The herald., 1898-01-26
honest Juror, and is the main weakness Oh

honest Juror and is the main weakness OIL
the grand jury system.
The powers of the grand jury should pe
enlarged. 1t should have the right TO SUP
init the name of any officer to the people
of his district for discharge from oitce,
say by two-thirds vote when ms coiuu.. ,N.'
is deemed by the grand jury to have been
against the public interests. In TINS way
the people would undoubtedly receive
nrompt designations from dishonest or oth-
erwise bad officers.
7 would favor giving the grand jury the
mower of summary discharge of pubic OF
ficers, and thus avoid the cost ana deiay
of reference to the voters.
We know that the present remedy OF an
indictment and long, costly trial tor poht-
ical offenses is mostly farce anu uoes
not furnish a remedy at all in many cases
where the public officer Is known 10 De
worthless and an injury to the public.
The ridiculous protectionist law to insure
dishonor from publicity should be repeated
Examination of the courts, judges par.
stenographers and all court officers shoulu
be distinctly made subject 10 the srahu
i1rv. In this way we could purge the bar,
which is admitted on all hands to need it,
A standing general charge to the grand
iurv enioining examinations of the public
business should be printed and delivered 10
each grand jury. The presiding judge
should however be empowered especially
10 call the attention of the jury to any
abuse or wrong within his knowledge.
The only method that we now nave OF
bringing a judge to account LOT criminal
conduct on the bench is by impeachment
before the state legislature. The legisla-
ture is in paid session for only sixty days.
II meets but once in two years. and II Is
crowded and overcrowded with its present
legislative duties. 1t is, besides, partisan
and not a judicial body. 1t has neither the
time, the temper, nor the capacity TO act
as a. proper tribunal in such great STATE {
trial as the impeachment OF a Judge woulu
he. The proper system to meet sucn a mis-
fortune as a corrupt judge is for the grand
iurv tn impeach, and the state supreme
court to try the case. Our state judiciary
ie now almost entirely Republican. Inc
Judges belonging to this party In most cases
seem to he hostile to the grand jury sys-
tenn. The charges to grand Jurles py these
Judges are generally of a limiting OF re-
strictive character. In very rev cases uoes
Republican judge suggest to the jury
stronr initiative in public affairs-a point
In great contrast to the charge or Judge
Wallace to the celebrated San Francisco
Grand iury. That jury was killed by the
state supreme court. but not before IL hau
made a scattering of the Doodle clans OF
San Francisco that rejoced the plain clt'
iZen. ,..,,
One of the crimes charged TO pontica
,oss hv the wallace grand jury was thai
a decision of the state supreme court hac
been sold by the push-politician for $500
While it was shown that their decision nae
been made before it was sold. ana coule
therefore in no way involve the integrity
of the court, it still remained true that I'M
boss had a means of learning or court de
o.r;o,s before these were known to tht
litieants indicated further the dangers
lurking about our courts from wnlch tne.
should be absolutely free.
Our judges stand high as to integrity an, an'
we certainly hope that no question VIII
ever arise on this point.
The recent charge to the grand jury Il
san Rernardino county Is an illustration
of quite a prevalent feeling on the part o
Renublican Judges as to the grand jury
In that county the court went out of 1t
/ way to discredit the ordinary work of tn