The Portland daily press., 1878-05-28
Our New York Letter.
The Grand Jury on the Rampsge-Indicf-
ments by WholesaIe-A Craze and the
Outcome of il,
New YORK, MAY 27. 1873.

New YORK, May 27, 1873.
New York has just had fresh attack of
epilepsy. This time it broke out in the grand
jury room, and according to all the accounts
that are made up out of the leakages from that
secret tribunal the spasm has been an uncom-
monty violent one, resulting in the wholesale
Indictment OF the two and twenty Aldermen of
the city and the four eminently respectable
gentlemen who compose the Board of Health.
The Aldermen are accused of voting for street
distractions. Some of them no doubt are guilty
OF that as well as great many more heinous
offenses, but there seems to have bean no dis
crlminatlon exercised in singing out the
ac'uai cuipsits, and excepting the innocent
members from the sweeping charge.
The raid upon the Health Commissioners Ia
lmpelled by indignation at their imputed Neglect
10 suppress the uusances that have of late
been disturbing the sensibilites of the resdel ia
OF Murray Hill. There are great mapv
Dutchers shops, fat melting establishments and
olner appurtenances of unsavory enterprise
along the line of the East River. The occupants
OF tne brown stone palaces mile or so in a
westerly direction have been inclted to make
warfare upon them aud have made an imperi.
GUS demand through their self selected spokes.
man, that the Health Commissioners should
take the lead in an aggressive campaign against
tne propretors of the places whence the bad
smells are presumed to exhsle. Now it happens
thas there is a large amount Of capital invested
IN these useful branches Of industry, and the
owners OF them have rights which even a
Health Board are bound to respect There is
ditefence of opinion as to their all being OBJ
noxious to the censure which is so lavishly
visited upon them. 1t is maintained with
much plausibility of Argument that several of
them are not merely innocuous, but that tbev
90 not emit any Oiors that can unpleasantly
Affect the most sensitive ofactory organ. The
Health officers compelled to sit in jungmsnt "A
between the parties who complain and the mar
ties who are complained of, yery nat
urally and justly determine to institute
an inquiry as to the facts before pro-
ceeuing TO pursue any arbitrary acts tending
10 tne spoliation Of private property. This
course seems so wise and polite that it is diff
cult 10 understand how any reasonable or sensi-
Die person could ind any fault with it. But
people Win grievance real or imaginary are
not always or ofteu reasonable or sensible.
They have that rampant spirit of ssreform''
which prevents them from ever seeing more
than one side of any question. Thew have all
the intolerance aad impatisnce which ara tho
strongest characteristics of the modern "re-
FORMER ana take pleasure in resorting to ex-
sreme measures IN carrying out their cherished
purposes with perfect indifference as to the
amount OF harm they may do to their fellow
men.
NOV because the Health officers behaved
themselves with judicial imp artiality. refusing
absolutely to breathe forth threateniags and
slaughter against every man at whom the f;n.
ger OF suspicion pointed witho 1t according
MIN the opportunity to be heard in his defense.
the current of obloquy is turned upon them.
flfst the newspapers, the conductors of which
very seldom bother themselves to inouire as IN
the truth or falsity of matters whereof thew
treat, and are generally most positive of asser-
tion and vOluole OF utterauce on themes about
which they are completely Ignorant began to
rave IN lively sort of fashion at the officials
whom they declared to be responsible for
slenches of the existence of which they knew
nothing except on very apocryphal report, and
concerning the sources of which they did not
possess even that shadowy kind of informa-
ton. Nevertheless, by harping away loudly
chorus at every repetition of it they succeeded
in two or three weeks in setting great many
people crazy, and making them believe that
the vapors OF pestilence were so prevalent that
our population was in danger of SPEEDY decims.
ton.
When an epidemic of this kind gets under
full headway, thers is nothing to be done bnt
to let it take its course. 1t Is as resjstless as a
tornado. The more impetuous its current ia
the sooner its fury will be spent. Ia this view
the ridiculous perform ance of the Grand jury
is shorn of some of its responsiveness. II
the indictment of such gentlemen as Pro-
lessor chandler and Dr. Janeway, as crmi.
nals-tor after all there is criminality in every
kind of official misdemeanor-does not oman
peoples eyes to the absurdity aud folly of the
whole thing surely nothing can. L doubt IL
there Is man in New York who knows either
of the inculpated parties who would not avor
under oath the most implicit belief in their
probity, conscientiousness aud ability. Tbs
municipal government has no func.ionary In
It's service, who possesses higher claims to
public confidence aud respect than these two
gentlemen. They are accomplished in their
respective professions, their social position is
OF the best, and they are irreproachable 10 per.
sonal character. That they should have been
smirched with an indictment reflects far more
discreditably on tae Grand Jury than on them.
In fact it will not distract feathers weight
from their reputation when people have become
sober enough to consider what it all means
The shame will fall ultimately aud very soon.
too, upon the unfortunate body which has
suffered itself to be made the instrument for
the perpetratlon OF 80 gross folly Grand
Juries have before now unwittinply been mt
to base uses. But in this instance tbav seam
to have rushed in of their own free will with.
out being either led or driven, And moreover.
IL would appear that they were pretty much all
OF mind-f indeed the element of mind can
De said to have entered at all into such wit
less transaction as they are credited with. One
account says that they were almost unanimous;
single juror asking to be excused from voting
because he had o brother who was an Alder
man.
OF course the rumors on the subject are to bs
taken with more than ordinary allowances for
inaccuracy because they are derived to a CON-
siderable extent from newspaper authority,
which is at b3st equivocsl. Bat there ia
scarcely any doubt but that bills were found
against the Health Board, and no greater stu
pidity than that is conceivable. Whatever else
was done is comparatively of trivial impor-
tance.
1t is barely possible that couple of days
meditation may opsu the eyes of these iufatu-
ated jlrors aud induce them to reconsider their
action. On some accounts it is to bs hoped
they may change their course. The Grand
Jury is usually composed of worthy and WE'LL
meaning men. presume this panel is no ex-
eeption to the rule, Taken individually its
members would be no more likely to do any