The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1898-05-17
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
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(By Abbot Kinney

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The San Franchise grand jury has beel
discharged by Judge Belcher. 1t has beef
discharged with contumely. Some of it
members have claimed that the judges &C
ton was with the Intention of protecting
corrupt and influential politicians from
indictment. Committees of the grand jur.
had discovered and published gross fraud
In the public service. Many instances wer
reported In which the city had been cheated
in street work with the apparent complicit!
of the street department.. The county
| clerks office was reported to be in miser
| able condition of illegal extravaganza. Tht
Ferry building construction was reported
to be dishonesty handled, and the schoo
department was found to be full Of in.
trigue and corruption. In this depart
ment places and positions were directly OF
indirectly sold, and conclusive evidence
was brought out showing that unmerchant-
able lumber had been paid for out of the
school fund, and that three hundred and
seventy THOUSAND feet of lumber and sew
enty-eight thousand shingles had beer
paid for and never received by the schools
The excuse of some Of the jurymen that
they were discharged just as they were
about to find indictments seems to be fully
met by the answer Of the Judge. This was
that he had given the grand jury notice oil
his proposed action, and that it had sixty
hours in which to act If 1t intended to indict
upon the ample evidence in hand. 1t is
admitted by the Jurors that all sorts Of in
f1uence was used to prevent not only in
dictments, but even Investigation. Every
push, pull and intrigue seems to have beer
tol h~. l>A to-. IT,
place to prevent any prosecution for theii
offenses.
Without going into the merits of the dis.
pute between Judge and Jury we may note
several things.
First-The grand jury proceedings were
never secret to those charged with rob-
bling the people and corrupting the public
service
Second-They were secret to the people
as to the actual stand Of the jurors in
these matters. No honest citizen can tell
who of these men were the energetic and
courageous ones, who uncovered the
frauds found, nor who prevented the in
dictments for the crimes discovered. The
thieves and bribegivers DO know how the
jury stood.
No more complete demonstration of the
futility Of secrecy In present grand jury
proceedings is required than the fact
that the record Of past grand jury in this
county has been mutilated. 1t was re-
Gently discovered that whole pages con-
tanning the proceedings, evidence and the
vote on indictments of past grand jury
had been cut out Of the secretary's book
and stolen. Nothing has been done about
that theft, and in all probability the public
does not even know of 1t. On the other
hand, the politicians affected may be
deemed to know something of the evidence
and of the theft.
The San Francisco case is cited to rein
force the reasons already presented to the
people for a revision Of the entire Jury sys-
tenn. 1t is made more and more clear by
each succeeding case that secrecy in the
public business is only cover and pro-
tector Of abuse and crime in a free coun-
try. am for open work and fair and hui
name dealing in all public business. The
terests, demand full publicity In all action
and in all votes.
NY own experience Is that the political
criminal knows every vote against him in
spite of the rule of secrecy, and sometimes
is misinformed by malicious towards that
some voted against him who did not do so.
1 have heard of at least one such case In
this county. At the same time the gen.
eral public remains absolutely ignorant of
the men who have fought for justice and
right. The circular of the Democratic or
ganization committee should be read on
this point.
A grand jury conducting Its investigation
with open doors and called twice year,
as the law plainly provides, will end at
least the grosser forms of official extrava-
gance or theft in this county. The de-
fects in our public service are not due to
depraved men, but to a system Of govern
ment outgrown by the condition Of our
people, In all the work that have done
in correcting. or attempting to correct,
abuses in the public business, can recall
no man in the public business who I be-
lieve would not have preferred to give
the people honest work. honest service, and
to have done himself credit In his official
station.
Many public officers have expressed
their wish for a better system Of govern
ment so that they could do economical and
honest work to the benefit of the people,
and to their own renown. The people want
an efficient and an economical government.
The mass of the citizens have no interest
in the deals and trades of political pap
suckers whereby the public service is over
loaded with incompetent and unneedcd
men, and whereby the moral character of
every man going into public life is threat
ened or destroyed. The officers chosen by
the people have every reason to resent the
Sxyro NJ that fOrnQc than RI