Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1890-02-05

rourt appointed Chas. NJ. Conklin fore
man of the grand jury and instructed the
| Jury fully and al length. Referring to al
fairs OF immediate local import the cOuli
| used these words:
| 1t is your duty to inquire into the will
| fuI and corrupt misconduct Of public Of,
| irers OF every description in the county
OF Santa Fee. And in this connection
can not perform my own duty by present
ing this subject to you in more per
lunctory manner. \ newspaper pub
| lshei within the county OF Santa Fe has
almost daily for months past kept before
the eyes of the public charge that there
has been gross malteasance ana mis-
teasauce in office with respect to certain
officers OF Santa Fe county. 1t Is also
matter Of common talk that the taxes OF
that county have not been assessed amt
collected as required by law. And that
such taxes as have been collected have
IN gross willful violation of the law been
misappropriated, and paid out after com
ing into the hands of those officers
whose duty it is to receive and pay them
out. This charge has been so often made
/
nor the grand jury can overlook or ignore
| it. 1t is your duty to investigate all
charges of this character against public
officers, to the end that if there is prob
able cause to believe such charges to be
true, indictments may be presented and
the wrong doors may be prosecuted as the
law directs and they be convicted or ac-
quilted as the evidence upon trial shall
warrant.
1t is not the province of the court or OF
the grand jury to say whether these
charges are true or false, but such charges
50 repeatedly made can not but have
bad effect upon the prosperity and
! financial credit of Santa Fe county.
1t is your duty as grand jurors
to put these charges at rest. Toyou, and
to you alone is con mitted by law the
duty of investigating tie conduct of pub
lie officers No individual or association
can have any legal right to investigate
charges against public officers and present
| them to the court, theirs is but the ex-
preston OF an opinion which can have no
| effect to right the wrong, if wrong there
be. But the statutes OF New Mexico I'M
poses this duty upon the grand jury, and
i'll the discharge OF such duty you have
the right, and it is your duty, to compel
| the personal attendance OF such officers
before You, and to require them to pro-
Iuce for your investigation all the books,
records and papers belonging to such
Office, and to compel the attendance
OF SUI other Witnesses as may be
necessary to complete the inves-
tigation of the official conduct OF
such officers against whom charges
have or may be made.
1t should make no difference with the
grand jury who the official is against
HON charges are made, how high or how
low his station, or what his political afill-
iations are. In matters affecting the dis
charge of administrative official duty there
can be no political question arise. The
injury to the tax payers is the same
whether the official misconduct COM
planned of is committed by member OF
this party or the other. The whole peo-
pie OF the county are interested in having
the affairs OF the county honestly admin
i~tered. The tax levy in this county I'M
der ordinary circumstances is 4 sufficient
burden to the people. 1t becomes dou-
bic and onerous burden when taxes
honestly paid are illegally appropriated or
nlisappiied by their servants whose duty
it is to collect and apply them as the la"
directs.
The grand jury was then sent to its
room and the Govt began calling the
docket ami assigning dates OF hearing Tor
the various CAUSES.