The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-08-12
NEW ORLEANS, AUGUST A2, nsss.
THE GRAND JURY AND THE STATE
PRINTER.

Recently the Grand Jury OF THIS parish
made report gravely rejecting upon the
State Printer. The report alleged that the
Testimony before the Grand Jury tended to
y show that d large amount of printing had
been done under o dead statute;
that conceding that the said statute
had not been repealed by the act OF
I 4877 the State Printer had charged
for the work on an Incorrect fraudulent, and
excessive measurement. Having made these
grave and Injurious insnuations against the
State Printer, the Grand Jury recommended
that the Executive and law officers OF the
State institute an inquiry into the matter and
take such steps as they might deem proper
in the premises.
III must be evident to every intelligent
I person that the Grand Jury either went too
far Or not far enough In this business. If that
body had any evidence before it suf1i-
cent to raise a suspicion that the State
i Printer had made out fraudulent accounts
against, and collected money not due him
from the State, 1t ought to have gone to the
bottom OF the whole matter; 1t ought to have
taken ample testimony and pursued the in
vestigation until 1t was satisfied that the
charges were false or until the evidence was
IL clear enough to Justify an Indictment
against the recreant official for swindling and
4 for perjury. But tho Grand Jury did not do
do this.
1t received and listened to charges of the
grayest character against public official, and
directly involving newspaper which possess
es The confidence of the public; it heard evil
dence against the accused, which it
seems was not satisfactory, not sufficient to
Justify an Indictment. And yet the Grand
Jury has given publicity to the charges and
strengthened them in the public mind by the
frsinuation that in tho opinion Of its MEM
hers they are true. We should be pleased to
have the very estimable gentlemen who COM
pose the Grand Jury cite the law under which
they have O. right to give currency and weight
Ii, charges made before them, but not suf1i-
GENTLY sustained to warrant an indictment.
The duty of the Grand Jury is to sift
charges against citizens to the bottom; to
discover where malevolence seeks to assail
personal character; to protect innocent par
ties from malicious prosecution, and to point
out for arrest and prosecution those who II
4 has been shown have violated the law. But
nowhere do we find any statute, law or pre-
cedent which makes it the duty of that body
III officially circulate the ISLANDERS one man
may choose on specious grounds to make
against another. Had the Grand Jury obtained
sufficient evidence against the State Printer
fr warrant an indictment for swindling, and
then found such an indiCtme nt it would have
done it's whole duty faithfully; no one could
q have complained; the party indicted woulC
have had his right under our constitution ano
laws to a fair and speedy trial in the courts
+ by which he could have been released or con
yicted.
The best and most honorable men have
been subjected to trial for criminal and i'll
famous otfenses but they have always beer
able to obtain full Justice and an honorable
acuuittal Any innocent man can protect
3 himself against an indictment OF a grant
Jury, but how Is an innocent man to protec
himself against an informal SANDER circulated
by such body? Indict him and he goes before
q court of justice and is promptly convicted
or acquitted. Return q special report, spe
ciousIy drawn, insinuating that he has per
netrated a fraud, or that he has committee
perjury, and recommend that the Governo
or somebody else, through some tribunal o
fundamentally unknown to our laws, 1nves
tigate the matter, and you asperse his cha1
acter. brand him as q sWindler, and leave
him without any method, or means, or oppo1
tunity to authoritatively disprove the charge
and vindicate his character.
The Justice of these observations is mad
evident by the fact that so soon as the specia
report OF the Grand Jury intimating that th
State Printer had swindled the State, tina
official made prompt and earnest appeal t
the Governor to take such steps as he Nigh
be able to devise to Investigate the charges
which the Grand Jury had given official circr
Iation. Neither the Governor nor any on
else knows of any tribunal authorized to II
yestigate such charges save that one--th
Grand Jury-whch has abdicated its dutie
E and circulated SANDER instead OF squelchin
8 it or finding an Indictment. Besides this tn
Jaw officers of the State are absent and wi
not return for probably sixty day.
This is the predicament III which til
Grand Jury has placed citizen OF the Stat
a public official and q leading newspaper wit
which he is connected. The sianderouS II
s mort is being circulated by the enemies of tn
DEMOCRAT and published in other journals b
them as an advertisement, on the eve OF
political canvass when this paper and il
conductors need all their character and IL
sIaence unimpaired to serve their people.
Fortunately, however, for the DEMOCRAT an
tEe State Printer, the Governor has displaye
cordial disposition to do all in his power
advance an Investigation; he will prompt
annoint q commission to investigate tt
whole matter. and at the request OF the Sta
g,rinte.. \. Lawyer Of ability and staad4L