A Grand Jury's Reluctance
Tacoma officials allege that a grand jury investigation into the 'water works steal' is a sham designed to protect corrupt councilmen.
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.
Royal A. Gove, chairman of the city council finance committee, who was called before the county grand jury yesterday, says: 'That jury does not want to find out much about bribery, if I am to judge from the way it treated me. I was asked no leading questions. I was not asked to tell what I knew. I know considerable, but the grand jury did not ask me anything to bring it out.' Mr. Gove told the jury about the money that was given Councilman Grattan. It is a matter of public notoriety that the Ledger is charged with having worked for the water steal for a consideration. The jury was convened to inquire into matters of public notoriety of this sort. It is strange that the councilmen who voted against the purchase of the water plant have been summoned while those who voted for the steal have not been unanimously pressed into service.
“That jury does not want to find out much about bribery, if I am to judge from the way it treated me.”
This piece highlights the perennial tension between municipal corruption and the efficacy of oversight bodies. The frustration with 'whitewash' investigations remains a common refrain in local civic life.
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