The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1896-03-06
GRAND JURORS SPEAK.
They Address n Letter 60 the Senate and
House. Setting Forth Why Full Ju-
rIadIetIon should Be Given.


To the senate and house of represen-
tatives of the United States.
We, the undersigned members OF
the grand jury, for the March term
of the United States court sitting at
ArdmOre, /. T., respectfully and ear
nestly invite your attention to a con
sideration of the following state
ments.
The people of the Indian Territory
have learned, with no small degree
of concern, that bills have been in
troduced into both houses of con-
gress providing for the repeal of that
section of the act of 1895 which goes
into effect September 1896, and which
confers upon the court of this terri
tory full jurisdiction of all offenses
committed among US.
AS those who are interested In per-
petuating the present system of en-
forcing the law among us, have pow
erful friends upon the floors of con-
gress, and as we are without repre-
sentation, we fear that they will sue
ceed in their designs, unless the
rank injustice of the proposed ap-
peal is in some manner brought to
the attention of congress.
An investigation of the official rec
ords on file in the department of JUS
tice will show that the present sys-
tenn, which is sought to be Perpetra-
ted, is a great, unnecessary and
growing expense to the government.
If there was but a single iurisdic-
ton, an officer going into a commu-
nifty to serve process, could serve all
of the process of the court that had
then been issued, upon parties re-
siding in that section. Under the
present double system an officer
from each court must visit each COM
munity where process is to be served,
although an officer from the other
I Jurisdiction may be at the same time
in said community serving process
/ from the court. When it is remem-
bered that the officers from Paris,
Fort Smith, and Wichita must fire.
guently travel two hundred and fifty
miles or more in order TO serve pro-
cess from those courts, and that In
no instance does an officer from the
courts in the territory have to travel
I over seventy miles TO serve process
from the courts here, il il at once
seen that the expenses of the pres
ent are more than double what there
is any necessity for them TO be. In
addition to this, il should be borne
in mind that as the distance from
the point of the commission of an Of
fense to the place Of trial is increas-
ed the difficulty of securing the at
tendance of witnesses becomes cor
respOndingly greater, and the ne
cessity for the Postponement or con
tinuance of cases becomes more fire.
quent. This necessitates repeated
service OF process and trips to court
by witnesses. All of this is at the
expense of the government.
If the suggestions here made are
followed up, a ready solution will be
found as to why it is that the expen-
ses of the present system of enforc-
ing the law in the Indian Territory
runs up to a sum total which seems
incredible, except to those who are
familiar with its details.
The present system is insufficient.
1t is impossible that there should be
such a thing as harmonious action
against every grade of crime, where
the Jurisdiction over the same terri
tory is divided into fractions. The
men enforcing the law in these frac-
tional parts have their efficiency, in
all ways, crippled and impaired. Nei-
ther incentive or obligation exists
for the officers of the Paris, Fort
smith, and Wichita courts to arrest
parties committing crimes of which
. the courts in the territory have ju-
; risdiction. Whatever they may vol
unfairly do, would be at the risk oi
losing their time and expenses. The
same can be said of the officers oi
the courts here. Neither obligation
or incentive exists for them to ap
prehend offenders, where the courts
3 of Paris, Fort Smith ane Wichit,
have jurisdiction. In so doing they
would not only run the risk OF losing
. their time and expenses incurred anC
. the danger of attempting the arrest
but also of subjecting themselves I,
possible trial in other courts for som'
act wherein they may have exceeded
their authority, and trespassed upoI
: the other jurisdiction.
Representing as we do, all classe
and conditions of our people, ant
being familiar with the practica