The City Council Bribery Probe
A committee is formed to investigate rumors of vote-buying surrounding a lucrative new telephone franchise in Tacoma.
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Members of the city council and others interested will be given a chance next Monday night to tell what they know about the charges of bribery in the telephone fight. Councilman Bellingham, chairman of the investigating committee, has called a meeting for that time. The resolution authorizing the investigation was adopted without a dissenting vote, aiming to place the blame, if any, where it belongs regarding the proposed franchise to one Frank Mortimer. The ordinance provides that if any witness shall fail to answer the summons, he shall be liable to a fine of $100 or ten days' imprisonment.
“It is deemed but just and proper that an investigation of said bribery charges be made, in order that the blame may be placed, if at all, where it belongs.”
Public utility franchises have historically been flashpoints for corruption in Tacoma, mirroring modern-day anxieties over how private interests influence municipal infrastructure decisions.
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