Two Council Members Arrested in Sewer Bribe Case
Two councilmen are arrested in Tacoma following a sting operation by a local citizens' group over a sewer contract.
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.
All day long rumors ran over the city that sensational developments might be expected at today's session of the city council. This drew a big crowd, eager for expected disclosures. Immediately after the meeting a deputy sheriff walked into the city hall and arrested Councilman Graham and Councilman Steep, both of the Second ward, on charges of taking a money bribe in consideration of their votes in putting through a sewer contract for Contractor Olsen. The defendants were taken before Justice Woods and released on $1,000 bonds pending examination next Tuesday. These arrests were made by the Citizens' League, composed of about forty prominent men, who have been actively at work for the past three days. They are said to possess indisputable proofs of the guilt of the arrested men.
“Immediately after the meeting a deputy sheriff walked into the city hall and arrested Councilman Graham and Councilman Steep.”
City Hall graft and the role of 'Citizens' Leagues' or watchdog groups in policing municipal contracts have been constant features of Washington state politics for over a century. The use of stings to root out corruption in infrastructure spending is as relevant today as it was in 1893.
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