The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-10-31
graft FLOURISHFS
IN CITY COUNCIL
ftD+ss
Grand Jury SUBMITS Report De.
cIarlna Bribery Of Aldermen
a Common Offense.

The grand jury adjourned yesterday
and handed in it's report. Grating
in the city council forms the subject
of the opening chapter.
Grating" says the report, ''has ex-
listed in the Minneapolis council for
years and has f1Ourished mainly be-
cause of the indifference with which it
has been regarded by the public at
large and the complacency with which
many corporations, firms and individ-
uals have paid tribute, year after year,
to little coteries of aldermen, vino may
be best described as legislative high
waymen.
"On one side we find. what NAV be
termed the hold-up,' and on the other
the holding forth of temptation that
privileges not consistent with the gen
eral welfare of the city or interests of
the taxpayers may be secured. In
other words, it appears that there are
and have been aldermen whose prac-
tice it is to block legislation until a
price is paid to expedite legislation for
a fee.
Evidence presented strongly indi-
Gates that money is often used and
improper influences exefted in the cleo
ton of such city officials as are chosen
by the council.
Find Bribery Regular Practice.
Eat the same time we find that there
are public-service corporations who
regularly pay money. often under the
guise of loans, and extend certain val
liable privileges to certain aldermen for
the purpose of Fastening legislation or
blocking it, as may best Serve their in
terests, but the jury believes that many
members of the present city council
are honorable and efficient public serv-
ants
1--WE believe the briber, the go-be-
tween and the bribe- taker to be equal
ly guilty. In law they are. and no code
of morals can differ from the law in
this regard.
'The tremendous difficulties that be-
set the grand jury when it undertakes
to ferret out persons guilty of NAL
feasance in office and secure such ma
terial evidence as shall warrant true
bills can only be appreciated by the
men who have served as members of
grand juries. We trust that we have
at least made a beginning, and,
though not presuming to dictate to our
successors we hope as citizens solic-
itous for the welfare and good name of
this city that the work will be contin-
ued.
I'VE have referred to the difficulties
in the way. One of them is the legal
protection that is thrown about a per-
son, guilty though he may be, when he
is brought before grand jury to testi-
fly. The use of such evidence is neces-
sary, yet 1t enables many a guilty man
to escape.
"The correctness of the philosophy of
the law in this respect is evident, how
ever, for where a -loophole is furnished
in some instances it makes available
evidence that may not otherwise be Sc
cured and is thus In the interest of
justice. @ft
ut is an astonishing fact that repu-
table citizens are adverse to furnishing
testimony that might lead to the appre-
hension and convictions of parties who
are thus working continual prejudice
to the business interests of themselves
and the community
1--WE may not hope for the entire
eradication of this villainous system
until there shall be IAN emphatic
change of sentiment in this particu-
lar"
Quist's Action Questioned.
The report hands it to G. A. Quist,
who resigned as foreman after former
Aid. Kiichli had appeared before the
grand jury, and, it is. understood,
charged that Quist demanded a sum of
money to stop the grand jury investi-
cation of council graft:
we recognize the valuable services
of our former foreman, c. a. Quist, but
owing to the serious charge against
him, eliminating in his resigning, we
respectfully invite an Investigation of
the matter by the next grand jury"
Although an effort had been made to
get the jury to exonerate A. ]. Brain
erd, member of the grand jury whom
Judge Pond dismissed for, imparting
information as to what itranspired in
the grand jury, and his portrait was
printed in an evening paper in connec-
ton with the statement that he was
so exonerated, the grand jury report
does not mention his name 80.
1t was found that the food served to
prisoners is not of sufficient variety.
and that the actual cost of the food
served is much less than the county
pays for. The sheriff is reminded that
innocent persons are confined in the
Jail sometimes for weeks and months.