The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-10-25
GRAND JURIeS

We bsieve that it was the Citizens
league that procured the change in the
method of drawing the grand jury. For
merly the supervisors put the names for
the grand jury in the box. The objection
to that system was that as rule the SUI
pervisors were unable or unwilling to
nominate fearless, honest and independ-
ent men. The political influence to pre-
vent this was nearly always too strong. Our
grand jurors have only too often been con-
nected with public contracts, the procure
ment of favors, such as franchises or pat
ronaee from public bodies, or else have
themselves been so placed that private
doiDgs of their own could be represented
in such light as to injure the juror.
Consequently a grand juror has very Of
ten kept his mouth shut, because to opsn
it might unsesl the lips of some one he
would not care to have heard; at least
Dame Rumor says that this has caused a
solemn silence more than once, Well, to
get rid OF this politicians pull on old
boards OF supervisors the Citizens league
put the drawing of the jurors into the
hands OF this judges. The first grand jury
under this system did indeed break away
from the political trainers whitewashed
track. Striped clothes even doomed up
as possible fashionable costume in the
political half-worlo, and things looked
rocky for the boodlers. But ev IN in that
jury there was one man a member OF the
city school board. This department OF
the city. having the supreme trust fiom
the public of caring for its children, had
been before tho call of the Jury repeatedly
charged by the public press with malfeas-
ance in office. No one acquainted with
the facts ever thought that that school
board had properly carried out its du-
ties. The appointment of one of the dom
inant combine in such a board to posi-
ton on the grand jury which had as one
OF its most apparent and important du-
ties the examination OF the charges
against the school board itself was In line
with the old abuses and was manifestly
improper The present grand jury. il is
hoped, will more July justify the judicial
method of selecting Jurors than did the
first one drawn under that system. The
first one did good work: this should do
better. Our citizens look for thorough,
impartial and fearless examination OF
our public affairs at the hands of every
grand jury. Such an examination cac-
not be deemed complete by an exporting
of official books alone, as important 8
this work is. Such matters as street con-
tracts, street construction, street cleaning,
street sprinkling, street lighting, street
com missions, their cost, duration and
methods, the fire and police departm ents,
and in fact the whole city business re
quires complete overhauling at least
once a year. If the Law really calls for
two grand juries year. as it appears to
do, we believe that the slight additional
expense would be saved to the people
many times over. A certainty of FREE
quent and thorough investigation would
undoubtedly protect public officers from
the often severe political pressure to over
look poor work or to permit or to do
Grand Juries following each other at Gloss
intervals will nos have so much work to
do nor 50 much time to sacrifice to the
duty of the citizen. The only utility of a
grand jury today is its power to examine
public affairs. 1t is in fact the only
means the people as body polite have
in this state to discover and prevent
abuses in public trusts. misuse of publ C
funos, bad or corrupt conduct in the exc
cution OF public contracts, and generally
to keep honest and efficient the public
service.