Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1894-08-24
new ORLEANS Is AROUSED
City Protective Association after the
City Administration.
4 REIGN OF BLACKMAIL and FRAUD
Sixteen Out Of q Total Of Thirty CouncIlmen
Have Made Themselves Liable 10
Trial and Imprisonment.

New ORLEANS, Aug. 17.--All the indi-
cations point to the early and complete
collapse of the present city administra-
ton of New Orleans, and the press and
lawyers are already discussing the ques-
ton: "What will be the effect il ma
jority OF the city government is inn
peached and removed from Office or con-
victed and sent to the penitentiary ?"
The present city government was elected
in April, 1892, for four years, but the
present indications are that 1t will be
completely overthrown in one OF those
popular municipal reform movements
which systematically attack American
cities. The result will be important, for
it means the defeat Of the regular de-
mocracy in New Orleans at the next cleo
ton, and it will have a material effect on
state politics, which are inextricably
mixed up with city affairs.
The movement against the city council
and government ia one OF those sudden
popular uprisings and revolutions so
ftequent ia New Orleans. a few months
ago no one could have imagined il. The
council had sold number OF vslua BILE
street franchises, and some little sus-
picion existed against it, 1t WAS not I'M
I'll June, however, that the people were
thoroughly aroused. The council then
gave away to the Illinois Central railroad
valuable franchises which allowed it TO
use number OF residence streets for a
belt railroad, the donation being gratis,
as far ct least az the city was concerned.
The investigation has already begun,
but in that short time it has disclosed
corruption, Matchmaking, and bribetak-
ing on the part of the city officials and
especially the councilmen, which has
caused feeling of horror and disgust.
Nothing seemed too small to steal, no
bride too email to accept, and one of the
counclmen stands indicted for receiving
bride of $50 for getting an engine
license through the council. A system
Of "stsnd and deliver" prevailed, and for
every privilege, whether to land coal, to
erect an engine boiler, ETC., the citizen
had to pay blackmail to the council
manic Combine" The worst frauds
were discovered when the investigation
of the new court house and Jail was be.
gun. Here the contractors had not only
been blackmaied out Of their profits, but
the councilmen and city officials had
divided most OF the contracts among
themselves, or awarded them to relatives
and companies in which they were in
terested at prices two or three times
what the work WAS worth.
The grand jury has already found in
dictmenis against the city engineer, L..
w. Brown against the president OF the
council, Irwin Jameson, and against five
councilmen. 1t is acknowledged that it
has only juet scraped the surface. The
Citizens Protective Association has
started in under an article OF the consti-
tuition which allows twenty-five citizens
to impeach any public official who may
be guilty of corruption, the expenses be-
ing paid by the prosecuting citizsns. 1t
is said that sixteen of the councilmen
out Of total of thirty have made them
selves liable to impeachment and that
proceedings will be begun against them