The Struggle for a Tacoma Grand Jury
After years of bureaucratic stonewalling, a grand jury is finally set to probe corruption within Tacoma’s county government.
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.
Tacoma at last is to have a grand jury investigation, although unfortunately it cannot be started until early in April. The Times is a firm believer in the grand jury system. The calling of a grand jury occasionally will do more to prevent graft and petty crookedness among public officials than any other means known under our present system of municipal and county governments. Tacoma has needed a thorough probing for several years, but corrupt officials have blocked the calling of a grand jury. Three years ago when twelve citizens of this city petitioned for a grand jury, they were fought as only desperate grafters can fight. City officials combined with county officials to defeat the citizens' committee and the corruptionists succeeded. Had a grand jury been called at that time, aided by a fearless and honest prosecutor, this paper believes that several of Tacoma's prominent citizens would now be residing on the hill near Walla Walla. The Times believes that a grand jury now will strike 'pay dirt,' even though conditions are so far improved over those of three years ago that there is no comparison. There will not perhaps be any indictments returned for big grafting, but there is a big field for investigation, and then there is the case of Peterson and Mettler. Surely an honest grand jury can find something to interest itself in the doings of these two county commissioners.
“Tacoma has needed a thorough probing for several years, but corrupt officials have blocked the calling of a grand jury.”
The demand for accountability in local government is a perennial Tacoma struggle. While we no longer send officials to the 'hill near Walla Walla' (the site of Washington State Penitentiary), the tension between civic oversight and political machines remains a core feature of local politics.
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