The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-12-17
THE GRAND JURY REPORT.

1t is hardly necessary to deal specifically
with so remarkable document as the
grand jury's report as presented in the
Third District court on Saturday. The
document is full of points, sententiousness
and figures; if it be an honest one, it con-
tains many things which the public should
closely scrutinize and carefully attend to,
otherwise it is merely the work Of a set
of political hucksters benu upon accom-
plishing partisan purposes at the expense
of the public.
One thing that has not been explained
away is the one-sidedness which conspic
uously appears at nearly every point IN the
report The grand jury is supposed togive
an impartial presentation, and in this case
has given but one side of every matter
brought before it and made its own conclu-
sions, these having reference only to such
findings as it has seen DIT TO produce. Cases
in which the inquisitors have unearthed
'defalcations" come before US as merely
&c pdrte statements, not giving US the ben
eft of anything by way of explanation,
and they as well as every one else must
surely know that in fduciary affairs there
must be at least showing Of justification,
debts against credits and rice versa and
some means of accounting for expenditures
everywhere. When men who hold such
positions set out to steal, deliberately and
absolutely, unless they make or assume to
make showing for their thefts so that the
minions of the law will not swoop down
upon them all at once, they are insane, and
insanity is defense against a criminal
charge. Now why did not the worthy and
altogether Jealous grand jury give US one
or the other-either the explanation or the
defense! There was a motive for it, and
that motive must be shown.
THE HERALD has never been an admirer
of the grand jury system, more particular
ly when under local regulations the panel
can be made entirely and exclusively par
tisan, as is the case in Utah. The fact that
the system is about the only relic of the
inuuisition that has been permitted to enter
into our method of government procedure
is strong argument in support of the
proposition that all shades of opinion IN
the community to which it pertains should
be represented in it, and the ad-
ditional fact that the accused has
no representation before it does
but intensity the proposition. The grand
Jury is an altogether un-American, un-re-
publican, unrepresentativei institution, and
when it is made up of men VIGOROUSLY if |
not UNANIMOUSLY against the class of people !
whom those who are in control seek to
have indicted, it is a species Of internal |
machine against which the civilization of |
the day revolts and every sense of justice |
is arrayed. 1t is worse in Utah than any
where else, and is bad enough every |
where.
The secret investigation system is some |
thing that CRATES harshly on the ears of |
nineteenth century propriety. There is
really no necessity for it. And there is
less necessity for it being made machine
for the furtherance of political purposes as
it apparently uhas been in Utah. What
right have fifteen men, impaneled and
sworn as an invesgating body, and drawing
pay from the public treasury, to act in the
interest of particular division of the pub
licl That is what the grand iury's report |
charges others in the community with hav-
ing done, and if they have not done the
same thing themselves, it looks awfully
like it. Are they supposed to investigate
transactions, for instance, that, even if
criminal as they allege, are barred
therefore dead, so far as they
are concerned9 Are they not presumed to
confine their attention to living matters, to
things having a presence or a tangible
form, and not roam off into fields that are
far away and from which they can obtain
nothingl And since this is the case, what
do they do it for! Since no legal results
can come from it, and all the points devel
oped have but the tendency Of aiding DO
litical party, why shall we not say they are
acting as partisans while ostensibly work
ing for the whole people, and as the whole
people pay them for their services, why
plain against thema Why should they not
be brought to the bar of justice for receiv-
ing money under false pretenses?
For the grand jury or any member Of it
to pretend or attempt to say that that won
derful report is rot a Liberal campaign
document would be for it or him TO say
against his own knowledge and against
patent and potent facts; and it is concom-
liant fact that while those men were work
ing up thus campaign material they were in {
the pay Of the public and expected to ignore
parties or classes. Viewed even in |
that light, 1t is most sig /
nally weak, lame, impotent and incon- {
elusive document because Of not having {
the whole case in any instance {
as previously suggested, Here are some '
examples: I
Grtat stress is laid upon the circum- a
stance Of three or four policemen having /
gone to Bingham to look after an election,
and in their receipts for payment, they said c
the services were rendered in the interest t