New-York daily tribune., 1858-12-28

before coming to adjudication; but the answer
generally made is more complimentary to tue iru'
eslity than the honesty Of public officers The ia'e
Grand Ju,v however. seem to have tsken step
in the night direction. Tney have partially opened
the door TO certain develop nents, which VIII
at least be interesting if not useful lney
seem to have got an idea int) their heAds
that the people would Ike to kno" why men can
afford .o spend thousands of dollars to be chosen 70
nl.cs. the lawful salaries of which would not come
near rembursiDg the aspirants. Discfe0onary
bowers to very large extent are vested IN se'era'
prominent public officers OF whom the ufahd 'u!
mention the Commissioner Of Jurors, the Corpora
ton Attorney, and the District Attorney. The Com
missioner of Jurors it seems, is invested with the
norver Of remittnp and collecting fnes from citizens
for nonperformance ofjury duty pretty much at his
discretion. He renders no integlble accounts'
except that once in six months he pays into tue
CITY Treasury what purports to be the balance IN
his hands after defrsyng the expenses OF MS once
For the year 1857, this sum amounted TO So,oVo.
The list of Grand Jurors is nearly 500, and OF
Petit Jurtrs $500. The Corporation Attorney
renders monthly account of penslles collected oy
him, but no statements Of penalties RENTED Inc
Grand Jury agree in the necessity OF conierlns
this Discretionary power, but insist that 1t should
be exercised undera due responsibility to law, set
ting forth not only the fines collected, but those re-
mitted and otherwise disposed OF.
A much more important discretion is vested in
the District.Attorney. This officer, with the con-
sen. of the Court, may stop the trial for
any crime whatever. He also has it in his power to
suspend all proceedings il pending prosecutions aud
this without the consent of the Court. The same dis
cretion is coufded to him over complaints brought
into his office before they are Submitted to the
Grand Jury. Here Is an officer, responsible to
no one except the people st large, who Is clothed
with full power over every criminal prosecution
undertaken on behslf Of the people, over every
Indictment found by the Grand Jury and over
nearly all the complaints brought against offenders
The Jury say that, in view of the Importance
of this office, the most careful legal provision
should be made to insure its faithful adminstra.
tOn in an open and responsible manners and it is
certainly all-important that the business of this
should be freely open to the people 1t is believed
that the big iron safe in the District-Attor-
neys Office is crammed full Of indictments
of years standing, some Of them of the
most important character, involving not only
the wealth but the reputation of prom-
nent citizens, and even the lives of some
yet they have quietly lain there since they were
made, sunk ont of sight and out of memory. No
one presumes to doubt the honest intentions of the
men who have filled that Office for years past; but
in view of the great temptation which must neces-
ssrily be in the path of any man holding such rge
discretion, We agree with the Grand Jury that
daylight should be let in upon the operations
the right at all times to know what has be-
come of, or what is to be done with the Prosecu-
tons directed to be made in their name.
Of the cash value of these three offices, public
rumor has hundred state nents; but while they
are thus enyeoped in mystery their proceedings in
a great measure being carried on in the dark, it
would be idle to give currency to stories necessa-
rily without real foundation in fact 1t is, how
ever, well known that nearly every ambitious poll
tcian in the city has sometime or other been look
ing for just such Offices, certainly not for the pay
assigned by the statute, but for other reasons Of
substantial character-perhapsp political powerOnly,
perhaps not. In any event, let us have light, and
more safeguards where necessary, or even desira-
Bile. Honesty will not fear them; roguery should
be made to do so, if roguery there be.
One day last week, Mr. Robert w. Lowber, a
ne An hlx yell knnxyn In cnnnaction with