The record-union., 1896-05-01
BRINGING THINGS TO A HEAD.

The Chairman of the Board of Super
visors yesterday had the foreman of
the late Grand Jury arrested for Grim
inal libel because of expressions in the
report of that body to the effect that
Supervisors have been selling official
appointments.
There are three important considera-
tions in this matter, namely; if the
Grand Jurors had knowledge of such
corruption it was their duty to have
fled accusations or have found true
bills of indictment; secondly, failing to
do that it was a mistake, if not worse,
on their part to make a general charge
lacking specific quality that permits
the alleged corruption to be fastened
by suspicion upon any one or all Of the
Supervisors, the present or some past
board, just as the reader may fancy to
take it; thirdly, it was the sworn duty
of the Grand Jurors to find bills or pre-
fer accusations, or else to have held
their peace.
Between these we can see no middle
ground, though earnestly seeking for
it. To make a general charge, we sub
NIT to the jurors, effects no good; it
compasses no reform, puts in motion
no machinery Of the law against the
guilty, imposes upon no officer the duty
to proceed with charge, proof and pros
ecution to conviction.
cy1o +harafnra the
Chairman of the Board of Supervisors
has seen fit to bring the matter to
head by preferring his charge. Not be-
cause of any desire to reflect upon the
motives of the Grand Jurors-they must
be presumed to be pure and for the
public good-but because all men must
hold it not fair play to make charges
without specification, affording oppor-
tunity to one accused to justify or dis
prove. The action of the Chairman Of
the board will have the effect therefore
of bringing to the light whatever 1t is
that the Grand Jurors know relative to
corruption in disposing of appointfve
office In other words, it will prick an
meath or disclose 1t to be barren of it.
This matter has for years been gos-
siped about limited at and chartered
of, and it is now full time to bring
things to a head.
If the defense to the criminal action
instituted is that the secrecy Of the
Grand Jury room cannot be invaded.
then the people will reasonably con-
clude that there Is not sufficient truth
Ia the charges to justify attaching any
credit to them. The members of the
jury must see that this is the true and
the only light in which the matter can
be viewed. The jury has charged the
Board of Supervisors with corruption
In making appointments for coin con-
siderations. 1t is not stated what board
did this, the present, the late or one of
some years ago. It is naturally consid-
cred by readers of the report that the
jury meant the present board, for one
dead and dissolved and gone it would
have no reason for dealing with. Let
us suppose, then, that the jury means
the present board; let us suppose it Is
true as the jury says, for 1t being an
official body considered its words sober
ly, namely:
I'VE thoroughly investigated the mat
ter and manner of appointments by the
Supervisors, and found that they have
been for several years corruptly selling
appointments. The deal is always a
cash transaction, and when an appli-
cant for an appointment is in doubt
about being able to pay their price and
make the Office pay, they have advised
him how to manage that part of 1t, and
such advice is never in the interest Of
the county,
Clearly, then, the jury should have
indicted or accused someone for such
offenses. If it did not mean the present
Supervisors, then In common fairness
It should af1rmatively have 20 stated.