Bridgeton pioneer., 1909-01-21
PITTSHU2C The
CRAFT CENTER
People Dumtounded atExposure
Of Municipal Corruption.
S0LOAS DIVIDED $4,000

Testimony at Hearing of the Accused
CounciImen Showed 1t Was "Easy
to Reach" Them and Necessitated
Sums Ranging From $1oo to SIS.
Some CounciImanic Votes Could Be
Had For Suit of Clothes or Street
Car Tickets-AIl Held In Heavy Bail
For Court.
ness that startled Pittsburg from end
to end this city moved into first place
in the role of corruption and municipal
graft. The people of Pittsburg are
dumfounded and yet unable to realize
that the city is in a position to demand
every laurel for being the champion
legislative scandal center of America.
Furthermore, it is stated that the
shocking developments are mere pre-
liminaries and that subsequent steps
against additional councilmen and
business men will not only startle
Pittsburg, but the whole country. Ap-
parently from the testimony offered
in court the city's council is absolutely
rotten in every sense of the word.
Out of a mass of testimony 1t was
CLEANED that majority of the council
body of Pittsburg have been "reach-
ed" In the passage of one ordinance
alone it was testified that sixty coun-
cilmen had divided S45,000. Sensations
followed one another in rapid success
sion during the hearing of the seven
councilmen and two former bank Off.
GERS arrested on charges of bribery,
corrupt solicitation and conspiracy
last Monday night.
Paid Councilman $17,500.
W. W. Ramsey and A. A. Vilsack,
former president and cashier of the
German National bank, were the first
placed on trial. 1t was testified that
they paid Councilman John Klein, one
of the accused, $17,500 to make the
bank depository for the city's funds.
At the request of the directors of the
bank both men resigned last Saturday
They were held for court in the sum
VI 914,VUU Dali edcn.
The seven councilmen, President
Brand and Members Klein, Soffel,
Wasson, Melaney and Ferguson, of
common council, and Atkinson, of Sc
lect, were then called for trial.
The principal witness was Robert
Wilson, a private detective and super
intendent of the Municipal league OF
Scranton, Pa, who is employed by the
Voters league, of Pittsburg, which
brings the prosecution against the nine
defendants
Mr.. Wilson's testimony was sensa
tional in the highest degree Aided by
an assistant, Wilson engaged a room
in local hotel, and he testified, cut
holes in the door and walls of an ad-
joining room. Then series of meet
ings were arranged with councilmen
His assistant, Herbert Jones, posed as
business man desiring certain ordi-
nances passed, and during his confer
ences with the councilmen Wilson and
a stenographer were stationed in the
next room making a full record of the
transactions.
During these conferences Council
man Klein had a great deal to say re-
garding how complete councils were
controlled by the accused men, the
detective said. 1t was also testified
that Klein and Brand each accepted
$500 from Jones in payment for Sc
curing the passage of an ordinance.
Sixty Councilmen Divide $45,O0o.
At a meeting held in another local
hotel Klein, it was testified, told Will
son how hard 1t was to divide money
among the councilmen. To illustrate
his remarks, Councilman Klein told Of
how $45,000 had to be split between
sixty councilmen. This money was re-
ceived in connection with the con-
strGction of filter beds at the new fl
tration plant of Pittsburg.
Councilman Klein, Mr. Wilson testi-
fed, said that the councilmen had diff
ferent prices. Some councilmen, Klein
told him, wanted $100, some $75, some
$25 and some S.. According to Council
man Klein, Wilson related, the IS
councilmen were known as "hood-
lums."
1t was also possible to secure some
councilmanic votes on some measures
in return for suit of clothes or for
street car tickets.
All of the defendants renewed their
bonds for appearance for court for
trial and were released. In the aggre-
gate the bond amounted to $17S,0O0,
Klein and Wasson being held in $780,