The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-07-11
BALTIMORE.
MONDAY, JULY IL, 1889


We published, at length, on saturday 'he ie
cont ,sgeneral presentment" by the Grand jury OF
.ho Criminal Court, and nothing would give us
,reotar Measure than to say-h we could, WIN
t,,,t,,-that we published it with satisfaction The
Gentlemen composing the Grand Jury occupy,
among their fellow-citizens, position so deserV-
div respectable-their motives and intentions were
40 obviously praseworthy, and the step which
they have taken is so decidedly in the right direc-
tion-that we should rejoice to be able to say that
their action has met the just expectations OF the
public. We should be wanting, nevertheless to
capdor and to our own sense of duty, were we to
pretend anything Of the sort. So far as we have
been able to learn the opinion of the intelligent
public. we are constrained to believe that the pre-
sentiment has been read almost everywhere,
with profound disappointment and regret. For
some time prior to the adjournment OF the jury
it had been rumored that they proposed, oniciaiS
TO notice some of the most intolerabie OF Inc Sle'
ances under which this community is groanin
Tho sold ,vae ca ample; the need of some authorl-
.o+i,.o oct;or was so pressing, and the novelty so
-. oco, official body, here, assuming to speak out
e.oodoro upon matters of public concern
that the "presentment' was looked for, with the
,loonest and most anxious interest. A brief re-
,;e,v Of the topics which it treats and the mode in
Itch - treats Them will readily account for the
,,oryadipo modification which its appearance has
diffused.
The Report opens with an expression by the
Grand Inquest of their conviction that drunken
,ese ;s on the increase, and that it not only has
,o.,Ited in the increasing dissertation of the Sab
hath Int has become the most prolific source of
oil the sin and wretchedneSs and crime, that are
co rife among us. They recommend, in conse-
ororco an increase in the penalties imposed by
,ar nnon the sale of liquor on Sundays, and
f,rtbor legislative enactment, making drunkenness,
in itself punishable offence. They then denounce
.. most serious and growing evil, the practice of
carving deadly weapons about the person, and
call upon the Legislature to correct it, by suitable
enactments. The suppression, by law, OF the sale
oflottery tickets in the State, is next recommend
Cd TO the General Assembly, and the Jury pass,
from it, to the subject of 'rowdyism''-in regard
70 the punishment of which, the following is the
most stringent language which they feel at liberty
to use:
THE penalties now, and for some years heretofore i'm
,osej bv the Criminal Court of Baltimore on notorious
rowdies the Grand Jury feel warranted in saying, are
rs far short of the public sentiment. The nflcton OF
trng fine for violently resisting an officer in the proper
discharge of his duty for wanton infracton or
b order or right will scarcely be deemed sit
IN n;sLnoent for such 1rdre Offences operate
euampe TO deter others In the opinion OF the Grand jury
the majesty the law should always command respect in
the pron of its officer and in order to secure this
end the convicted rowdy should be adequately punished
for first offence and undergo regularly doubled pen
atty for each succeeding offence
Next follows paragraph upon political row.
"dyism, especially as manifested in associated
'clnbs'-for the correction of which no remedy
whatever is proposed, and in illustration of which
no example is stated. The Criminal Court, itself,
is then considered-srange to say, not in respect
to its personnel or its abuses but in the following
legal, constitutional and economical point of view
only;
1.-The Grand Jury desire further present. that in their
opinion the constitutional provisions and legislative
enactmens reference to the establishment of the Grim
ina Court of the City Baltimore have failed to
pish the objects originally contemplated Under its ex-
listing organization has proved to be an expensive and
burdensome institution to the people of Baltimore with
out any adequate return"
The propriety of organizing Recorders Court
is all that is suggested by these considerations and
the Jury recommend, in connection Herewith,
some legislation in regard to the removal of cases
10 Baltimore county. A detailed statement of the
expenses of the Criminal Court, followS-showing
that it costs onethird as much as whole Public
School system-ex >luding q large amount Of fees,
fines and COSTS not counted, or-so far as the pre-
sentiment shows-accounte for. Various modes
are then stated, in which the city is sadded with
expenses which ought to be paid by others 1.-THE
State included) not at all-and in this pecunia-
ry connection, chiefly, if not entirely, are the
worthless recognizances, so often taken by magis-
trates, made the subject of comment. With an
allusion to the large salaries or emoluments re-
ceved by the subordinate officers of the Court,
(who are not named or in any way designated
and the frequent responsibility of the suretie:
upon the bonds of consables, the practical portion
of the presentment ends. The whole concludes
in the following words
1.-The Grand Jury have deemed it their duty respect
fully bring the various matters above alluded to before
the notice of this honorable Court. oo far may IN
the COa0s pO0er TO remedy the abuses Of Which the jury
think tie public haze right TO complain they knoo not
bat they do earnestly ask the attention of the Court tc
them, hoping that either by the action Of the honorable
Court by the operation Of sound public opinion non
the Legislature Of the State better state Of things may b
brought about than erts and this community bt
relieved to extent of the burden imposed upon it,
"The Grand Jury, in conclusion, respectfully ask The
honorable Court that copy of this presentment may BIZ
transmitted by the clerk within the next thirty days,
the Governor of Maryland for the purpose Of being at
before the General Assembly at its approaching
"GEo R. DODGE, Foreman.
We believe that we have stated the positions o.
the Grand Jury fairly We certainly have endea-
vored, in good faith, to do so. We cannot conceive
it possible, for any intelligent man to survey the
ground which they have seen fit to occupy, with
out asking himself whether it can be possible, that
a Grand Jury-in the notorious state of official
demoralization-the prostration and prostitution
of the laws-under which we live in Baltimore
could find nothing more than this, to say and do
in regard to the matters to which it has volunteered
to attract the public attention. No reader of thu
''presentment," who is capable of forming practi
cal Judgment, can fail to see, at glance, tina
with few unimportant exceptions, it is a mer
suggestion to the Legislature of duties which tina
body should discharge, while in the fufment o
the responsible duties which are imperative on tn
Grand Jurors themselves, it contains not one wore
of downright freedom of speech-nota jot or it'll
of authoritative official action. In official reports
we grant that proper regard must he had to off
cial dignity and decorum. 1t is, at times, bette
to say too little, in such documents, than to So,
too much. But there circumstances and sea
sons, when the outspoken utterance of the unso
phsticated truth-the' calling of things and peopl
by their right names-the fixing, upon guilty indi
viduals, of the crimes and delinquencies which dis
grace and endanger a community-are matter O
absolute and mperious obligation, on the part o
every public functionary who has the right t,
speak, and assumes to speak at ALL 1t is not GU
wont to recommend to others, what we are unwil
ling to practise ourselves, within our allotted
sphere, and we will endeavor to illustrate wha
we mean.
What benefit, for instance, do the Grand Jur,
think that they have conferred upon the town, b,
a commentary on the increase and evils of drum
kenness, in the abstract-when they are actual,
addressing that commentary to tribunal, wher
Justice, herself sits maudlin and dishonored, day
after day, before their eyes, and yet they do no
venture to say so? What do they want with {
legislative enactment, making drunkenness pun
ishable crime-when the Constitution of the State
has made 'wilful neglect of duty" and ''misbe
'havior in Office" by Judge, offences indictablt
by a Grand Jury-and they go through the
solemn and sad mockery of placing their ''present-
'ment," with the forms of official respect, in the
hands of judicial functionary, whose daily life is
but reeling and staggering, from one ''misbe-
'havior' and one "neglect' to another? Why
publish bomilies on drunkenness-Wh there