The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-08-02

Hudson County pretend TO pc satlshed Win tne
new Democratic County Committee. From
which we infer that The bob" Davis ringsters
have pulled the wool over the eyes OF the
swallow tails ."-state Gazette.
/ Don't you believe it, friend. We
are all watching Bob" and if he pulls
any wool over ~anybody's eyes in
Hudson County, we will certainly be
very much surprised.
Judge Lippincott and the Grand
\ Jury.
z Forming the best conclusions we
a from the general indications, we
shall be very much astonished if the
present Grand Jury finds any indict-
ments against the policy dealers, the
green goods men or any Others of the
professional criminal gang who con
stitute Mr.. Bob Davis princip al fol-
lowing. Mr.. Benson, who seems to
be Davis mouthpiece, has hurled the
defiance of the Grand Jury at the
public, and we infer that the farce of
investigation is at an end and that
the gang have braced themselves to
swagger through the storm of public
anger which will presently break upon
them.
InSview OF this result Of a vigorous
effort to punish and suppress crime
in this community, a solemn duty de-
wolves upon Judge Lippincott, and
--o 11a1saryo ln will mi Afnoh fp0rn
performing it. The Judge has no
power under the law to infiict upon
the Grand Jurors the penalties which
their perjury and betrayal of the
State deserve. He cannot send them
to State Prison, VIII ere a majority of
them certainly should be; he cannot
fine them or deprive them of their
civil rights, which they have
abused. He cannot even take formal
action to disqualify them from
sitting upon a jury again.
But Judge Lippincott has power to
iniict upon these men a moral chas-
tisement, compared with which any
of the punishments we have recited
would be gentle and pleasant. He can
lash them with the thong of judicial
censure. He can write a mark upon
the forehead of each and every one of
them which will make him a moral
Pariah to the end of his days. an OBJ
ject of contempt and suspicion to
every honest citizen in the COM
munity. This is what Judge Lippin-
colt can do, and this is what the
Grand Jurors deserve if they fail to
do their duty at the command OF
Bob Davis.
1t is customary for the presiding
judge to "thankn the Grand Jury
when the period of IT'S adjournment
arrives. Judge Lippincott may ex-
press t this one his true apprecia-
ton of the pains it has taken to do
its duty, and of the respect it has paid
to the sanctity of its oath.
It.may be said that in pursuing this
course Judge Lippincott would con-
found the innocent with the guilty.
1t is understood that a minority OF
the jurors desired to do right in the
matter of the policy and green goods
indictments. 1t may be said that
these should not be scourged with the
same condemnation as the majority
who overmastered them. There
is no necessity. There is a pre-
cedent in our courts fol
the presentation of a minority
finding upon an extraordinary occa-
sion. When Foreman Leonard J
Gordon and DR.. Benjamin Edge con
sidered that the Grand Jury Of the
September term of 1890, did less than
its duty in the prosecution of the bal
lot box suffers, they handed to Judge
Knapp. the presiding Justice of the
court, a minority presentment. il
which they clearly set forth their posi-
ton and criticised and condemned thi
action of the majority Of the Jury.
Judge Knapp, while commenting upor
the unprecedented character of thu
action said he saw no way by which
the Court could refuse to receive the
minority presentment, and in view o
the circumstances of the case, he was
not inclined to exclude it, anyway.
II that occasion was extraordinary
what shall be said of this one?
If Judge Knapp were still on thu
bench, would he refuse to receive thu
protest OF ten or eleven honest mer
againstthe outrage on law and jus
tice to which they we've made parties
by the mere force OF numbers? We
think he would not. even il he could,
and we do not believe Judge Lippin'
colt would do so either. If there il
an honest minority in the presen'
Grand Jury, we believe the men who
constitute it can easily set theil
records right.in open court, and ther
the Judicial censure will only RESI-
where it deserves.
W. 1oobr forxuord ~ uavf Tnordny