The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1905-01-29
Entire Time OF Senate Taken Up by Addres9-
es in His Kem0ry--fGuch Business Trans
acted i'm the House.
EPIDEMIC OF
INDICTMENTS
GRAND JURIES AT PORTLAND
OREGON. MAKE THINGS LIVE
LIZ FOR PEOPLE OF ALL
STATIONS.

Portland. Ore. Jan 28.-"GOod morn
ing. have you been indicted?
This is the fashionable salutaioH
among prominent citizens and officials
OF Portland this winter.
Two grand juries. the federal and
the county. have been in session for
several weeks, and the result is a
series of indictments against people
in the seats of the mighty. and people
whose records have hitherto been
written in the short and simple an
mails of the poor.
A regular epidemic of indictments
has broken out. and the decoration is
passed out to a United States senator
and to those unknown to fame ;ndis-
criminately.
Those indictments awarded by the
federal grand jury on account Of the
land frauds have not been unexpected
locally. But the greatest surprise was
the Indictment by the county grand
jury of Mayor Williams.
In Portland local politics is but a
branch of state politics. part Of the
same machine and the city hall
has been reeking with graft in many
departments, according 10 the inves-
tigators. The recent construction OF
the Tanner Creek" sewer brought
about the Indictment of City Engineer
! VIM. c. Elliott. J. NJ CaywOod, in
spector in the city engineers Office.
and E. M. and r. w. RiTrer, sewer con-
tractors. 1t is alleged that these men
"cOnspired 10 obtain money and prop
erty from the city by false pretenses"
! in certifying and accepting defective
work.
But no talk to the discredit of May
or Williams has ever been heard, and
no accusation of graft rests at his
door He was indicted on account
of his refusal to close up gambling
Chief of Police c. H. Hunt was also
indicted on the same ground. Both
! the indictments have been withdrawn
and both officers completely exone-
rated.
Portland's aged and much loved ma
! yoT, George Henry Williams, is one
of the most picturesque characters in
the northwest. Now in his 72d year,
| he has all the vim and vig0r of a
young man. He has seen much of life
and occupied high places in the cOun-
/ ellis of his party and the nation haV-
luz bCGh y. - dtLOt ny 5tlAGl d Nta4 al =
Grants administration, and havin 2
been named by the hero of Apo
mattox as chief justice of the federal
supreme court. an appointment which
the senate refused on partisan grounds
/ to confirm.
! Mayor Williams was born in New
| York in 1928. He was admitted to
| the bar in 1874 He was judge Of She
first Iowa district from 1847 to 1852.
He was presidential electOT in tia
latter year In 1853 he was appoint
ed chief justice of Oregon territory
which he held until 1851 He was a
, member of the Oregon constitutional
/ convention in 1853 and senator from
| Oregon in 1865 to 1871 In the latter
/ year he was a member of the joint
I commission which arranged the Ala.
/ bama claims and then entered Grant S
| cabinet.
/ Judge William has taken an active
! part in the development OF the north
west, and has made his home in Port
! land since his first appointment 10
! the bench. He has always been an
/ active worker in his party's ranks.
/ He did not take his Indictment seTi-
/ ously and looked upon it rather IS a
jOkr which was the attitude OF the
! public generally.