The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-06-12
Luzerne's Troubles.

Luzerne county is threatened with q
scandal of large proportions. Once be-
fore In her history corruption crept
into some OF the court house offices and
a tremendous upheaval followed, land
ing county commissioners and county
auditors In Jail. The effect of that eX-
perience was in the highest degree
wholesome. For years honesty pre-
vailed in nearly all the county offices
of. Luzerne. During the past two or
three years there has been a suspicion
that all was not right in the commits
sioner's Office, but there was no tangi-
BILE evidence of crookedness. Five or
six months ago the movement for the
erection of o new court house was in
augurated. There was no popular OBJ
lection to this movement. A new court
house was needed; everybody realized
this and there was practically unani-
nous sentiment in favor of It, Two
successive grand juries took favorable
action.
At this stage the action of the COM
missioners became so peculiar as to at
tract attention and even to arouse sus-
picion. There are number of expert
architects in the Wyoming valley
whose work has given them more than
local fame. The county commissioners
ignored these architects, and, after a
junket about the country, quietly en-
tered into a contract with a Michigan
architect named Meyers to furnish
plans for new court house. When the
terms OF this contract could no longer
be concealed public wrath asserted it
self. This contract provided that the
architect was to receive the sum of $780,
600 when the completed plans were de-
livered to the commissioners. This
large sum Meyers was to receive
whether his plans were accepted or not
Something more than a mere suspicion
of corruption naturally followed these
revelations when the further fact
was revealed that the plans submitted
contemplated building Of such pro-
portions and at such enormous ex-
pense, that intelligent men at once be-
came convinced that there was fraud
somewhere; that these plans for mill
lion dollar court house were not intend
ed, either by the architect or the COM
missloners, to be accepted. The COM
missioners had no site on which to
erect the new court house and no au-
thorty to expend any such amount of
money as would be required to carry
out the plans submitted. Then the
commissioners advertised for bids to
erect the building, knowing that no
contractor could possibly make a bid
that would be accepted. This brought
on the climax. Citizens employed emf
nent counsel to institute injunction pro-
ceedngs. What has followed was not
altogether unexpected. The chief clerk
of the commissioners has testified un-
der oath that there was corruption,
that the architect, acting through his
son, divided a large portion of the
money received with the chief clerk and
the commissioners. 1t Is to be expect
ed that prosecutions will follow, and
possibly the whole truth may be re-
vealed.
There is an object lesson in this
gigantic scandal in Luzerne, and for at
least some years the people of Luzerne
may possibly profit by the lesson. In
that county, as in too many others, in
ferior men are habitually elected to the
office of county commissioner. Had
Luzerne been so fortunate as to have a
board of commissioners composed of
men of high order of intelligence and
business capacity, men of high standing
in the community, there would have
been no such complications and no such
scandal. A new court house, such as
the county needs, would be erected, and
the county would receive the value of a
dollar for every dollar expended. The
people of Luzerne will next year. in all
elect responsible and
connetent county commissioners.