The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-05-11
Conditions.

Scranton is the fourth city of the state Q
Pennsylvania in population. 1t is thiriy.cightl
| in size in the United States, having, accordins
| 10 the last census. lO2.O people in 1900. u
lies in the northeastern portion of the state. an
! is Il center which holds within radius Z"
twenty miles, at least 100000 inhabitants. The
clici industry is the mining of anthracite coal
| To this must be added numerous manufactures
of varied kinds and extensive local commerce
| Its growth has been very rapid and the large
| majority of its people have come in within
| thirty years, which Is about the period Of its
| rating AS a city Necessarily it has many things
in the way of municipal Improvements which
| are new. Its miles of paved streets its public
| buildings lighting system, school houses, fire
| department and water works have been rapidly
developed. More than twenty nationaltics arc
| comprised in its population. OF these a minority
| arc native born. some from New England, some
from rcnns, lyania stock. There are none in any
place superior TO its best people.
The very large majority of its residents arc
persons who have moved to this country from
Europe to engage in mining. OF these a good
proportion are Welsh: the Iri, arc strongly
roprcscncd SO also the Italians, large.
perhaps the largest, portion are from Central
Europe. Among all these are very many excel
lent citzcns. Naturally there arc many, beth
rutivc and foreign to he rcckoncd as tiic lower
grades OF population, who, Being ignorant aud
coarse. constitute lawlcss element. iiqnor
saloons abound. Until this year, those licensed
have paid $500 for such license. This year by
the law of the state governing second. class cities.
the price OF the liquor license has been raised
to $l.1Oo Eighteen. months ago. there were in
the city about two hundred licensed saloons
and some foar hundred unlicensed In the cour.
ty, it is believed, that the unlicensed saloons
numbered not less than 1000, and in the two
adjacent counties, Lackawanna, in which Scran-
ton is situated, and Iuzcrnc, not less than
3,ooo These were carrying business in the
most open manner. In very many of these
saloons gambling devices, slot machines
and the like, while there other houses in
considerable numbers used exclusively for gam
bling.
As most Of these open without conceal
ment. they could only lave hourishcd by the
connivancc Of the police and other city officials.
Many of them paid regularly into thc hands of
some Of these officials the money which bought
their protection. Each and all of the numerous
confessions which we have received. implicated
officials The police received hlarkmail from
some houses of prostitution. of which there were
many, and left all practically undisturbed. We
believe that there were not less than a thousand
women of ill fame then in the city. Their
houses were fed from low theaters as on
counted 30 men under 3j years old, who went
from the lowest thcatcr into nearby houses OF
ill fame. within the sna"c of seven minutes.
Since the police creatures Of the city govern.
ment, it may be inferred what was the quality
of officials.
The government of tho city last year was
vested in mayor and two councils a select
and common council. each having twcnty.onc
members, one from each of the tNcnty.onc
the disposal Of all the franchises OF the city.
paving. traction, lighting. licenses, etc. Both
councils were regularly organized for plumber
In each Of them were men of noble and spotic>s
character, who We're morally certain of tn"
corruption prevailing, hut who had no power
To prevent 1t. ThcSt councils, in their dom
inant elements, were literally syndicatcs of
crime. They were bought and delivered at
fixed price per vote. And over all this was
system of political hosssm, part and parcel of
the system which has made the state of Penn
sylvania infamous in its politics which motor.
ousy freely and without shame, used money
to hnv delegates ana voters for any and all
the purposes that corrupt political machinery IS
usually run
The CITY of Scranton mas school houses of the
most modern sort. In themselves they arc a
credit to the city. But they are believed to
represent in their construction and in their
supplies, system Of rottenness and plunocr
not unlike the above III other directions. The
same kind of information exists about the board
OF education now that was in evidence a year
ago concerning the city government. In the
case OF the city government, we have now the
proofs. The evidence concerning the hoard of
education, we expect to get later. This ist of
civic conditions cannot be complete until we
have noted that the jury system in our courts
was wholly debauched in the interests of all
the above described Iscality. Our urics were
selected by three persons, the president Judge of
the county and two commissioners elected hy
people. Of these two commissioners one whom
we investigated fully. was a man of the most
corrupt character. This might have been in
fcrrcd from the character of many of the juries.
Good citizens too largely shirkcd Jury duty,
and the jures were packed with FOUNDERS and
men Of evil reputation '.Iury fixing was com
mon. and, as have proved, jurles were dc.
bauchCd and tampered with, sometimes by men
closely allied to prominent legal firms. Thus
the administration of the laws and even their
corrupted at the very fountain
heads. Corruption was rife and increasing. The
public was aware of it, but had given up in
kind of helplcsSness, They were indignant and
complaining, hut they We're without hope llost
ri the municipal machinery from top to bottom.
was running in the interest OF bascress and
awlessness. The newspapers were mild, and in
'bour tho same attitude as the public at large
fhS is the mcrcst sketch Of the actual state
ii affairs in January, 1000 Not unlikely its
general features can he too nearly duplicated in
Hdny an American city.