, 1879-03-20

lta ofovon bottor-infornod colleagues. Boo,
7 prosoriles TINT in all civil casos tl,ree-
iourtlla OF jury mny find n verdict. This
is decided improvement, especially under
tho present vicious and corrupt system OF
drawing Jurors TINT is tho practice in other
Statos as well rs California. It makes tho
tamrering with Jurors moro difficult mud
moro liable to exposure, as wolt az moro ex-
ronsiye. Unttor Tho old rulo 1t waa sufficient
to dobauch one jnryman in order to tlefeat
tho ends of Justice nnl render a vordfck i'm
possible; but hero It requires tho corrupsing
OF four before tho sasne result is reaohetl.
1t ia bostcr fur honest 1itiganss aud hnrder
for those who expect 10 osenpe the iron grip
OF the Inv by tecLnicailieB nna delnys.
Sec. allows GRIND Jurios to bo dispensed
with once year, mud provides that rroseou-
tions n'ay proceed by Information In cases
where 8rcli offenscs were formerly noticed
only by Indictment. This is blow at the
old ex.parto methods Of procedure, mud
shows tho tendency Of modern civilization to
falr r1ny and opon-hantled dealing. The
Grand Jury Is doomed to 60 by tho board
cutrcly before long.
scc 9>rolasoa to tho law Of libel, and there
Is added a c!auso 10 tho existing law upon
tint subject which viii DO found to 10 a Just
mud wholesome provision. Tho law Of libel
in this country In lts cssoutial featuros Ia,
practically, tho snmo TINT it wns three hum
dresl years ago, or whom my Lord CoHE do
clarcd that Tho grcater tho trutl, the groator
the libel" Since Lord CoKr'a time, howevor,
public sentiment Inns 60 for modified
tho laws Of libel MS TO admit the truth rs a
factor in MI Bnch actiona but It Is still sus-
ceptiblo Of various clanycs for tho better,
for one Of which the new Constitution of
California makes provision. In That Stnto,
aud in many othcra, the complainant in libel
against the publisher Of newspaper mny
mako prescutmont in any undorhandcd why
he pleases in my county in tho Statc, mud il
lo fail In one county l,o can apply to an-
other, aud tho publisher ia dragged OF
hundreds Of ,nileB from homo to bo tried be.
foro m ignorant or d prejudiced Judge.
Under tho now Constitution, however, tho
p1aintiG must bring suit either in the county
where tho paper is published, or in the
county where tho complainant resided at tho
time of tho publication OF tho alleged libe,,
md TINT ii tho end OF It, In Wisconsin tho
Supreme Court has hold that paper is pub
liahed w],eroyer it circulatcs through tho
mails without regard to tho location Of It's
business office, and somo such provision is
needed everywhere for the protection Of pub
fishers under such cnpricious decision Us
that.
In nearly all tho States It is provided TINT
"private property bhall not be taken for
public nso without just compensation" but
tho California Constitution supplements this
by adding thas suoh compensation sl,all 10
first paid to the Court or tho owner, aud
no right-of-way shall be appropriated to the
11so Of auy corporation other than municipal
I'LL full compensation shall have boon paid
to tho Court Or the owner"
Thero arc other departures proposed in
the now instrument a7 raaioal ~ those to
which rofcronoo is hero 1nado, which 90 to
show how certainly tho judiolal system of
people is forced to evolve aud keep stop
with tho progress Of modern civilization.