The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-12-05
do YE YOUR DUTY WELL"
JUDGE FALLIGANT SAYS HE WILL
LOOK AFTER PUNISHMENTs.


Evidence shows TO he Guilty.
They Must Do This Irrespective of
Their Opinion as to the PrOpriety
or Effectiveness of the Punish
inconsistencies of the Grand Jury
Room Not to BE DivuIged-The Pas
sage of Law Is Not Always Ac-
compaDied by the Destruction of
n Vice.
The December term of the Superior
Court convened yesterday morning. The
| grand jury, which had been summoned, or
| ganized with Mr.. James NJ. Dixon as fore
man.
Because of the interesting matters, with
especial reference to the problem of gam
| blers and gambling, that have recently abb
sorbed the time and attention of the pub
tic and the court, and that were the
subject of presentments by the grand jury
| last term, the court room was filled
by the casual throng when the appointed
hour came. Besides these curiosity-drawn
| spectators, there were present a majority
OF the members of the bar, who had come
for the purpose of arranging with the
court for the assignment of the cases in
| which they nave an interest,"
Some of the secrets of the last grand
| jury managed to reach the public ear rath-
er sooner than was intended by the great
er part of its membership or desired by
the court and Judge Faligant began his
judicial remarks TO the jury with an adj
monition to keep inviolate all that trans
plre in their executive sessions. when
you are ready to make your general pre-
sentiments to the court" said Judge Fal-
ligant, ut will be time enough for you to
disclose the results of your deliberations
| and the views you entertain on public
matters that have been brought officially
to your attention or that have come up
in the course of your Investigations of
public evils. Your solemn oath requires
that until that time comes you shall pre-
serve these proceedings in the secrecy of
your own breasts, and that they shall not
be submitted to the public until they are
| given out in the shape of regular and for
NAL presentments. 1 wish to caution you
! especially on this point
Passing from this detail of the duly OF
the grand jury Judge Faligant consider
| ed in turn the various duties it has 10
| perform, under the laws of the e. The
| grand jury was required 10 make accu-
| rate and careful examination of the looks
| of all county officers and 10 see that they
! were Kept III regular anu proper ANIIn anu
! that they showed accurately the manner
! in which the affairs of the several offices
were transacted and accounted for all re-
/ ceipts and all disbursements. The JUS
! tees of the peace were give attention
during his part of the charge of the cunt.
! The grand jury was also expected and re-
/ CURED by law 10 lo-k mo The condi ion
/ of the county roads and of the convicts
/ kept to labor OH the county works of i'm
| pIovement These duties were not to be
| neglected.
From these matters of routine Judge
| Falligant turned to the subject of gam
| bling, as it has been treated in Savan-
nah, and directed the members of the jury
/ as to their duty in this matter. at may
| be, gentlemen of the jury said Judge
| Falllgant "that you will noe agree with
me as to the proper punishment to be
melted out to these offenders and that you
| may consider the punishment either too
/ lenient or too severe. That is a matter
of opinion, proper enough in its place, and
| proper enough, possibly, for insertion in
1 your general presentments to the court
| II is in no wise sufficient to control your
action In the finding or refusal of a true
bill of Indictment and you will be dere-
/ ltct to your duty and your oath if you
! permit i'll so to do. Present oil offenders
to the court when the evidence submitted
to you requires that you find true bill
of Indictment and 1 think you may rely
on the court 10 see lNdl luey are properly
punished"
There has been much public discussion
! of this question, in the pulpit, in the press
1 and on the streets. There is an evident
desire on the part of the people of Sa-
/ Iannah to weed out and finally suppress
| the vice, and / wish them all God-Soeed.
| l commend all honest and sincere efforts
looking to the attainment of better and
| purer morality among the people, but l
| sometimes fear there are some evils, that,
like the poor, 'Ye have always with you
/ So far as our Information extends, the
| struggle between good and evil has been
I going on from the beginning of time, and
the indications are that 1t will continue
until the end of the world. We must re-
member that The devil himself is a fallen
| angel, and confess that the results show
him well able to look after his end of the
fight. We must not jump TO the concur
sion that the passage or enforcement in
any particular manner of any particular
law will be followed always by the dis
appearance of any particular vice. The
testimony of history, reason and expert
ence would all be against us If we did"
ITO fight the evil successfully we must
get down close to the homes and the hearts
and the lives of the people. The child
must be taught to love The good and ia
despise the evil. and If this is done there
is certainly a fair chance that in his man.
hood he viii remember the teachings of his
youth. All the influences for good in the
community must array themselves vigor-
ously on the side of morality and law, and
must wage unremittng warfare. The pull
pit and the press must unite with the home
to make good men and women Then,
and not until then, will there be d chance
of complete success"
Il charge you, gentlemen, that Ii is YOUR
| duty to investigate the cases that are pre-
scented to you with absolute fidelity and
absolute impartiality, and TO present tc
the court those whom the evidence, in your
opinion, marks as guilty. Then your duty
is ended, and If there is a miscarriage OF
justice II is not to be imputed to you"
Judge Faifigant also had something to
say on The subject of prohibition, men,
tioning that in his opinion the agitation
among Tire extremists Of the stale had
been contributed TO by The non-enf orca-
ment Of the liquor laws. II had aroused
the ire of these gentry ami had caused