Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-08-01
AUT THE iNABTIGATION
fhA be Thorough, Says Attorney
|VGeneral Herbert H. Ward.
.WHYE WILL NOT BE PUBLIC
Extent and Its objects
Defined.
FICTION UNTIL CASE is COMPLETE

% &
4 ttorney- General Herbert III. Ward
doss not proposs to oease his inyesti-
CATION OF the Levy Court. When asked
by reporter of The Gazette yesterday
Y statement concerning the status
that matter, Mr.. Ward mads the
y ing statement:
NIAam going on my vacation, starting
M W@row and expect to be away during
pttHonth OF August 1t has been a
NmpRhnrd year, SO far, for me, apdlI
fs&ed rest have proceeded SO far
tn the Investigation Of public charges
isinst members OF the Levy Court and
& iers, as to satisfy myself that there
Epuld be more complete and definite
FSfAInination OF certain OF the charges.
Notwithstanding the intimations in
WNin editorial utterances in tho
H Ms OF this CITY, that ] may have
&adiverted from my Iurnoss, / in
tepd, on my return from my vacation,
TO take up the matter carefully and
Thoroughly, and shall welcoms any
assistance which any newspat err, any
organization, or any citizen may be
willing to give me.
d lowing to the character of the in
Eestigation, 1t necessarily cannot be
Apblio 1t would be manifestly unfair
air In the public prints euspicions
ich the attorney general might have
INST any particular person, or the
SskeBs which he might take 10 the OK
animation OF any charge against such
person because, after ell, such person
Z may be entirely innocent OF blame. In
such case, he ought not to be sub
jected to public criticism merely he.
cause the attorney general might have
had q suspicion against him.
ION the other hand, if a persou
whose transactions the attorney general
may investigate is, In fact, guilty ot
suspected wrong, a publication OF the
steps In the examination by public
officials OF the charges against him,
would simply enable such guilty person
TO suppress testimony and to block the
investigation IN % multitude of ways.
There seems to be somewhat of an
uncertainty Ia the public mind as 10
the extent and objects OF the attorney
generals Investigation In the matter OF
the Levy Court. The attorney ZEN eral
doea not esteem 1t to be his duty to
take cognizance OF mere administrative
Irregularities in the conduct of the
business OF the court. Whether q par
tioular job of work should have been
done upon advertisement, or whether a
meeting ought to have boon held at
which certain orders ought to have
been passed, or whether bills ought to
be read before an open court and so
considered, aud many other matters
are, according TO the estimate of the
prosecuting officer, not matters in
(which he has any official CONCERN.
such things must be controlled by
sublio opinion, or by legislation,
Injected to such points. The only con-
oern of'she attorney general is to ascer-
tain whether public moneys have found
their way 3uto the pockets, either Of
Levy Court tGommissi toner's or other
persons, by thecommissiun OF q crime.
whether the cri.ne may he denominated
larceny or otherwise. There are many
ways Of committing theft, other than
the manual taking aud carry ing away
VI articles OF value.
1.-THE attorney general believes IL to
he his duty not only to withhold from
the public at present the evidence
which he has 10 his hands. but also to
refrain from action until he IL reason
ably satisfied that he has case sutfi-
oiently complete. technically rs we'll as
Substantially, to secure conviction
or the time to act, he must tako the
entire responsibility. He realizes that
he should be upheld by public senti-
mont, particularly in cases Of this
nature, but he cannot permit public
impatienoe, or even an unjust cutlery
against him, because of necessary de-
lays, to warp his judgment and forue
him to act sooner than he feels himself
prepared. f