongful actions. Yet we see two
newspapers, both opposed to these Off
Gals politically and in the past could
not publish too vile or scurrilous
articles against them, now, for the
sake of the public patronage that is
temporarily being thrown to them
from the court house, are defending
and shielding these officers and at
tempting to thwart the efforts of the
prosecuting attorney for an investiga-
ton and exposure.
Instances like these are being re-
peated all over the state and public
sentiment remains passive just long
enough to allow the guilty to escape
The publishers of the Democrat are
not politicians or prophets, and have
not the advantages or the wisdom oil
long life, and may therefore be mis-
taken as to what the public sentiment
of this country is in regard to official
dishonesty, but this paper will con-
tinue to wage war against all such
practices and will show no mercy fol
criminals of any kind until they have
been publicly condemned and depriv
ed of their power and weapons of dan
ger to public neutrality-suspicious.
Democrat.