The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1879-01-19
DOWN WITH THE ANTIQUATED
NUISANCEl

VIII not the present General Assembly,
in the interest Of justice and economy, and
in obedience to what is the manifest de-
mand of our better civilization, abolish that
Anticipated abomination, the Grand Jury?
1t owes its origin to the necessity that grew
out of the social and legal classification of
men, "a necessity that never existed in
America and stands to-day, as one of the
very few hateful relics Of the past, that the
march of mind has not overthrow and
trodden in the earth.
While there are many good and valid
reasons while the abominabe system should
be abolished, there is not one reason, de.
serving the name, why it should be main
tanned. 1t serves as an instrument whereby
bad men may rcek revenge upon their bet,
tiers; it sets mp men, all unlearned in the
law, TO pass judgment upon state Of
facts that could be more intelligently and
expcditiousIy determined by the Single in
dividual who acts as the final judge of the
same facts. Citizens imprisoned for cause
or no cause are kept in confinement for
weeks and months to await the stated meet
ings of the jury, although the charges
against them might be disposed of by the
judge, without hazard to the public morals,
in single day. The system entail 5
an expense upon the people that
Is wholly needless-an expense
of more than five hundred thousand dollars
a year to the state, and proportionately
heavy to the counties In the small county
of Alexander it takes from their business
for full week at stretch, every year
ninety-two Of our farmers, mechanics and
laborers; and often at time when the bus.
mess and crops of the parties summoned
demand immediate and devoted attention
And all this is done, not to facilitate the adj.
Manifestation ofjustice, but to delay it mot tc
insure just and intelligent application Of
the penalty denounced by law against the
criminal; but to take the responsibility OF
declaring what acts constitute an offence
out Of the charge of men who are schooled
in the science Of the law, and to place il
in the hands of those who make no pretcn-
tons to such learning.
AS the constitution of our state provides
that "the grand jury may be abolished by
law, in all cases. let our present General
Assembly abolish the cumbersome nuisance
and have done with it, forever Beng a
relic of the nqusitorial age of the ''rack'
and "star chamber ut has never vet"
says the Chicago Telegraph, "been able ia
tree itself from the odum and opprobium
Of that period Of trials farccally conducted
on eS parte testimony with closed doors
The wonder is that this grand jury system,
50 antagonistic to the spirit Of the age and
our free institutions, should SO long be toll
Grated within the precincts of our judici
ary,'
without entering into details concern.
ing the ruin it has wrought il is enough foi
our readers to know that the grand Jury
bars out the dcicndcnt and his defense II
subjects the innocent to the prey of IN,
malicious, Protected by the shield of its
secrecy, envy and hate breed suspicion
against the honorcd and law-abidng citi.
zen, while ,he backmailcrplics his vocation
with the assure = !" Of the lave
IL Is no ans D." say udt ia ~ uctmpnt Is
no evidence OF guilt of the accused /, il
! the solemn finding Of at least twelve men