The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1886-05-22

The General Assembly in 1882 and
1884, with reference to %juri-s. |
have only been confirmed in my
views of the necessity OF strictly
carrying out Article ZIG of the Con
>tltutiOn, in the selection OF lntelll
gent and competent juIle>. Aud
III addition to what | theu stated
and necessarily connected with it,
| will recommend the doing away
entirely with grand %juiieS. This
system has Outlived 1t usefulness.
In this age of enlightened inquiry
there is no necessity tor Il secret in
QUESTION and it is rtpngnant to the
intelligence and moral sense Of the
community. The rapid transmits
sion of intelligence, the early ac
quaintance of the entire commnni
~ with the facts and circumstances
connected with every crime, the
coroEer's inquest, the preliminary
examination, and the searching in
designations of the press, bave for
mnlalcd The Indictment against the
accused long before the grand juiN
takes hold OF the asst. There is
nothln. lett for the district attor
ney to ito but TO prepare the indie
ment in advance, formally call wit
nesses before the grand jury-an
idle ceremony merely for Il formal
vote and the Endorsement by the
foreman as a true bill.
In several localities in the State
the grand .%iurits seem to under
stand instinctively that they are
only ceremoniOuS parts Of the cOnrt,
and they pass beyond the lesiti
mate duties that they were empanel
ed TO perform, and find ample time
to display superficial learning tx
pressed In inelegant language aud
III no way commrhddtlle as literary
productions. 1t is the forum for
the dcmagogue, and an inqui>ltion
suitable to the taste of the vicious
ana the llbeier. If facts do not
warrant ii prosecutions, individuals.
newspapers and communities he
come the objects of their vengeance
which finds expression in llbelous
communications. In the last few
years New Orleans has suffered
more of detraction and defamation
from her grand ~iu,i-s than from the
Interested abuse from her rivals
abroad.
The above is taken from the late
message of the G%overnorto the Leg
islature. .
1t might not be prudent to do
away with Grand Juries entirely,
but certainly there is no use OF IL
men selected to serve in those
bodies. One half dozen sensible
citizens chosen expressly as Grand
Jurors would be ten times more ef
ticient than the present method of
choosing 16 men by lot. The Gov
ernOr is undoubtedly correct in the
that many of those
bodies, instead Of ferreting out
crime, turn their attention to other
subjects, and give the public re
ports on rivers, crevasses, closing
of the Atchafalaya, and 40 other
subjects that they we're not selec
ted to investigate, or to inquire in
to, whilst law breakers are not
molested or troubled in many in
stances. Grand Juries should be
made more efficient or abolished.
Attention is called to an article
taken from the Point la.Hache
Observer, in which the editor crit,ci
zes-the Picdyune rather sharply.
The Observer should be more
moderate in its language when at
lacking that venerable organ, es
pecially on agricultural subjects
The Picay~ne is nothing if it is not
an Agricultural authority: On
that subject its authority must not
be disputed. Its right to dictate
to plante rs how to manage their
business is established upon a solid
foundation. Ever since it's celebra
ted article in 1879, informing su
gar planters that the problem of