The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-10-22
The Presentment Of the Grand Jury-ln-
dlctment OF City OMcials.

O1Ctment Oh Clty OuCloAss
On Saturday, as was stated in yesterdays
HERALD, the Grand Jury continued the work
of purging the city of corruption by present
ing a number Of officials. The Recorder re-
fused to allow the presentment to be read, be-
cause he considered that it would put the par
ties accused on their guard, and would further
tend to impede the administration of justice,
by leading the class of individuals from whom
the jurors are selected to disquaiify themselves
by prejudging the case. 1t was accordingly
handed to- the Clerk, who transmitted it to the
District Attorney, who will proceed forthwith
| to take such measures against the parties ac-
! cused as the presentment indicates, and the
| evidence will justify.
| The officials whose names, or rather whose
offices have transpired, are the Street
| Commissioner, the Collector of Taxes, the
| City Inspector, the Commissioner of Repairs
| and Supplies, and the Commissioner of Lamps
and Gas. Others may have been included III
| the list, for the Recorder interrupted the Clerk
| of the Court, and stopped the reading of the
presentment after the last officer was men,
toned. But even supposing that the above
officials stand alone, they comprise, with those
who have been previously indicted, nearly one
half the entire corps of municipal officers
The question now is, will this sort of thing
check the corrupt practices which every one
believes prevail among the city officials? In
| one sense it is probable it WILL For an indct-
ment for corruption is a very unpleasant thing,
which no man of character would care to pro-
woke. Whereas it leaves stigma which will
cling to the name and be remembered against
| man for whole generation. Acquittal
does not cure the mischief, for there will
always remain vague impression on the
| public mind that it was rather due to the
insufficiency of the evidence than to the purity
of character of the accused.
| On the other hand, it must be remembered
that the class of persons who seek city offices
| are not always those to whom reputation is a
matter Of paramount concern. Many candi-
! dates for ofice-at all elections--solicit public
support under load of disgrace which would
crush man in society. 1t is not at all
unusual to hear candidates charged-and on
the best ground--with having had to do with
! the penal code. For these, of course, an
indictment for corruption will have no terrors.
| They will laugh OF it; for while it cannot
| iDjure their character, there is very little
reason to fear that it will be followed by any
of the rigors which the law denounces against
the guilty. 1t is, in fact, pretty we'll under
stood that the publication of the names of the
indicted officials is the severest part Of their
punishment. A judicious district Attorney is
sure to find good cause to enter nole prosequi
before their case comes on; or if this cannot
| be done consistently with decency, the trial
| will be indefinitely postponed, or it will be
| brought on in the absence of the chief wit
nesses for the prosecution. No one, who has
any experience in public affairs, has the least
idea that any one person out of the large
number indicted by the grand juries within
the last six weeks will be punished for cor
| ruption.
| Yet it is the general belief that corruption
exists. How is it to be met, if indictments will
not do it? There is after all but one way of
curing such evils in democracies, and that is
| by judicious exercise of the suffrage. If men
| would make up their minds to shake off the
trammels of party, and vote for no man whose
previous reputation had been such that he is at
all likely to be corrupted, there would be no
need of indictments, and the public would be
spared seeing the scandal of the chosen officials
OF great city like New York under recogni-
zances for criminal offence. There are men
enough on the tickets now before the public,
| upon whom no breath Of suspicion can rest
men whose acquaintance would be ready to
stake their own characters and their fortunes
ho& Lo co;< f,l 20 Al~:~
Cannot majority of the people of New York
agree to unite upon these men, and put an end
| to the disgrace Of these presentments?
AS to the officials indicted, the only thing to
be done now, apparently, is for the District At
torney to place the presentment of the Grand
Jury on file at once. The public have right
to know what it contains, and Notwithstanding
the objections OF the Recorder, there appear to
be no good reasons for departing from prin-
ciple SO well understood as that which provides
that accusations against individuals shall be
kept secret until the Grand Jury has confirmed
them, but made public afterwards
COLONEL STEProE, Mr.. PRESIDENT PIERCE,
AND THE MoRMoNs.-We are informed that Col.
Steptoe the other day had conference with
the President on the Mormons, and expressed
his readiness to go out again to the Great Salt
Lake as their Governor, provided he is backed
up by sufficient military force to hold Brig
ham Young in subsection. This Col. Steptoe
is the same, we suppose, who lately re-
signed the Office of Governor of Utah,
and evacuated the country with the
detachment under his command, very
much to the relief Of the Grand Patriarch and
his sanity polygamists; but If the Colonel,
provided with sufficient body of good look
ing soldiers will promise to return to Utahand
become the Governor de facto, noleas polcns, we
shall have no objection to his re-appointment.
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