Omaha daily bee., 1906-11-26
GRAND JURY Is UNDER FIRE
Effort Will Be Made to Abolish the System
Entirely in Iowa
INSURANCE REPORT IS NEARLY READY
Ncw Elected state Omcers Announce
Number OF Appointments
Charity Workers 70 Meet
in GrinneII.
INSURANCE REPORT IS NEARLY READY
CFruni stsff Correspondent

| From a STAFF Correspondent
! DES MONIES, Nov. Especial )--Iow 3
Grand jury system is to come in for a great
| deal OF discussion at tho coming session OF
! The legislature. There will he concerted
attack on the system and there will even be
/ bills introduced 70 abolish the system en-
urcly. There win be other bills introduced
TO amend the system 50 that there can be
cases carried to trial IN criminal matters
without the action Of tho grand jury over
! a year ago when the state Bar association
met there was "a discussion Of tho PROPOSE
tiun 10 abolish the SYSTEM which wss
started by Judge NJ J. Wade of Iowa city.
who was then congressman from the Sec
ond district. He offered a resolution fer
the abolishing OF the grand jury. The grand
jury came in with its defenders and the
resolution failed nf passage, hut many per-
sons were discovered who were in favor Of
sbolishing the grand Jury. Now some Of
these champions are going TO go before the
Legislature with a bill To that effect Alder
man Hamery OF this city. who failed 20 get
the grand jury 10 iudict an official Of a
loos public service corporation Tor bribery
bccaniet8a advocate OF tire proposition T.
amend the systrf' "a rs to ALLOW. cases %
be carried to trial Nicm5o,. ~ Indictment
by the grand jury. II is claimed i,5 Alder
man Hamery and those Interested with rim
that the present system allows too man
chances for making up iuries Under the
law as at present The election judges certify
q list OF names from their precincts OF per
sons eligible to service on the grand jury
This list Is certified TO the clerk and he
and the auditor are required to prepare
list from these names certified and then
draw twelve from the list which shall con
sttute the grand jury panel From this
panel at the beginning OF each term for one
year seven names are drawn to constitute
tho grand jury for the torn. At the be-
ginning of the next year an entirely differ
ent panel IS made up When the grand
jury for the NNoyember term Of the Polk
county court was made up it was found to
contain tine names OF the three members
who refused to vote the indictments
against the oHicial referred to above. and
the names Of those who had voted for She
Indictment were left OF. II may have been
an accident. and Alderman Hamery's
friends do not say but that Il was. but they
look mysteriousiy' and say they are in favor
of law that will allow cases to go to trial
ON the filing OF inrOrmations and without
grand jury indictment. They do not
charge any crookedness, but point out that
while the names are in the hands Of the
auditor and clerk II would be easy for then
to juggle the names and doctor things up.
They demand that there be legislation that
will prevent this. @
Insurance RenOrt Nearly Ready.
The report to the legislature to he made
by the legislative insurance commission and
| which by law mu9t be. completed by De-
cenlber ] viii notvpe. completed finally till
next week tho1ehrit is practically known
now what the report viii be Hon Nate
Kendall win be back Monday from the trip
south TO the dedication OF the monuments
and it is the intention to complete the re-
port before Thanksgiving day, so that the
| commissioners cam go home Zen that day.
! The report win recommend laws prohibit.
Ing the future Organization OF fraternal. in
surepce companies not charging am ade-
quate rate; prohibiting compulsory arbitra-
tion Of fire losses on the demand of one
party: prohibiting the fire company's rule
requiring written endorsement for altera-
ton Of policies: requiring the use of IL uni
form policy for fire insurance; requiring
payment OF fire loss i'm cash If cash is dc.
manded: life companies to issue annual or
deferred dividend policies at the option of
the insured; requiring existing fraternals
to raise their rates and requiring old line
life companies to distribute their surplus
annually
Appointments Agreed Upon.
Appointments for positions at the state
house under the officers who win take
ONCE january are practically agreed upon
or taeitIy understood In the Office of the
attorney general G. w. Lyons viii be the
assistant In the Office Of secretary of
stats John Jamison OF Casey. now in tho
land department Of the Office will be deputy
secretary of state. aud Henry saberson
OF Alta will continue as chief clerk. Guy
s. Brewer Of Des Moines. corporation clerk
win be clerk of the land department
James H.. Wilson Of Adair county will re-
main as document librarian and ] d.
Peters of Newton will. remain as ianitor
The other positions VIII be filled later In
| the state treasurcr's Office Quincy Willis
will remain as deputy and the other posi-
tions will not be filled for some weeks yet
In the Office of fhe railroad commission Il
is expected than Dwight ~ Lewis will re.
main as secretary. though this is not known
yet. and the commissioners have given nC
hint Of their intentions. II is quite likely
that there viii be some changes In tho
other positions
Charity workers 10 Meet.
Il The nilNh annual meeting OF the Icwa
Conference Of Charities and Corrections viii
be held In Grlnnel December . 10 Q. The
address OF Prof Frank l. Herriott viii bs
given the first day. Hastings H. Hart
] superintendent Of the Illinois Home society
will discuss "Friendless Children and Theii
Care" lie was largely Instrumental n
securing the Illinois juvenile court law
Working relief in cities will be disclIsset
by Miss Charlotte Con or Des Moines. anC
Prof c. p. Wycoff of Iowa college. $. II
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