The Councilman Who Turned Down a King's Ransom
A local bribery scandal reveals the absurdity of Tacoma's political culture, where one official boasts of refusing a $132,000 bribe.
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 sat among his fellows last night with elevated chin and a complacent look while the bribery investigation was progressing. One by one, the councilmen swore that Mortimer had or had not approached them with offers of stock or money for their votes. Councilman Wright admitted Mortimer offered him $1,800 in stock or $1,500 cash. It was a drop in the bucket compared to the $132,000 offer Conrad claimed he received. Conrad felt vindicated, believing Mortimer acknowledged that nothing short of a king's ransom would avail with him. He spurned the offer and made an affidavit to the people. Meanwhile, Councilman Hoenig denied Mortimer had offered him anything, and others expressed annoyance that the bribe-promoter hadn't offered them nearly as much. Frank Mortimer, the promoter of independent phones, was absent, sending telegrams to deny Conrad's account. The general feeling was that Mortimer was a bad bargainer; had he simply left the council alone, he might have secured his franchise without the circus.
“The fatness of the land was his to take, but he drew back from the taking as from a wriggling snake with a venomous sting.”
Public skepticism toward municipal franchise deals remains a constant in Tacoma's civic life. While the dollar figures (and the mode of payment, 'telephone stock') have changed, the tension between infrastructure promoters and the city council continues to echo our current debates over public-private partnerships.
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