The morning call., 1895-02-01
SECRECY is WRONG.
The Foreman of the Grand Jury
FaYors Publicity.

WILLIAM II. GAGAN of W. II. Gagan & Co.,
druggists, corner of California and Hyde:
GAS foreman of the Grand Jury I would
like to say that it is thoroughly represen-
tative and as competent body of men as
has ever served the public of San Fran
cisco. I have every confidence that good
results will follow our deliberations, and if
corruption is not unearthed it will be be-
cause there is nothing to dig up. The
Grand Jury meets four times week and
there is an average attendance on each oc-
casion of seventeen members.
"Our whole Grand Jury system is wrong.
All our investigations should be open to
the public. Then the press could be in at
tendance and through the papers the
people would know exactly what was going
on. The result would be that great masses
of information would come to US that 9TH
erwiSe we would never obtain. Then again
people would not be so ready to make
charges if they knew they had to sustain
them in public. Dozens of accusations
have been made to us which upon investi-
CATION have been found to have no founda-
ton in truth.
"In our secret Investigations we have to
drift along and just do the best we can. In
this way our work is impeded and fire.
quently completely blockaded because we
cannot make certain moves for fear of pub
hcity.
''In some points the law helps US, but in
others it does not. For instance, we are
allowed an expert, whose duty it is to make
a thorough examination of the books of
the various municipal officers, but we have
no detective. True, we have an officer
placed at our disposal by the Police De
partment, but what good will he be to US
when we come to investigate the Police
Department. The city should supply us
with a private detective, and then we might
be able to obtain information that is now
withheld from US.
'Under the present system the foreman's
time is completely taken up in hearing
and investigating complaints. Many of
those that come to me are purely hearsay,
and when the men who make the charges
are pinned down to facts they have moth
ing wherewith to back up their assertions.
In this respect much of my work would
have fallen short were it not for Governor
James H. Budd who facilitated things by
the practical assistance he has given the
"Much of the work that has been called to
the attention of the Grand Jury should
have been attended to in the Police courts.
Owing to political pulls and other infu-
ences, however, the cases drift from one de-
partment to another and are finally lost in
the shuttle. Then the public is finally
aroused and an appeal is made to the Grand
Jury for relief.
$50 far it has been my disposition and
also that of the entire body to investigate
every charge that has been made through
the newspapers, from the pulpit or on the
public platform. We have subpenaed wit
nesses and have examined clergymen who
have made serious charges against city Off
Gals from their pulpits. So far, however,
we have been unable to gain any definite
information, and of course our action is de-
layed. I will state right now that the
Grand Jury will investigate all charges
against public officials, no matter from
what source those charges may come.
'The different committees are now look
ing into the workings of the various de-
partments of the municipal government.
and full report will be made to the iurv
in few days. The committee on police
is doing good work, and when its labors
are completed do not think there will be
any necessity for IeXoW committee u