The herald., 1895-11-29
Grand Jury's Hel 'culean Task
Nearly Coml 'leted
TRYING TO DO UP TIA AT BODY
Supervisors Seek to Discredit Its Laoors
by Report
Corn. SUGGESTIONS as 10 Where Thou, 'ards oil
Dollars Can Be Saved the Taxpayers
by Pruning Expenses

tulS ,luNcotish ~
the county and city governments, is per-
forming a TASK for which the taxpayers
should rise up and call them olesseo'
They have unearthed in the county gov
eminent a rule of extravaganza thaV leaus
ON to certain and inevitable conhscatloh
of the property of the poor people, II IL IS
Just only kept up few years longer. IL
has discovered where thousands upon
thousands of collars is being uselessiy
expended literally wasted-every year,
simply to maintain political oilsarcny
that rules the county and city Win rou
of iron, IL has found out where many
useless and unnecessary deputies are en-
ployed, not because of competency or
efficiency, but merely to make places Tor
workers, heelers, schemeTs ana loooers
who have seen, and are yet to be, OF SER
vice to the ring. 1t has run to earth and
exposed to public scoTn and contsmpt
some fee-grabbing officials who have been
robbing the county treasury Tor some
time under the cloak of doing their duty
and charging the rates and ices allowed
by law for its performance.
The grand jury has ascertalned Wnere
the supervisors have approved bills call
taxpayers money that are neither JUST
nor legal demands upon the county.
ALL TO BE REPORTED.
All these matters have been discovered,
and at the proper time it was-and is
supposed to be yet-the intention of the
grand jury to make a full report to the
people on these discoveries. But the
CON bination that the grand jury is fight
ing and opposing in presenting these facts
above related, to the people is one OF the
most powerful political rings that exists
in any city or county west OF the Misss-
sippl river 1t is wealthy. lie includes
men of influence, of standing and OF
mower Thew hold and control absolutely
the reins OF government in both city and
county. ;.
IL the grand jury makes public the die
coyeres that it has made in its official
capacity 1t will be the most severe black
eve that the ring has ever received. t
will be possible knock out blow.
RING AT WORK.
Therefore the ring Is moving heaven
and earth to prevent final report from
this grand jury. Every possible pull that
can be brought to bear on individual
grand jurymen is being put forth to pre-
vent any damaging statements going out
either in the shape of final report or
otherwise.
Mem bers of the grand jury Ire being
both pleaded with and bulldozed. Some
of these members have been threatene ed
with political graves if they ever raise
their heads for office. That bluff the ring
can make good; for it has always, TO date
controlled the conventions OF the domi-
nant party and the taxpayers have footed
the expense attaching 10 this control, in
the charges on the county pay rolls.
Not only is this little smooth handi-
work going on. but every possible effort
that can be put forth to discredit the
grand jury with the people il being ex-
erted.
DISTRIBUTING THE GRAND JURY.
Take, for instance, the board of super
visors. They are conducting q 81, 000, 00C
per annum government. They are spend
ing $500, 600 year for labor and deputies.
Yet they now make the semi-official an.
nouncement that they nave been com
PEELED to cut down the mileage bills put
in by the grand jurors from one to tire.
miles. Ii this he true and the one t.
three miles was an overcharge of tn,
grand Jurors, it should be Topped off
But look at the care exercised to call pub
lie attention to this possible fact. Thu
supervisors announce with great celia
that they have had compiled an ofiioa
schedule of distances for the guidance o
county officers. This table was compiled
bv the county surveyor and a few Of hi
army OF deputies. Distances from tn,
court house to every point in the count
have been figured out and now Their
will be uniformity in mileage charges
Here ,ofofe there mas been no such thin
as uniformity. Everybody has charged
what he saw tit. 70 discredit the gram
Jury, though, this table is compiled an
the Jurors bills are pared from one t
three miles to make them conform 1
be official schedule.
This is right and as it should be. 1t i
along the lines of economy suggested b.
The Herald, but il must he carried fur
Their. Bounce the unnecessary deputies
cut Off expensive attachments to tn,
county hospital and poor farm, ana abov
all, put quietus on fee grabbing officials
CALL THE CORONER OFF.
The coroner of this county needs call
ing down. He Is making his Office ia
snap indeed. 1t will cost the taxpayer
$500 per year to run it. Now $1,000 pe
year is ample. But the coroner swell
his fees by holding inquests when the
are entirely unnecessary and When tn
law does not authorize them.
Sectionl $40 OF the civil code is the sec
ton which defines when the coroner sha
hold an inquest. 1t reads iris way:
Section l5i0-"When coroner is II
formed that a person has been killed
committed suicide, or has suddenly die
under such stances as to afford
reasonable ground to suspect that h
death has been occasioned by the act
another by criminal means, then ha
he hold an inquest.
Now the coroner has held sixty thre
of these "inquests" this year and charge
for them when they were not inquest!
He has not subpoenaed juries and no II
quest can be h cid by the coroner withol
a jury any more than Judge Smith ca
conduct a criminal trial without a iur
and BEND man to San Quentin. ma
dies OF heart disease. 1t is known thu
that was the cause OF death. The corone
calls at the mans house, asks a ie
questions, finds out the man did die {
heart disease and issues a certificate ,
that effect. He has no right to issue man
certificate unless he held an inquest wit
jury. But he SOCKS in bill for a fe
Just the same end the SUPERVISORS aIlo,
It, There is no excuse for this. d.
Campbell has done it in sixty-three case,
and he should refund The money. II
Should IN some way cover il back in,
the county treasury.
The stenogra pheI OF the coroner BIZ
put in illegal bills, amounting to owe
$3.50 per month. That money he has bee
paid, and it should be returned. The 81
pervisors should request it.
Section l47 of the county guyernmer
act, cnapter 20G, gives the coroner DOW,
10 subpoenae surgeon TO hold u pos