The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1922-07-13
Is OBriiens on
PAYROLL; Total
Earnings Huge!
In Addition to $4,000 Paid Clan for
Services During Year, Road and
Bridge Run Costs to Heavy Figure,
Charges Frank II. Paul


Possibility of another grand jury investi-
CATION into the affairs Of County Commis-
sioner Lou Smith, already under indictment
in connection with the ferry deal, loomed
Thursday az the result of sensational charges
made by Frank II. Paul, who is campaign
ing to succeed Smith.
Paul charges that a system of absolute
feudalism, rivaling anything in medieval
history, has been instituted under Smiths
regime in the second district, embracing the
south end of King county.
He declares that county road work has been con-
verted into political football to such extent that
communities that vote right" given far than
their share of highway improvements, while commune
ties that vote wrong 60 virtually roadless.
The road work. he asserts, is strictly family affair."
the jobs being distributed almost without exception
among the families of Smiths political lieutenants
This system Paul says, is so rigidly enforced that
many Select families growing wealthy on county
funds, while their neighbors in actual want for
lack of work.
The garng example of this condition Paul charges
the of Morgan OBren road supervisor for district
No 8.
There less than ls oBriens this payroll"
Paul said today His wife and his sons and his sisters
and his cousnsand heaven only knows who else-a drew
money from the county in 1921 The total paid
the family for the year more than $4,000 But
that isn't all. During the year the commissioners
paved special cross-road from the baronal caste-the
town of O'Brien-to the Pacific highway
This road together with bridge which constructed
at the same time, entaied expenditure of more than
$4,000 of the taxpayers fundsmaking total of nearly
5000 that gave tribute in 1921 the Clan OBrien
And the entire OBren school district contributed only
little $4,000 to the road fund during that period!
"But it isn't simply the money. Morgan OBren is
absolute monarch of all he surveys. Talk about
perors and sultans-why they insignificant be-
side OBren. He's the Pooh Bah of the whole works
and he rules his domain with iron hand.
"When the people of Des Moines and Sunnydale-
who had dared to vote against his patron saint Lou
Smith, at the last eection-went to him to ask for
needed road improvements, he laughed in their faces
and told them with calm effrontery:
"You fellows voted the wrong way last election.
Don't back asking for anything until you
vote right
"And that all the satisfaction they ever got'
Paul declared that he considered the road conditions in
Smiths district far serious than the ferry situation
which brought about the indictment of all three
soners earlier in the week. but he said he would
to appear prosecuting witness the matter because
he is running for office in the district.
"Al my facts however" he added, could easily be OBJ
tanned by the grand jurybecause got them all at the
courthouse from books which open for eveyones
specton Just casual survey of the road district payros
will convince anyone that there's something almighty rotten
going on"
From his examination of these books, Paul has made the
following tabulatons the O'Brien family:
ON ROAD PAYROLL DISTRICT NO. 3. IN 1921
Morgan OBnen. road supervisor.
Mary OBren, his wife.
Nellie O'Brien, his cousins wife,
tn pare1 oumnl