The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-06-07
THE GRAND JURY SYSTEM.


this county was discharged after many
months of alleged service. That 1t ac-
complished any particular amount or
good is boldly questioned. But we are
now witnessing the empanelling OF an
other Grand Jury, which will SO
through the same old performance or
examining county institutions, and ex-
porting county books and official ac-
| counts, by hiring some one else to 90
| it. The late Grand Jury employed an
expert, and his services, with copying
typewriting, etc, amounted to nearly
thousand dollars hard cash.
We do not wonder that the Supervis-
ors balk at footing such bill. The
wonder is that the taxpayers do not
rise up en- masse against this extra
| ordinary expenditure, for it is uneco-
nomic. What we might well enough
have would be a county expert, VINO
| from time to time would report upon
| the county accounts to the District At
| torney, who in turn, under his official
obligations, and with the advice, II
need be, of the courts, should prosecute
| where necessary, and take all legal
| interests.
| But as we have it now each Grand
Jury has it's own expert. Each one
sits aside while the expert does his
| work. He reports to a body that Is
about to dissolve, and with that disso-
| luton there is an end of the matter
| In addition to his heavy bills, heavy
of necessity because his employment is
| fugitive and fitful, we have to pay the
Grand Jury also it's per diems for the
work of appointing the expert and re-
ceiving his report.
| When the new Constitution conferred
upon the District Attorneys the power
| of presenting and Informing" it
well nigh destroyed any usefulness the
Grand Jury might have had. AS at
present used, that body is rather an
| injury than an aid to good government.
Everything it does can as we'll be done
through other channels. For instance,
we find one Grand Jury raising merry
mischief because the Supervisors,
urged thereto by the people, expend a
pitiful 500 without strict compliance
with the law. The very next one en-
| panelled squanders nearly a thousand
dollars in exporting books without any
compromising results.
One jury takes upon itself the office
Of judging what the business man shall
receive for his goods, and reprimands
those who dare to expect from the
county as a purchaser the same price
as that paid by the individual citizen
for like service. Another composed of
business men actually signs a report
| in which it is solemnly stated that
the city newspapers refused to take a
price for county advertising far below
the rates charged those very business
men on the jury for similar service
and winds up by pointing out that GER
tain weekly papers did not demur at
daily papers, but accepted it, though
after few months they adroitly raised
the rate and secured the increase. Yet
there is not a single word of comment
from that jury upon the singular fact
that the price paid the country papers,
for county advertising was far in ex-
cess of their usual rates to every day
customers.
Such wisdom as this distinguishing
a Grand Jury is sufficient excuse for
the death of the entire system. It is
obsolete, relic of an inquisitorial
period; lingering remnant of a time
when men had no better way of at
tanning an end than through the en-
ployment of the crudest and rudest
instrumentalities.