Justice in the Opera House Block
After years of whispers about corruption and bribe-taking on the Board, a juror finally delivers a verdict that sends a local official to prison, signaling a rare victory against civic graft.
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.
The verdict of McQuade's jury has been rendered. There was no doubt in the public mind that this disclosure had been brought about by the strenuous efforts of the law. The disclosure-intent had been to give away as a gift a franchise worth many thousands. It was feared that it would be allowed to pass. The hardened protest, however, either that the jury could not be influenced, or that the bribers and jury-fixers had become frightened at the exposure of McQuade to his fate, resulted in a prompt agreement. McQuade will go to prison, and it is to be hoped that they will soon be joined by others of their colleagues on the Board. The fate which has overtaken the corrupted is a loud warning to all others who follow in his steps, for it shows that the law, filled with its vigilance, will find out the others who so willfully disregard their trust to the people. In one way or another, justice is meted out.
“The fate which has overtaken the corrupted is a loud warning to all others who follow in his steps.”
In 1886, Seattle was grappling with the rapid development of its waterfront and the accompanying 'grift' of early city government. Today, the names of the streets (Mill Street, Front Street) have changed to reflect the modern downtown, but the tension between private profit and the public trust remains a perennial feature of the city's political life.
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