The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1883-02-20
GRAND JURY SYSTEM.

In Nebraska, the legislature il
about to take steps to abolish the
grand jury system. This is not sur
prising. In Nebraska, and in many
other places easily named. the grand
ury is a collection of twelve or more
men selected from all classes of peo-
ple, who sit in q secret star chamber.
hear one side of q case, and that side
the worst possible. against man who,
perhaps. is outside and utterly de-
fenceless. After hearing the state
ments of witnesses against the victim.
the jury proceeds to find 'true bill,
which in hundreds of instances proves
10 be a s.false bill" In this sense the
grand jury room is sort of sewer
through which runs hate, malice, envy.
villainy. cowardice and injustice. The
grand jury, properly constituted, is
not the nuisance it is felt to be in
many parts of the country. When
properly selected and run, there is no
talk of abolishing it. Contempt
for it results from the fact that 6e
people themselves have made it con-
temptible. They have 50 mauled and
mutilatel it that it is beyond recogni-
ton as legal and properly construct
ed body. The grand jury should COM
prise men who are responsible, pru
dent, upright, psinstaking, well-kuown
and trusted business men, There is
mode of selecting this jury which is
absolutely certain to produ this de
sired result. 1t is practised in some
parts of the country, where a grand
Jury presents to the eye of whoever
looks at them dignified and noble
assortment of men. But there are
plenty of places where, when the jury
files into their places and the criminals
into theirs on the opposite side Of the
room, a mere spectator would be puz-
zled to decide, from general
appearances, which body constitut-
ed the jury, unless the crimi-
mails were handcufed. Under
the careless and slipshod mode of Sc
iecting the jury, in many places, the
man who has nothing particular at
stake in the preservation of law and
order, and is almost wholly unknown,
stands chance of becoming a juror
and of being called upon to decide
who shall or shall not be prosecuted
for crime The very plan of drawing
a jury assumes that the object of the
law is not to get good grand jury,
but to give every criminal his chance
to prevent the grand jury from being
fit for anything whatever. The words
of fair character, integrity and we'll
which are provisions Of the
statute in many states, are Of no
practical value, in face of the fact
that no means of elimination are
brought to bear to make the grand
ury list differ from the list of voters.
such jury as is drawn in this way
ave none of the elements of dignity
" independence which would cause
hem to look upon themselves as a I
tribunal and upon the states attorney ,
IS their clerk. Instead of dispensing {
With mis- services and advice, except (,
lpon matters of law, he tells them I
What the evidence is. what indictments s
he wants them to find, and in what 9
Eases they must not find indictments,
est he may be beaten on the trial. 9
The result of this is disastrous in too G
many cases. The attorneys for the I
proceed to defend their eli It
,nts before the states attorney. If
hey can persuade him that it is not
q his interest, duty or profit, to indict &
prisoner, he will sit down on the .
ase and proceed to say to the grand |
urors, Gentlemen, l have given this ,
ase a careful investigation and have 1
ully concluded that l cannot obtain q {
onviction upon these facts, Their efore {