Los Angeles daily herald., 1884-11-26
TuE AT ronNEY GENERAL.
The suggestions OF brewster I'm
His Annual Report. ~.

I
w.sH,Naros. Nov 25.--The annual report
Of Attorney General Brewster suggests that
all accounts of the chief Supervisors of cleo
tions be taken in open court, under the In
spectiou and examination Of the District At
torney. or his sworn assistant, and they
must then be forwarded to the proper de-
p,rtment for further examination and re.
duction, II deemed advisable and necessary.
These election laws are OF the highest i'm
portance to the general welfare and their
proper execution is matter of prime neces-
sity. Their abuse, on the other hand, is a
great public wrong TO be guarded against by
Appropriate legislation. The Attorney Gener-
al directs the attention of Congress to the
want of proper legislation for criminal cases
In preparing the indictments. He says for
offenses against the United States 1t Is found
necessary to follow the common law forms
OF the last century. with all the technicai-
ties, yerbosity, descriptions. rePetitions,. and
whereby that which should be sim
pie and concise written accu-
/ sation, becomes a lengthy and painfully
confused mass OF descriptions and allega-
tiOns wholly unintelligtble to the
defendant who is c,lled upon to an
swer to the jury selected to try the case. To
reduce the pleading e a plain and conpre-
hensiye statement the. facts would serve
aud the defendant and there is no reason
why an indictment ought not to be adjudged
sufficient and good in law which charges
crime substantially In the Language OF the
so ss sna sssssSss ss,ns
stood BY the jury. When 1t Is necessary
to describe or make averment Of any written
or printed instrument. as the law now
states such instrument must be copied into
the Indictment with literal exactness equal
to Photographic reproduction. The omis-
sion of a word that appears almost undis-
cernable among the lines and fiourishes
created by the skin of the engrayer or pen
man would be fatal defect that might
enable guilty man to escape punishment.
The Attorney General points out the evils
OF omission and defects In the present law
demurrers, motions 70 quash, ehaIlenges'
ETC., and submits the draft Of abill designed
with the subject Of jury duty. he says: at
business Of jury fixing foufishes to an
alarming extent In the District, and 1t Is
certain that men live and support their
families and even become rich In the prac-
tice Of this neiarions profession: As the
men should safely conduct lucrative bust
ness in debauching iurles In the District,
should cause no surprise, when but twenty
Jurors, such as usually serve, the fact that a
least two or three Of them in few hours
and that would give him strong beginning
In his efforts to thwart justice. With but
twenty-six jurors serving for three
third of that time for 4 combined
force OF jury fxers to become thoroughly
acquainted with the habits associations,
character and business OF each juror and
A a a. = n.
him and bring him within their power.
Then, again, what is there TO prevent one or
more we'll dressed and apparently respecta
Bile looking rogues from placing themselves
in the way Of the marshal or his deputies to
be brought into court as talesmen, and serv-
ing upon juries to scquit their friends or
The Attorney General recommends
that the iurisdictlon Of the United
judicial district OF Maryland be extended
for the purpose of securing trial In such
courts and before juries drawn from the en-
tire State OF Maryland Of cases involving
bis against the United States.
The National Treasury, he says, Is the great
centre OF allurement and temptation. In
roads are made upon II through all avenues
by which Il can be approached. All plans
to defraud the government, no matter where
contriyed, are mostly contaminated In
Washington, and when guilty parties are ar
rested their trial must OF necessity take
place before q jury drawn in the Dis
trict The arrest of one set of defendanss
brings to them the sympathy and active aid
Of all others engaged In similar schemes.
II the defendants are wealthy, as Is
often the case. by liberal expenditure
Of money they secure the acquaintance and
social disposition and whose open and pub
lie association and companionship with the
defendants is not without liz help in the full
effect When the case Is called for trial the
Government stands alone and opposed by
many Disadvantages, while the defendants,
aided not only BY their wealth, the encour-
agement and Influence OF their friends, but
by q certain feeling of Indifference which
seems to prevail In Washington con
cerning such. crimes, are permitted
to- depart from the court room
punishment and scandalizing the admins
iration OF justice. Such has been tle case
before and such will occur again, so long as
the National Treasury is conhded solely to
the protection of local juries.
The Attorney General renewed the recon.
mendatiOn that the system of paying United
States Marshals be changed from "fees" TO
salaries and that additional legislation be
had to protect the executive civil officers OF
the government In performing their duties,
and against the outrages committed upon
them because they have faithfully performed
them
Attention is called to the fact that the Leg
islsture OF Utah refuses to appropriate funds
for the execution of Territorial laws under
Congressional legislation. II this legislation
Is to be maintained, he says special appro
priations must be made annually to meet
the demands of Justice.