The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-09-13

strong desire of the Court Is that this
community be rid of this moral pestileuce
aud the responsibility is now with you.
POOL SELLING IN HUDSON.
A the last term of this court the
attention Of the grand jury was called to
the existence In the town of Harrison. in
this county. OF the ~offeuse or pool SELLING
or bookmaking. or both. Oh the results OF
horse races. Shortly after wards the
places where these illegal practices ex-
listed were closed and they have not since
reopeued. This business had been carried
on in the town of Harrison for a long
time, in defiance of law. and the grand
jury were instructed to indict the often
ders. This was not done. as it should
have been. The fact that an offender
ceases to offend does not in law condone
his past offences, however. much it IaRy
initiate Il gainst mis- punishment.
understand. though. that the field of
operation was only transferred to Wee
hawken. where iG is nuw more or less
continuously carried on. / call your at
teution To this state of affairs and earn
estly invite your inquiry l am not now
at all speaking of pool selling or book
making uUon the regular organized ami
licensed race tracks, Whatever may be
the state of the law in relation to that or
whatever may be the result OF the enact
ment parsed last winter legaliZiug this
business on race tracks. It is still clear
that pool selling and bookmaklng in auy
other place is q misdemeauor by whom
soever committed. The place where it is
carried on, be it house, shop, saloon or
any other building. is q disorderly house.
1t is an offense to be denounced by law
aud IL you eau obtain evidence that it is
being carried on at Weehawken or any
other place you should promptly indict
the offenders.
GREEN GOODS.
Apparently the practice of certain
nnrSnnC HF, AVN ad arraav xn1Ao1 -
ceased in this county. Last spring and
in the early summer they were ENJOYING
quite a degree of prosperity in certain
portions of this county. 1t is quite GER
tain they will return when the OPP Irtune
time arrives, and a strict watch over this
matter by you may possibly save this
county from one of the most disgusting
o~ffences OF the past.
PROTECTED OFFENCES.
sit is not amiss to say to you that the
habitual sale of liquor on sunday, the
offence of policy playing, pool selling.
bookmaking aud the green goods bust
ness are what are known in this county
as protected Offences or protected viola
ton of law, and drawing natural infer
ences from the past history of our county,
and from ~indisputable facts and circnm-
stances, one conclusion or the other must
be absolutely reached; that they are
either protected violations of law or else
the officers of the law and the Grand Jur-
les, with all the power OF the State at their
command. are unable to cope with aud
prevent these criminal offenses or punish
them when committed. Neither conclu-
sion is at all 10 the credit of the county
in its administration of criminal justice,
and this brings me to one or t wo other
suggestions which the Court desires to
make to this Grand Jury.
ut may be that evidence In relation to
these or other offsnses has bee pro.
dnaod hofnrn - nrr~a, n..- -
and no indictments have resulted. This
fact does not prevent the cases from
again being presented to your considera-
tion, and that you must consider all
cases presented, regardless of the fact
that former Grand Juries may havs act
and consider them just as il no former
jury had considered them. aud deter
mlue upon the evidence presented
whether nn ipdlctable offsnse has been
committed, AMI if so. indict, n this
rule is to be followed In all cases save
where the statute Of limitations has
operated against an indictment.
B NUIsANCEs.
There is another subject in which the
public IS deeply Interested, and that is
the security OF the public health and its
protection from nuisances. l need not
state to you that anything which illegally
anDoys the public, Injuries the public or
tends to the destruction or impairment
of the health or comfort of the public in
q legal sense is II nuisance. Il is never
improper to ask n grand inquest 20 ex-
anime Into a matter of this kind and If
nuisance5 are found to exist. to promptly
lndict. L mention this in this way
because 1t Is notorious that In this
county many exist. which almost renler
certain portions OF this county unnt for
residences, and entirely unhealthy aud
exceedingly annoying. Much evidence
ktuu tAd lf--
Grand Jury upon this subject,
and while upon the subject it may not De
Inappropriate to warn the Grand Jury
against reconsideration of indictments
after they have been deliberately found
upon sufficient evidence. 1t is The exer~
else OF q power which should be carefully
limited 10 cases where IL is discovered.
that no sufficient reason for an idictment
exists. The reconsideration of an lndict-
ment once founl Is too often the result OF
secret ana improper influence in that
direction, and not of additional or other
evidence. indictments should be pre-
seuted 10 the Court when deliberately
found and not reconsidered. IL is MOI
material from wnnt source, high or low.
mere influences arises. 1t should be at one,
exported, with the proof of it, to the Court.
that a signal I'M be made of the
authors Of "A practice which, in this county
~scaudalizes official action III the admins |
tration OF Justice"
CORRUPT Use OF PUBLIC FUNDS.
There is still another matter, gentle.
meu. TO which your attention can be-
properly called. ca oniy. IN conclud-
lug, repeat what I said before in sun
stance. The county of Hudson is grow
Ing rapidly in wealth and population.
All the cities, towns and townships aud
Tue county government are expepdtng
large sums of money la public improve
pieuts which are demanded by the PEG
pie. In order TO ono the fuancial
standing of our municipal government,
and perhaps to cave iJ from disastrous
circumstances it is essential that the ex-
penditure OF public Moneys should be
honest and economical, and it Is your duty