The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1892-06-16
CITY,
and Notes Gahee fmAF The
Grand Juries an Unnecessa.
ry Expense Incident to
Criminal Actions.
Good Advice to Justices
of the Peace.

In charging the grand jury Judge
Nugent said about as follows:
GENTLEMEN or THE GRAND JURY.
At the present moment this
court can only take notice Of the
cases of those who have been bound
over to await your action, and, as
matter OF fact is ignorant Of any
other charges which may claim your
attention. "
There is nothing exceptional In
the character of the accusations
against those who are now held in
custody, in the sense that they call
for special comment on the part of
the court.
They involve simply consider
alton of those offences with which
every community is, unfortunately,
too familiar their immediate effects
are confined to the actors In them,
and society at large is only indirectly
interested by reason Of its bounden
duty to protect itself against all vio-
lations of the rights Of the citizen In
person and property, and maintain by
force, if necessary, the existence Of
law and order.
In the absence, therefore, Of any
knowledge of the perpctration Of a
crime so peculiar in itself, or so wide-
spread in its direct consequences, as
to endanger at once the public safety,
perhaps the duty Of the hour would
be performed il, in a merely per-
functory manner, l read to you the
statutory explanation Of your duties.
But there is another view to be
taken of those rare occasions when 0
court is brought into official inter
course with the representatives OF the
people in their capacity of grand in
quisitors, which, although somewhat
of departure from state custom
might nevertheless not be deemed in
appropriate among practical men.
Being here to apply the prope
remedies to the disorders of society
to indict when necessary, to investi
gate the system under which We ar
governed, and cure its defects whe
within your power, what more fittin
occasion could a court find to lend It
aid in the latter direction, by offerin
for such consideration as your bette
Judgment may accord to them, tn
suggestions born Of its daily exper
ence.
, Regarding existing condition
from the standpoint Of court, who's
moral vision is Of necessity circun
scribed by the field of legal crime,
is no exaggeration to say, that anon
: the great mass of sober, intelligen
, Industrious people who in the ma
make up the communities in this di
trict, those offences which sprir
from love of gain or moral depravi
are unheard of, and were it not +
occasional personal encounters, cause
3. by real or imaginary injuries, Grin
k would be unknown.
=, But the comparatively rece
le and rapid advance of the country
IN population and wealth has brought
ce its train at least our fair percentaI
ne of that idle, vicious element, alwa
8, to be found lowering around seen
" of prosperity.
is 1t is the penalty we pay for bel
RS brought in contact with the woi
to at large, and in dealing with this u
be desirable class we are confronted
embarrassments, the creation OF
people themselves, who alone c
" remedy them.
" The last legislature, availing It's
Il -.
OF the ripe experience OF other stat
=" provided the means of prosecute
~ those charged with offences, by cri
~ inal information, instead OF indi
ment.
-, That is to say, it did away, exec
in those instances where, in the q
cretion of the trial judge, pecul
a circumstances demanded it, with
Of costly, cumbersome and dilat
ew mode OF procedure by a grand ju
in and substituted for it simple &C
sation by the prosecuting officer, ba