The Washington times., 1908-12-25
PittSburg Investigation to
Search Out Ultimate !
BenehciarieS.
LAWS
PASSED IN VAIN
Mayor Says Ordinances Naming
DepOsitaries Shall Never Be-
come Operative.

PTTTSBURG. Pa, Dec. 25.-Sum an
other sensation, a sensation involving
some OF the most prominent citizens of
the city. is to be sprung by the Voters
League, according 20 statements made
by officials of the organization today.
II was stated today nat the detec-
tiyes OF the league have been at work
for weeks in the tenderlOin district, and
that the names OF property holders who
have rented their places for immoral
purposes have been secured. It s. in
tended to make infOrmaJiOus against all
OF these property owners just as soon
as sufficient evidence can be secured,
and to make every possible effort TO
convict them.
Some of Pittsburg's best-known peo-
Dle-churchgOeTs, phllauthrOpistS, cap
talns Of industry, and the Ike-are
liable u be caught III this snare, and
before the passing of another week
than small number of transfers OF
property located IN the red light dis
Jrict.
Early Trial Promised.
District Attorney W. A BlakeIey said
today that a speedy trial viii be ac-
corded the nine men held for court yes
terday and that his office already was
at work on the cases.
"All the information has been turned
over to me and I can say that the Lzose-
cutions, in the event Of true bills be-
ing returned, will be conducted by me
personally. Ny Office knew nothing
about the case until we heard the evi-
dence that was produced by the COM
pldindntS at the hearing. Now that
we know something about Il no time
viii be lost in working up a case"
Mr.. BlakeIey exploded the theory that
the accused counclimen could be freed
on the teChuicauty that the Scranton
luveSu gators should have had the per-
mission OF tire local district attorney s
office before putting tie councilmen -
the m9n.y test. and Jn5t IN case they
Aad not got the official permission they
we're themselves liable to charge OK
conspiracy.
Technicality VIII Not Help.
ANY person can prosecute" declared
lIr. BlaKeley .'Niue-tenths OF the
prosecutions heard in the courts have
their INCEPTION n the Vaccinations of
a private Individual or individuals. There I
is no possible way to sree the council
Glen I'm that way. There are Irecedents
and the verdict at all times has been
4 favor Cs the prosecut-.rs. who were
4 ade defendants in a later suit brought
Jv the FIRST defendants"
That at least SI76,CJJ w5a paid council
men for the selection Of certain banks
as repositories for the city's funds. has
been almost positively established
cIrough evidence submitted and state
ments furnished by The Voters League
and the Scranton, Pa. detectives tm-
ployed by the league 10 aid ia its in
y-stIg CATIONS.
Whether all OF the banks selected as
repositories contributed 10 this fund has
not been established Officers OF but
one bank have so lar been arrested and
they are charged with the payment OF
May Repeal Ordinances.
Mayor Guthrie who refused u make
contracts with the banks IS authorized
by councils on the ground that they
were illegal, said today that the selec-
tiou OF the repositories is void because
secured by bribery and fraud and that
councils can set them aside without the
fCrmahty Of court proceedings. The [
period for which the repositories were
selected expires early IN February.
The testimony at the bribery hear
lnES, said Mayor Guthrie, showed that
the ordinance designating six banks as
city repositories was passed Illegally
that the ordinances were bought, there
lore, they shall never become operative
If $4,000 or more was paid by rep
interest Of the repositories ordinance !
none but these banking houses will suf-
Ter. The city has lot lost d dollar by I
the unlawful transaction. The banks 7
according to the testimony presented at /
Ihe hearings, paid for something from
which they shall never derive benefits /
Lhey palo Tor an ordinance that shall !
never become law
More Arrests on Monday.
The arrests of other counciImen al 4
legged to have participated in the dis
tI1oution Of money paid for citv de- /
posits are promised before Monday. Al
torneys for the voters league have IN /
their possession twenty checks which
Iney say were issued by the agent of /
the deposit corruption fund. Each
cneck. II Is said. bears the Endorsement
OF Z councilman and they cOr~cborat,a
Ine allegation made in the hearings on
Wednesday that the prices for indi-t
Vidual councHmanic support varied.
The checks were procured ir ic
claimed, through the assistance OF the
bank examiner who had been \
WORKING IN harmony with tfs league i
ever since the city deposits were award
ed by the council In tracing the money
paid out by several banks for the selec-
Jlon OF their institutions as city deposi- /
tories, the checks we're located
Ihe league first secured the name of /
the man to whom the fund was paid
and next obtained evidence Of fust how
he disposed Of II. In fact the league
Objects were in such close touch with
the affair that they knew when and to
whom the distributor issued the checks
almost before the ink was dry on the |
paper.
&C., /