The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1915-11-04
The Grand J,l,y's Prese1tn'ent
And the City Commissioners.

the citys affairs immediate necessity 1t then said
in part:
the city of Encouragement the part of the city,
issioners of moneys squandered, of being carried
pay rolls who have rendered service only part
vice the city, Of of the commissioners drawing
rants favor of themselves WILL of favoritism shown
in the payment of and penalties of due bills and
checks being carried cash items and the ndscrnate
transfer of moneys from department another.
Ten days ago Judge Campbell convened grand jury OF
eighteen and without limiting this jury the ves
light for the public good. This with the aid of State At
orney John p Stokes officer fearless in the discharge
of his duty the jury has done
The city hall machine result, today stands barred
before the publcits Vaccinations revealed its acts like
dirty linen held up plain view Of shocked and ndig
nant public and its guiding spirits exposed that people
who reposed trust in them, see them as they
1t is well for the community that we have grand
jury occasionally 1t is well for the public good that
have state attorney fearless and honest It is well that
this state attorney cannot be ntimdated coerced,
and that he has the courage to perform his duties
regardless of the fact that in doing he would least
merit the "displeasure" of the city hall ring
The people fortunate-indeed fortunate-tl1at
John Stokes today is their attorney More
to him.
When The Journal last August exposed conditions at
the city hall and called the pubcs attention the
in which their money being squandered, it per-
formed what it felt duty that devolved upon
paper It had learned the Irregularities of the building
OF political machine and of the gross violations of
ter provisions 1t felt duty expose these conditions
and did so without fear favor 1t points to the
grand urys report as full subsantiaton of its every
charge AT that time The Journal charged that Of
the three city commissioners administering the af-
fairs of the city with the view Of building political ma
chine The grand jury says of this
From the conduct of the city's business one would
infer that the primary object Of the commissioners
build up political machine further political aspirations
1t these abuses persisted in nothing short of political
revolution will destroy the political machine now in the
making
The Journal charged that the city was far in arrears
with its current bills, and owing the squandering OF
moneys the lighting bills had been paid The grand
jury says:
The city has not paid its electric lighting bill since
last May and it owes on this account alone $60O0"
The Journal charged that in building political ma
chine the city commissioners had organized street
department. which paid from the general fund The
grand jury says in regard to this
In the past months So 800 has been paid out of the
general fund for extra street labor"
The Journal charged that two of the three city com
llssoners drawing their salaries any time they
pleased issuing warrants to themselves in violation
city charter. The grand jury report says:
Two OF the commissioners have drawn their salaries
in advance and that in instance Commissioner Pot
drew more money than was due hirn'
The Journal charged that penalties on licenses has
been waived in plain violation of the charter and ord
ances and the city thereby had lost large sums The
grand jury says
"A large has been lost by failure of the com,
ssoners to observe the provisions of the requiring
the payment of SO per penalty all licenses Thu
is not only an unjust discrimination but violation of thu
law"
The Journal charged that check given by N Gold
ring had been held by the by order of the
nssioners, and not cashed for weeks Of this thu
grand jury says:
IN. Godring permitted to pay licenses in install
ents, extending through the months of November an.
December and relieved of the penalty, and the Cit
+ lost $780,"
The public after reading the grand urys presentrc
and keeping the facts in mind will understand why Tn
Journal devoted much attention this unpleasant s,b
ect during August and September It feels obliged !
devote there repetition of what has happenc
in the recent