The Councilman Who Said No to $132,000
Councilman Conrad rejects a massive bribe offer, triggering a city-wide scandal and the mysterious flight of a corporate agent.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Councilman Conrad has awakened profound awe among other councilmen and citizens as a result of his sworn declaration that he turned down an offer of $132,000 for his vote from Frank Mortimer, an agent of the Independent Telephone Company. While Conrad was presumed honest, the revelation of such stupendous integrity has caused many to rethink his character. He did not parade his virtue, but eventually provided an affidavit to Councilman Bellingharn, proving Mortimer's attempt at bribery. Upon the passage of a council resolution calling for an investigation into the bribe, Mortimer fled the city in the night, leaving his razor and valise behind in his haste. The public now wonders why a man with supposedly 'clean hands' would run away before the truth could come out.
“When he still lingered, Mr. Conrad motioned the evil one to be gone with his left. These demonstrations being still insufficient, Mr. Conrad suddenly elevated his right foot, described a swift curve with it through the atmosphere and booted the $132,000 proposition down the hill.”
This 1906 story of corporate bribery and sudden political flight highlights the era's ongoing struggle with 'boodlers' and the immense power of utility monopolies in early Tacoma. Today, the names have changed—from telegraph and telephone franchises to modern internet infrastructure—but the influence of corporate money on local city council decision-making remains a constant point of civic tension.
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