The San Francisco call., 1896-07-22
THE GRAND JURY
STANDS FIRM.
Will Search for Proof to
Indict Certain Super
viS0rS.
ADVICE OF LAWYERS.
A Committee Will Confer With
the District Attorney
To-Day.
ALL THE JURORS IN LINE.
Utmost Power Delegated to the Jury
to Be Exercised in the
Inquiry.
ALL THE JURORS IN LINE.

The Grand Jury at meeting yesterday
afternoon resolved to lay aside all plans
for immediate adjournment and put forth
every effort in its power TO expose the in
fiuences which brought about the reduc-
tion of the personal property assessment
roll by the Board of Supervisors. The
| jury is convinced that certain Supervisors
acted as agents of interested corporations
in voting to reduce the assessments Of the
Market-street Railway, the Spring Valley
Water Works and San Francisco Gaslight
Company.
The attendance of members at the ses-
sion of the jury yesterday was large and
the proceedings were not marred by dis
putes and recriminations. 1t was stated
| by several members that one point on
which the jury had always agreed was the
principle that the great corporations
should be compelled to sustain their share
of taxable burdens so that the whole
weight of taxation should not fall on the
merchants and home-owners.
The statement which the jury last week
presented to the Board of Supervisors, in
which it was shown that there was a de-
fciency of $11, ,00O, 600 in the assessment of
personal property, such as stocks, bonds
and franchises owned by local corpora
tions, was submitted to the judgment of
all the members and was transmitted to
the board after due deliberation. 1t rep
resented the facts as the jury had ascer-
tanned by patient investigation. The con-
duct of certain Supervisors in ignoring
this statement, and their further action in
reducing the assessment below the figures
reported by the Assessor, caused profound
deliberation. Individually the membe
of the Grand Jury were indignant, but COL
lectively they resolved to suppress all
signs of indignation and proceed to ascer-
tain what mysterious agency prompted
the Supervisors to so openly declare them
selves the servants of Interested corpora
tions.
II the determination to search for the
truth the voice of the Grand Jury was
unanimous. The decision to go ahead was
greeted with applause.
The Jury had not been in session ten
minutes before Mr.. Payne came out and
called for District Attorney Barnes. 1t so
happened that Mr.. Barnes could not be
present yesterday. 1t was resolved then
to appoint Theodore f. Payne and Frank
p. McLennan, the secretary, as a commit
| tee to see Mr.. Barnes to-day and ascertain
| definitely the scope of the Grand Jury's
authority and the character of evidence
necessary to find indictment or accusation.
Other counsel may be engaged to assist
the District Attorney if that course should
be deemed adyisable Further develop
ments in this line may be made at the
conference to-day. Tomorrow at P. NJ.
the Grand Jury will convene to receive
the reports of the special committee and
discuss the advisability of engaging coun-
sci.
The members of the Jury refused to di-
vulge the details of the discussion. The
foreman, Mr.. Maskey, simply said, eve
do not intend to abandon this contest"
The secretary OF the Grand Jury when
asked what course would be pursued said /:
"You know that the question under con-
sideration relates to the assessment of
property and the action thereon by the
Supervisors. We have not yet determined
what we shall dc. or what we can do, but
we shall not stop here. This seems at first
like an impregnable fortress, and we have
not decided yet whether we shall attempt
10 take it by storm or undermine it.
Nothing can be done unless we try In
the first place we shall take the advice of
counsel. No, the jury is not divided in
| OH b4iS QucSblOu. les, we
considered the danger that the State Board
of Equalization will raise the San Fran
cisco valuation to make good the reduc-
tions allowed by the Board of Supervisors.
l shall go with Mr.. Payne tomorrow to
wait on the District Attorney. We shall
ascertain what power the Grand Jury can
wield.'
Alpheus Bull Jr. said: 1--WE purpose to
keep hammering away and to hammer
when the iron is hot. We will see what a
Grand Jury can do"
The estimates for maintaining the mu-
nicipaI government for the fiscal year
ending June 80 1897, which have practi-
cally been agreed upon by the Grand
Jury, may not be transmitted to the
Board of Supervisors. The work in hand
will be finished, however, and embodied
in the final report TO Judge Slack
Yesterday the proposed allowance of
$24 600 year to janitors of the New CITY
. Hall called out an earnest protest. It was
said that the protest would not be so
earnest if the building was kept in a state
of cleanliness creditable to the City, but
as matter of TACT it was kept in a
wretchedly filthy condition and was a
disgrace to San Francisco, although a
more than liberal allowance was made to
keep everything in first-class order.
County Clerk Curry did not go before
the Grand Jury yesterday. II is under
stood that the communication made to
that body recently and published in THE