The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1860-11-19

Jury, and were, by special appointment, TO have
handed them to that body yesterday. 1t will
further be seen, that even over those who had
failed TO deposit the certificates in question, the
Grand Jury had no jurisdiction whatever, in the
way Of compulsory attachment, and that conse-
quently the whole proceeding was altogether lille
gal and unwarranted. The most cursory exami-
nation, indeed, of the provisions of the law, will
render it perfectly manifest, that the Judges of
Election are expressly allowed until the adjourn
ment of the Grand Jury, either to go before that
body and testify what they know, in regard to
violations of the election laws or to furnish
sworn certificates that no such violations
have come to their knowledge. 1t is only upon
their failure 10 do the one or the other OF these
two things 'before the adjournment OF the
Grand Jury that the latter body has any right to
act in the premises; and, even then, the only &C
ton on their part which the law directs is pre-
sentiment to the Court "on the adjournment of
the Grand Jury Of all the judges in default with
view TO their indictment at the next term. The
idea OF attaching the Judges for contempt in not
appearing is not countenanced by the law, di-
Iectly or indirectly, and indeed the issuing of a
stringent and expensive process, like that OF at
tachment, is not legal or allowable without the
previous issue of a summons even in cases over
which the Grand Jury has the clearest jurisdiction
in the ordinary way. 1t is to be regretted that
there should have been nobody connected with the
Court either able willing to prevent such mis-
take from being made, resulting as it did in great
inconvenience and injustice both to the Judges of
election and the Board Of Police, who had faith
fully discharged their duty. Indeed it is singular
that the only official conduct over which the Grand
Jury have publicly exercised their superintendent
during their session should have been that of Off
GERS so clearly free from any just imputation.
Without attributing to the Grand Jury themselves
anything more than an unntentonaI and honest
error, we cannot but regret that they should have
contributed in any way, unjustly to cast odum
upon the provisions the administration of one
of these sautary remedial measures, which there
is too evident tendency in certain official quar-
tiers to embarrass and bring into discredit.
So far as the few Judges of Election are con-
cerned, who had not yet furnished, on Saturday,
their certificates as required by law, and whose
liability to the costs of attachment was not deter
mined by Judge BOND, we can only say, that that
delay ought to occasion no surprise. They are
allowed until the adjournment Of the Grand Jury
to discharge the duty imposed on them, and GER
tainly they could have had no reasonable ground
for believing that the Grand Jury intended to ad-
journ, with the most important business before
that body-the indictment Of Mr.. WHTNEY-left
undone Looking at the list of gentlemen COM
posing the Grand Jury-many of them among our
best ciGzens-it seems impossible, and utterly in
consistent with the respect to which they per-
sonally entitled, to realize that they can have
contemplated relinquishing their abors, with that
chief and leading duty to this community left
wholly undischarged. We will not believe in the
probability of sucn an occurrence, until there
ceases to be room for doubt or hope. Such action,
on the part of such Grand Jury, in view of the
demonstrable and demonstrative misfeasances of
the States Attorney in his Office, would be the
most severe bow--we do not hesitate to say--that
could be aimed at public confidence in the re-es-
tabsbed integrity of the administration of the
Low