The Savannah morning news., 1902-02-27
JURY'S HIGH DUTY
FoRCEFUL CHARGE To GRAND IN
QUEST BY JUDGE sPEER.
FOUNDED IN ANTIQUITY.
THE GRAND JURY HAS ALWAYS
PLAYED WELL ITS PART.

PLAYED WELL ITS PART.
Grand Jury of the United States
District Court. to Whom. but I'm
the Presence of Many Others,
Judge Speer'S Charge Was DeIiv-
ered-The Expa ndinE ExceIIencies
of the Federal Constitution-"The
Most Wonderful Work Ever
struck on at a Given Time From
the Brain and Purpose of Man.
Jury's Duty to Protect the Govern
ment.
District Court was impanelled and
sworn yesterday morning. Judge
Speer's charge was delivered with his
accustomed force of argument and
brilliant eloquence of diction, and the
audience that filled the court room. in
to it with close interest.
The grand jury includes only two
citizens of Savannah. all the others
having been selected from other coun-
ties Of the district. 1t is made up as
follows:
S. B. Goodwin, Valdosta, foreman;
w. E. Smith. Attapulgus; Thomas N.
Theus, Savannah: S. L. Henderson,
Manor: James S. Collins, Quitman:
Francis NJ. Goodson, Roding: Nathan
iel S. Delk, Johnston Station; c. H.
Remington, Quitman; A. Q. Moody,
Boston; George NJ. Elliston, Waycross;
Iohn o. German. Savannah; j. II.
Jackson, Gardi: j. T. Grower. Och
locknee; James NJ. Edwards, Walthour-
vile; c. ]. Allen, WaycrossJ j. A.
Harper, Gardi: William d. Morgan,
Clyde; j. b. Jones. Valdosta; F. NJ.
Renfroe, Quitman; E. L. Neel, Thorn
asville: G.. l.. Lowey, Donaldsonville;
J. L. Courson, Lulatown.
Judge Speer, in beginning his charge
to the grand jury, discussed the an
tiquity and honorable history and serv-
ices OF the grand jury, tracing IT from
its origin before the Norman conquest
of England down to the present day,
when as then, sit is the duty of the
grand inquest to bring to the bar of
public justice not only such men whom
none wish or dare to accuse as in
those days when might made right. but
all those who offend the laws of our
country"
The requirement of the law that the
judge of a court shall charge it's grand
jury was briefly adverted to by Judge
Speer, quoting on this subject from a
celGhrafpH af1fhnrffu an af-ir,a af,,a al
cedure. He continued:
This interesting statement affords,
as you perceive, gentlemen, a number
of texts for comprehensive discourse.
Many of these topics are under our
system more appropriate to the juris-
diction of the local tribunals. It is,
however, true that the people have an
enormous and growing interest in the
action of the grand juries of the United
States Courts. Under the constitution
no one can be compelled to answer for
a capital or otherwise Infamous crime
except in the military service save on
the indictment or presentment of the
grand jury.
Mighty indeed were the intellects of
the men who framed the constitution
OF our common country. Many of the
states had taken care to send to the
constitutional convention the Older
revolutionary patriots. Four of them
had signed the Declaration of Inde-
pendence eleven years before Nearly
all of them were brilliant leaders in
'76. and many had fought with un-
swerving heroism among Washing
toms ragged continentals, fearing not
Eighteen had belonged to the cont.
mental Congress. Many of them were
renowned lawyers. some trained in the
famous universities of Cambridge and
Oxford and in the great Inns of court
One was the greatest of our construc-
tive statesmen. Alexander Hamilton
formed for all parts and in all shin
ing variously great Another was
Franklin, the greatest OF our phiIoso.
pliers and our diplomatists, whose
genius caught the electric spark from
heaven that it might be subordlnateo
TO the uses of men and whose toler.
snce and benignancy extinguished the
fires of passion in the angry breasts
Washington. the immortal patriot
whose rame will be ever borne by al
the winds as they continue to blow
with restless violence around the pen-
dant world
"Of the constitution itself Bancroft
declares that the members were awe
struck with the result or their coun-
sells. II was a nobler work than any
one of them had believed il possible
to devise. Jefferson has proclaimed
IL as the wisest ever presented to man.
and Gladstone has declared as the
British constitution is the most subtle
organism which has proceeded from
progressive history, so the American
constitution is the most wonderful
work ever struck off at a given time
by the brain and purpose of man. II
is amendment speedily adopted to this
great instrument which makes your
body a perpetual feature of the
American system. Great as were the
lawyers, statesmen and philosophers
who were the trainers of the con-
stitution. it is indubitable that
not one OF them could pos
sibly conceive the tremendous