The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-01-06
Judge Dickinson on the Grand
q r. 80. Jury. 4

When. Judge Dickinson swung with
his left on the grand jury final re-
port'' palladium of our liberties
sighed for Butcher or the three minute
gong. Judge Dickinson has studied
the subject and he has made a mental
picture Of grand jury holding
trembling public official by the scruff of
the collar and saying: "We, the grand
jury, cannot find that - has
done anything for which we can indict
him, but we hereby solemnly warn him
not to do it again. Grand juries, if
Judge Dickinson prevails, will hereafter
confne themselves to formally accusing
the wicked and cease from anathema-
tizing the whole community. D..
But it is a question whether the
grand juries will see it as the judge
sees it. BY law they are charged with
the duty of inspecting conditions at
warehouses;, prisons and poorhouses.
The duty to inspect certainly implies
the duty to report, for of what use
would their information be if it did
not reach the court in a formal way7
The impression carried by Judge
Dickinson charge is that the grand
Jurles are common scolds whose formal
reports menace the reputation Of public
officials without accusing them of any
specific ofense. This is surely mar
row view of the grand jury report. y It
seldom deals with individuals but al
most always with conditions. Public
officials who are doing their duty are
always glad to see the grand jury and
to get the benefit of it's Endorsement,
because it is non-partizan: s~@ Why
should not those who are lax in the
administration of their offices be braced
up by grand jury visitation? Some
Of the most important reforms that
have come about in Hennepin county
have come as the result Of grand jury
reports. Reference need be made only
to improved sanitary conditions at the
poorhouse and workhouse, to the move
ment for the collection of delinquent
personal taxes and to the passage Of the
!, wineroom ordinance, all Of which came
about as the direct result of grand
jury probing,lto justify the conclusion
that grand jury final reports have. done
much more good than harm. >, Perhaps
the grand juries do sometimes go off or
a tangent, but so do the courts. The
records Of Hennepin county will show
some Incorporate charges from thu
bench as well as some incorporate re
ports from grand. juries.
The people by their votes have au
thorized the legislature to abolish sth
grand jury system, if it seems to tina
body to be best to do so. If such action
J.. is taken, the administration Of crimina
) justice will revert to the old plan of di
, rect presentment to the trial court OF
an individual complaint. The, county at
torneys will naturally have gfeatEsdea
Of responsibility placed upon them il
determining whether or not warran
shall issue in any particular case. (
timid county attorney, acting alone
would be very slow to start proceeding
against corrupt administration. Tn
= Joseph W. Folks are not elected ever
q year. .,..,. -
We believe the grand jury ought to b
y retained in some form and we believ
,, that large part Of it's usefulness wi
! always be found in it's Ntinal reports,
I Major George H. Williams of Portland
: Ore, who has been indicted by the gran
t jury for failure to. enforce the laws agains
i gambling, has had long and, varied. ca
reer in politics. AS far back as 1871 h
8 was a member Of the joint high commits
i sion which arranged the Alabama claim
}, treaty. President Grant made him al
: torney general in his second cabinet an
:, in 1873 nominated him to a,vacancy in til
9 United States supreme bench, but the ser
J. ate did not think so well of him as di
T the president, and he was not confirmet
L He had the nickname in Washington {
''Landaulet" Williams, because of tn
y smart turnout he drove. After his teri
= as attorney general he practiced law
y Washington for time and eventually re
/ turned to Oregon. He is now SO years
= age. 81. .-v,.s.s5. 80. a.. ID. T..
9 When you read the message of Govern
or Johnson, concluding with that splendi
l. exhortation and pledge to a high stan6
: ard of official service, and when you er
I joyed the admirable style in which
IL was expressed, did YOU recall the fact tn;
IL the man who wrote it was once the lit