The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-04-02

evidence we received was disappoint-
ing. The difficulties were great. They
must be so from the very nature OF
the offense. The crime OF bribery
necessarily comprehends two distinct
parties, each of whom is equally
guilty. First the briber and then the
bribed. The evidence of the one that
might convict the other would also
convict him of the first part and vice
versa. So both parties take the de-
fensive and remain silent. II is OBJ.
vious that the evidence of the third
party must be secured. But such Of
fenses are not committed in the pres
ence of witnesses. Both parties use
every precaution that human intelli-
genCe can devise. The language of
the guilty compact is that of insinua-
tion and innuendo. In the cases that
were brought before our attention,
you've got to play ball." Were not
in councils for our health" and other
expressions in which the English lam
guage Is peculiarly rich, seem to be
the favorte medium of conveying the
desired intelligence. The evidence
taken as a whole, however, seems to
Justify us in arriving at the conclusion
that large sums of money were used
both to secure the passage of the Lack
awanna Telephone ordinance and also
to accomplish its defeat. The exist
ence of body of councilmen, banded
together to act as a unit on legislative
measures. wherein franchises Of value
are sought, is a belief that has almost
become conviction to a large ma
iority of the grand jury. We are aware
that such q statement as this may
place under suspicion honest and
honorable members of the Scranton
city councils. and we deplore the pos
sibility of such a result, but we trust
that the intelligent public will have no
great difficulty in selecting the good
from the bad. We wish that the evil
dence before us was Of such a nature
that we could bring indictments
against those whom we think are gull
ty, and thus separate them from those
against whom no evidence was
brought, either hearsay or direct This,
however, we are not permitted to do.
In connection with this case sub
poenaS were issued for a number of
persons whom we have every reason
to believe could give us valuable evil
denCe, but service could not be made
for the reason that they had left the
! jurisdiction of the officers of the court
and therefore could not be reached.
ELECTRIC LIGHT ORDINANCE.
Third-Bribery of councilmen in con-
neCtion with the passage of the cleo
| trio light ordinance.
In connection with this matter we
| received but very little evidence, and
| what little we did get was not of a
| nature to be at all conclusive. Power
| full influences lobbyed in the interest
| of the measure. and in one instance
we learned that 800 had been offered
| to minor official as present If
| he would hurry along the final con-
| summation of the contract. This offer
was not accepted. and while the offer
tCo1f ;,, . I,a Il ,,,IA 70
| hensiblc we are advised that IL would
| not form Il sufficient basis for an in
| dctment.
In concluding our report on the mat
| ters especially entrusted to us by the
/ honorable court and concerning which,
| the above, in addition to the present
monts already made, comprise our en-
/ tire action, we wish to make public
/ acknowledgment of the great assist
ance of his honor. Judge Edwards,
| has been to us, and thus commend
/ him for the patience with which he
| has listened to our requests for ad-
vice, the zeal he has displayed for the
public welfare and the uniform court
| esy he has shown every member OF
! this body who had occasion to consult
him during the lengthy session that
We have just concluded.
We wish to call the attention of the
honorable court to another matter
which appears to us nothing short OF
a preconceived, wilful and malicious
effort on the part of aldermen and
justices of the peace to plunder the
county treasury. During our session
something over one hundred trans
cripts charging larceny and receiving
stolen goods came before us. In fully
ninety-five per cent. of these cases
there Were neither prosecutor nor wit
nesses. In nearly all of these cases
the jury was. through what appears
TO us trick of the aldermen, pre-
vented from exercising its judgment
in the disposition of costs. The law
provides that in such cases, when the
value of the stolen goods is ten dol
lars or more, the costs. when the case
fails, must be placed upon the county
In nearly all of these cases-probablS
ninety or more-in which prosecutors
did not appear, the aldermen and JUS
tices had so appraised the value o.
the stolen property, as to take tbs
matter of costs away from the jury
We are very strong in the opinion
| that these caSas-at least the greater
majority of them--were fictitious, pur
nosely drawn up by uEscrupulous al
/ dermen and justices with a view o
falsely and fraudulently drawinl
money from the county treasury. II
regard 10 the manner in which alder
men recklessly fix value of stoler
property, we desire to draw the hon
orable courts attention to a trans
cript sent into the jury room by Jus
tice Mendleson. OF Mayiield, in which
the justice fixed the value of cabba g,
alleged to have been stolen in Octo
Der last. at fifteen cents n head. II
THIEVING ALDERMEN.
In this case the prosecutor appeared
but failed to secure true bill, and tn,
county has to pay the costs becaus
the justice fixes the value of one hun
dred heads of cabbage at SIS; whil
we believe other values fixed by al
dcrmen on stolen property to be equal
ly false, We call the courts attention
tn this particular transcript TO shoy
the glaring bodness of aldermen an
justices in depriving grand jurors o
the right to exercise their judgmen
in the disposition of costs in case
that are ignored, for want of a prose
cutor or in the absence OF sufiicen
testimony. We hope if there is a rem
edv to prevent or check in some meas
ure this vicious pilfering, the cour
will exercise il.
We visited the county Jail We ar
Of the opinion that ii is in a mos
unsanitary condition. and a it plac
for the board of health to turn its at
tention. The escaping gases from tn
closets in the cells are most offensive
and apt to breed pestilence. We ar
told by the warden that the closet
referred to belonged to an obsolet
period in plumbing and sanitation. ]
seems to us nothing short of cruelt
to keep prisoners in cells where tn
air is poisoned with escaping sewe
gases. We deem this a matter tha
should received immediate attention.
After a careful examination of th
| Of