The Carson daily appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1865-1870, 1870-03-26

Saturday Morning, March 26 1870
THE LATE GRAND JURY REPORT.
That miserable old saying, ga poor
excuse il better than none" has been
acted upon once too often; for, indeed,
silence upon the subject of ths Chinese
disturbances at Empire would have been
far better than the trif1ing special plead
ing with which the Grand Jury treat
that subject and excuse themselves for
non.acrioa. II there was an insufficient
amount Of evidence before that body to
justify them in finding indictments
against the parties charged With "con-
spiracy" we cannot understand by what
authority they present the following
statements a. matters of fact within
their own knowledge. We quote from
the report
peevailed among the white lAborers at EN-
pire that the railroad company was disposed
to give preference to Chinese labor, out Of
which grew much excitement and . spontane-
Gus gathering Of some seventy-6ve or hun
dred persons; that there was an attempted
organization that certain parties volunteered
to wait upon the Cinnamon and request them
to leave that subsequently 4 large ceneourse
Of people went to the grounds where the
Chinese had pitched their tents ); that certain
persons, none Of whom were identified by the
nj fhor aald on
that NO other act of violence was committed
that the Chinese we're at work again on the
second day thereafter. The evidence was
very indefinite, such As, in the opinion of q
large majority ofthe jurors, could not warrant
q conviction before the court of trial That
the trial of cause of this nature would be
attended with great cost to the county /; in
crease the feeling Of prejudice already exist |
ing against the Chinese, and result in the &C.
quittal of the parties charged. Under these |
circumstances the jury, while deprecating any |
and all acts calculated in the leastto interfere |
with the rights of employees and employers, |
could arrive at no other conclusion than that |
Of ignoring the whole matter.
Here is an acknowledgement that it
was in evidence before the jury that
certain parties had banded together to
make a demonstration against the eaid
Chinese employees; and the fact is i'm
piled that they were compelled to sus
pend their labors for at least one day.
If these facts appeared from the testi-
mony adduee1 We cannot understand
why the Grand Jury came to the con.
clusion tLat there was an insufficient
amount of evidence to procure convic-
ton and as to the expressed opinions
that such trial would be expensive and
would ''inerease the feeling of prejudice
already existing against the Chinese"
we have only to remark that the course
Of justice il never truly subserved when
such indefensible evasions of duty are
allowed to prevail over promptness of
action in sustainment of law. Employ
ers and employees are entitled to the full
measure Of the laws protection, NO
natter what the pecuniary cost and
Chinese laborers can we'll afford an in
ereass of blind prejudice against them
~ that be possible) while taking the
.hasees incident to the trial end pun I
shment Of their lawless oppressors.
borrower, let ~ say to these Grand
Tarors, that these riotous proeeedings
lad better be nipped in the bud, At what
yer cost Of court, than that, being en-
outraged BY non-aetion, they proceed
. far, at . fn,ore time, a. to involve
be county in damages which will far i
the sum Of such possible q
osts. The conclusion forces itself )
Poa - that the viii to prosecute vas y
aite - insufficient a. the measure Of e
violence in the Grand Jury room. s
Il seems to us that lamentable lack .
( importance is attached, in the terms :! :
{ this Report, to the necessity for q full il
nd vigorous Investigation of the coun- p
~ o@eial afairs. The old saying that 2
If thing is worth doing at all it is ;;
forth doing we,l' applies as closely to- is
be performance Of the duties of Grand b
urors A. to anybody else. As to the .
lead animal complain, We heartily con- +
ur in il. nlthouvh We ara aVare that .,