The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-06-02
BRIBERY CASES TO
COME UP REGULARLY
NO SPECIAL GRAND JURY WILL
BE SUMMONED.
Upon Learning That Special GRAND
Jury Brings with II Special Term
of Court, the idea Was Given Up
Mr.. sturses Makes Reply to the
Criticism on His Action In the Pave
Matter and Incidently Says Some
Very Interesting Things About
City Affairs In General.

There will be no special grand Jury
TO try the oouncimanic bribery casea
Attorneys James II. ,rorrey and It. Il.
Beers, OF counsel for the Municipal
league, advised the prosecuting COM
mittee that II special GRAND Jury Is
summoned special term Of court
must also be held, and as this would
mean sessions in July and August and
consequent hardshlps on the court Of
ficials and attaches, Il was decided to
forego the petition for special jury
and await the regular sitting In Sep
tember.
An interesting letter from Il, n.
Sturges in answer to the criticism
made bv the Times OF hit movement
to escape payment on teohnicality OF
his assessment for the North Wash
ington avenue pavement was made
public yesterday
He goes on to explain that he paid
the first three or four annual install
ments and then. when the defective
nature OF the Job began to develop he
withheld further payment until the as
phalt company should make good It's
contract. Despite the written protests
OF every property holder along the line
Of the Improvement councils surrend-
cred the bond given by the company
TO insure a faithful performance OF the
contract and repairs for five years.
Then Mr.. Sturges took advantage OF
a technical error in the liens and pre-
vented their enforcement, Other prop
erty holders did likewise, and the value
Of the pavement bonds, in consequence,
is decreased very materially. He says;
II have never said l would not pay
this assessment In fact, l always told
my attorneys and others that l should
do so, voluntarily. but not until amply
assured that this great expenditure for
public Improvement would not ba
thrown away, either by individual own
ers or by the city.
DISLIKES BEING DRIVEN.
Like most men, don't like to be
driven when l am right, When this
suit comes on, shall try to secure the
decision to which my attorneys advise
me ] am entitled. Then. as has al
ways been Intended, II proper assur-
ances and fair treatment be given to
me and the city, 1 shall try not to be
inconsistent with my record My
counsel say that the loss would, as
hereinbefore shown, not fall on the city
in any event. but upon the paving con-
tractors. If such Is the case, their
chances for collecting the balance will
not be one bit improved, either by un-
founded suits or newspaper attacks"
Referring to the campaign against
corruption, Mr.. Sturges says:
when the Suburban railway fran
oh to-
suggestion of any desire for personal
| advantage from any councilman, Up
to the time we sold the roads Cat their
exact cost in hard cash, with interest,
let me say to enlighten those who be-
lieve 1 became rich from these sales),
l do not remember that we were ever
asked by any city father even for a
pass.
"A little later one or two corrupt men
crept in, and as temptation arose and
impunity emboldened, the cancer grew
until a regular band Of two-thirds Of
each body held office almost solely and
| absolutely as a means for private gain.
Think OF the shame Of It! At least
twenty-eight boodlers, Of greater or
less degree OF guilt out OF forty-two
| councilmen sworn to faithfully guard
the interests of this great city, with
two or three more tha. would surren-
der their honesty and manhood when
occasion required and the bait espec-
tally tempting.
''If any OF the interested parties doubt
our ability to prove it. let them have
| little patience. Or II In haste, they
know my address, and that Of at least
few others of the Municipal league
who are Just as much in earnest as
myself In either case they will prob
ably find that the elaborate cultiva-
ton OF at least one Jury commissioner
and OF certain prospective jurymen,
already begun, may prove a boomer
ang.
FEW HAvB STOOD HONEST.
There are few men who at great
personal sacrifice have stood honest
and true all the time. All honor to
them. God willing, we'll give them
plenty OF company. by and by, OF their
own kind. And there are few honest
| offceholders besides in city and coun-
! ty. In the police force are many men
as manly and ready to do their duty,
II permitted, as any that ever wore a
uniform. OF some other officials the
less said the better To put II mildly.
while their duties have been neglected
vice and immortality have run rampant
and wide open. Things that have oo.
| Cured In our city would havl made
| Sodomites blush. 1 believe that more
young men than are found in all our
churches have been needlessly led into
temptation and have been accompanied
on the road TO ruin very often by
young women. In this, and for this,
we are none OF US entirely without
| hlaDa