The Portland daily press., 1878-06-25
Our New York Letter.
The Indie ments Against the ID sard OF
Aldermea Promptly Quashed-The Case
Against the Health Board-A Silly At
tempt 10 Indict the Police Commission
ers-Dissraceful Journalism,
NEW YORK. June 2l. 1878.

NEW YORK, June 2l, 1878.
Mr.. Justice Barrett of the Supreme Court
has rendered very sensible decision quashing
the silly Indictment found against the Alder
men by last months Grand Jury. 1t is not
always safe to look for wisdom from the Bench
but the reasoning of the Judge in this case is
worthy of q layman because of its directness
and forcs of statement. The effect of it is to
stop tedious, meaningless and frivolous pro-
ceeding that might have occupied the courts for
months and consumed vast deal of time and
money. One of the greatest troubles in this
community is that the channels of iudicature
are ontirually choked up with inconsequent
and profitless Mitigation to such an extent that
the discussion and settlement of real issues of
acknowledged mOment are hindered so much
as to inspire every prudent man with a sense of
the hopelessness of undertaking to vindicate
his rights by going to law.
1t did seem childish in the extreme to see
weeks, perhaps months, frittered away in argu-
ing motions and going through all the forms of
trial about matter of no possible consequence
in the first place, and of which in the second,
there could under.no circumstances be any other
result than that it should come to nought. Life
Is too short to be bOthering with such nonsense
and the next time a dysDeptic judge seeks re-
lief from his indigestion in the utterance Of q
splenetic philippe against score or more Of
his brother officials, it is to be hoped he will
not find Grand Jury sufficiently weak aud
compliant to follow up his attack by a course
of action which must inevitably subject them
to derision and reproach. Every body except the
lawyers engaged in the case will be heartily
glad it has been summari!y swept off the cal
endar The three or four gentlemen who were
retained as counsel will probably send in bills
amounting to several thousand dollars for what
little they have done, and il the money can be
got out Of the city treasury there will be just so
much of levy on the taxpayers to foot the
bill. Rather an expensive freak that, for a
little one!
The indictment against the members
of the Health Board was not included in
the motion to qussh which has Just been
d;snossd of afirmatively. 1t stands on
tba record but it is not at ali likely
.hat anything will ever come Of it The courts
practically stop work in July, August and Sep
tember, and long before they will resume oper-
ations common sense will so far have asserted
its sway over the public mind as to render the
further consideration Of such q preposterous
accusation too ridiculous to be treated seriously
1t is curious though how when some peculiar
mania has broken out in New York what run
it will have for while and how many people,
not supposed ordinarily to get crazed easily,
will have it in its worst form. There are at
this moment half dozen or more of very re-
spectacle citizens who have armed themselves
with facts and documents and are prepared to
go before the Grand Jury now in session, and
ask for the indictment of the Police Commis-
sioners. And for what do you suppose? Why
because they are paying SLIGO per day for labor,