The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1884-11-26
THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL.
He Sugge sts Some Reforms in Criminal
Jurisprudence.

WASHINGTON, November 25.-In his
annual report, Acknowledgement Brew
st er suggests that all the accounts OF
the chief supervisors of elections be
taxed in open court, under the inspec-
ton and examination of the district at
Iorney,,or his sworn assistant, and they
must then be forwarded to the proper
department for further examination,
and reduction. If deemed advisable and
necessary. These election laws are OF
the highest Importance TO the general
welfare and their proper execution Is Ii
matter OF prime necessity. Their abuse,
on the other hand. is n great public
wrong, to be guarded against by appro-
pirate legislation.
The Acknowledgement directs the at
tentiOn of Congress to the want OF pro
per legislation for criminal cases. In
preparing indictments. he says. for Of
fences against the United States, it i
found necessary TO follow the common
law forms of the last century, with all
the technicalities, verbOsity. descrip-
tons, repetitionS and precise state
ments formerly required; whereby
that which should be simple and con-
else, written accusations become lengthy
and painfully confused masses of des-
criptions and allegations, wholly unin-
telligible to the defendant, who is called
upon to answer or to the jury selected
to try the case. To reduce the plead
ings to a plain and comprehensive
statement OF facts would serve equally
to the disadvantage of government and
the defendant, and there is no reason
why an indictment ought not be adj
judged sufficient and good in law which
charges crime substantially in the
language of the prohibiting the crime
and prescribing the punishment or
so plainly that the nature of the OffenSe
charged may be easily understood by
the jury. When it is necessary ID
describe or make an averment
of any written or printed in
strument. as the law now states. such
instrument must be copied into the
indictment with a literal exactness
equal TO a Photographic representation.
The omission of a word that appears
almost undiscernible among the lines
and hourishes, created by the skill of
the engrayer or penman, would be a
fatal defect that might enable a guilty
man to escape punishment. The
AttOrney-General points out evils, onis-
sions and defects in the present law in
eases of murder, mAnslaughter,
larceny, demurrerS, motions to quaSh,
challenges. etc, and submits the draft
OF bill designed to afford remedy. In
connection with the subject of jury
duty, he SAYS: at is the belief and
common report that the business Of
Jury fixing fiourishes to an alarming
extent in the District. 1t is ascertained
that men live and support their familio s
and even become rich in the practices
of this nefariOuS profession, as the jury
system now exists; that INSCRIPTIONS
men should safely conduct a lucrative
business in debauching juries in the
District should occasion no surprise.
With but tWenty-six jurors. such as usu-
ally serve, an active lury-fXer would
become acquainted with at least two or
three of them in few hours, and that
would give him a strong beginning III
his efforts to thWart Justice. With but
tWenty-Six Jurors serving for three
months, it would not require one
third that time for the combined
force of jury-fXerS to become thor
oughly acquainted with the habits, as
sociatiOnS, character and business OF
each juror, and he influences, if any,
that could be used 10 reach him and
bring him within their power Then,
again, what is there TO prevent one or
more well-dressed and apparently re-
spectacle looking rogues placing them
selves in the way of the marshal or his
deputies, to be brought into court as
talesman and serving upon Jurles TO
acquit their friends or cOnfederates