The morning call., 1892-01-08
.POPULAR CLA9IOB."

The action Of the Superior Court ia elect
Ing Judge Trout Presiding Judge has re-
cairel the Endorsement Of the Chronicle.
That journal congyatulates the Superior
Court IN having maintained It's dignity and
sef-resI ect in spite of popular Cam0r."
Popular ci3mor is the synonym for public
opinion. Either OF both is the voice of the
people. In the election Of Judge Trout the
court have disresardei the voice Of the pee
PIE and listened somewhat iutently to the
voice which uttered the Supreme Court de-
CisiOn IN the BrUner case. There has been
no EXPRESSION OF public opinion IN support
Of that decision. The BucbleyS CTimminses,
kellys and De I0uDg- who praise the court
for refusing TO listen TO popular ClamOT, do
not make an appeal to the public. There
are probably enough Ct them to Ill a good
sized hail, bat they shrink modestly from
the public gaze. They prefer to work out
their plans through less public agencies.
The Chronicle says that Judge Wallace by
implication had aspeTsed the character of
his associates and had assumed that all the
honesty Of the Superior Court was repOsed
in him Judge Wallace recognized the fact,
patent to many others, that grand juries
selected from the list Of names submitted by
the twelve Superior Court Judges have
failed to reach the class Of crime the mass
Of the people desire 10 see reached. Whether
the recognition of this fact may be consid-
cred an aspersion on the character Of the
twelve Judges, including himself, is a nat
ter upon which men Will form different
opinions. OF the fact there can be no two
opinions. Grand juries have been impan-
eled and discharged while the shameful
work of the boodleT was going on in the
light Of day, but not one Of them has seen
wrong in it. By the method Of selecting
grand jurors Judge Wallace adopted there
was a hope for better things.
There is a general belief that the late
Grand Jury II let alone would have Indicted
men VINO are charged by L0uular rumOr
with the corrupt practices complained Of
The best proof Of their earnestness is found
IN the extraordinary efforts made 10 divest
them Of power AS individuals they can
DO little OF nothing; as grand Jurors they
could nave brought into court any man in
the State against whom sufficient evidence
Of guilt could be und. Did any Of these
men seek 10 be relieved of the imputation
cast upon them by the press and the people?
Did any Senator desire to answer the charge
that he had bought his Office with coin {?
Did the person in whose behalf Bledsoe of
HUMBOLDT was offered $1,000 for his vote for
Senator show any alacrity to prove whether
or not BledsOe stated the truth when making
the charge? The public knows that none
Of these men answered that the crimes
charged against them were not true. They
said simply that the Investigation should be
stiled, and they exercised their power over
courts to stifie it. Having succeeded they
c0mplacently attribute the movement which
for a time threatened their political existence
and personal liberty to popular clamor."
We doubt much if the public voice viii be
stifled as easily as the movement which
grew cut of its expression. 1t is one thing
to deal with seven men most Of whom owe
whatever political advancement they have
received from the power charged with these
grave offenses, and another to deal with the
people at whose expense the offenses charged
have been committed.
AS the matter now stands the people have
no power. Their first act should be to
recover power entrusted to dishonest public
servants. The organized boodlers have in
effect said to the people that the offenses
with which they are charged shall not be
Investigated. 1t remains for the people to
make answer. II the people make no effort
to throw of the yoke that has been placed
upon their neck the natural conclusion of
the StaDfords, Feltons, Buckleys, Grim
miDses, Kellys and De Youngs will be that
they may continue their corrupt practices.