The record-union., 1895-10-04
MoNsTRoUs DOCTRINE REBUKED.


Sacramento County had Grand Jury
within the last year best and most
familiarly known by the name of its
Foreman as the LsRue Grand Jury.
This inquest in labor and travail clung to
life for six weary months pregnant with
promise, but st delivery gave US only,
aside from the usual indictments for
crime, batch of accusations" against
members of the Board OF Supervisors for
misconduct in Office.
From this presentation of accusations,
the first in the history OF the State we
believe, it was naturally accepted by the
public that the jury had discovered some
monstrous outrage in official quarters
and was prepared to give to the courts
facts that would remove and disgrace dis
honest officials. For it mus. be had In
mind that conviction on accusation re-
moves one from office, and thus dis
graces him in the eyes of his fellow-men.
When it was learned. however, by the
public that the accusations against the
Supervisors were presented to the Su-
perior Court against the advice of the
that the charges would not hold, and that
no corrupt or willful action could be
established on the charges laid, the peo-
pie began to doubt the impsrtiality of the
jury. When the trial came on in the
Superior Court this week of one of the
Supervisors for voting for Assessors
deputies. it developed that there was
not scintilla OF evidence to sustain the
charge, and that the prosecution was SO
utterly and monstrously wrong and
cruel that the court felt compelled to in
struct the trial jury that there was no
issue Of fact for it to pass upon, and that
in law there had been committed no
offense, and therefore their verdict must
be mot guilty" Upon this there natur-
ally arose in the public mind thequestion,
Upon what did the Grand Jury find the
accusations?" Amazement resulted
when the response was given that all the
facts, practically. brought out at the trial
were before the Grand InQuisitors.
Since it must be clear to the simplest
intelligence that read the very full re-
ports of the trial printed In the RECORD
UNION OF Wednesday and Thursday
that the Supervisors acted under the ad-
vice of the law officer OF the county, and
the law officer of the State. it is amazing
that the Grand Jury should have pre-
sented the accusations. Yesterday the
District Attorney, who was compelled to
prosecute the charge that was passed
upon on Wednesday, moved the dis
missal of all the accusations, and the Su-
perior Court granted the motion. The
trial jury of Wednesday after its dis
misssl got together and was unanimous
in expression OF it's sentiment that had
the court not instructed it as it did the
jury would have rendered a verdict Of
not guilty without leaving the box.
The ground for most OF the accusations
was this, that the Supervisors authorized
the appointment Of Assessors deputies
and paid the bills therefor, when the
County Government Act prohibits the in
crease of any salary or the payment of any
compensation to county officers outside
OF salaries. But officers of the law,
State and county, advised the Assessor
and the Supervisors that the act COM
planned of was not an increase of salary
and that the County Government Act
did not repeal the general law authoriz-
ing additional deputies when the me-
cessity therefor existed, and that if the
board refused the State Board OF Equali-
zation could order the additional labor
and compel the county to pay therefor,
but 1t must not exceed IS q day nor con-
tjnue more than four months.
Upon this state of facts and the law,
the necessity being shown to ths board
for the additional labor in order to com-
plets the assessment rolls, the board au-
thorized the employment of deputies,
but hesitated to pay them until some
months later on account OF litigation
pending relative 10 other deputies de-