The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1908-11-01


exciting d good many New Workers.,
IN spite Of the closeness Of election
day with rs supposedly all peryadcd
interest The discussion of this mat
ter bids fair to furnish some startling
discoveries for while no one Is Dc.
mandIng The abolishment 81 The
Grand Jury system, there u grow.
ing feeling that there Il need for
change. II has been asserted for some
time that indictments we're TOO frc-
qucntly returned, 0 statement which
would seem 10 be borne out by iig'
ures appearing In Applcton's maga.
zine, According TO these the time
which can be given to any parilcu-
lar ease BY the Grand Jury averages
only six minutes The conclusion
drawn 10 that justice here y. too
much Of the rapid fire style, and the
6gurcs IN the Appleton article seem
10 corroborate this, In the last eight
years according 10 i the total num-
Der Of indictments returned was 5s,.
232 and the total disposed ot 3z,75l.
But convictions on these indictments
which went 10 trial amounted 70 only
twsnty.iour percent, or less than
eigh thousand. In other words three
out 81 every four indictments return
ed by the Grand Jury resulted IN no.
nothing except expense TO the state
and TO the indicted person, AZ q re-
suit there has been howl--ior New
York Ii always ready 10 howl. Sug'
gestions 10 protect the man who
isn't proven guilty. range from that
which proposes 10 place grand jury
men under bond for fifty percent Of
convictions, 10 the other extreme
which lays the small number Of con
yictions under indictments return
cd III the door Of the prosecuting Of
ficers. OF course there Is eompli'
Gated kind Of politics underlying the
whole matter, So complicated that no
one knows what Il u In the mean
time the average New Yorker has
some very astonishing figures to ana
lyze and with only one conviction
out of every four indictments by the
Grand Jury Father Kniekerbocker =
thinking Of adopting as his municipal
song @The Grand Jury VIII Get You
II You Don't Watch outP
What Is probably the oldest and
most curious municipal custom IN the
country still exists in New York at.
ter more than 24O years-that Of
lighting the entrance 10 residences
OF the city's mayors with large lamps
In no other city in the United States
Il this done. Az present Of course the
custom is not one OF utility, but sim
ply a sort OF honor and distinction
The precise origin Of this curious
custom Il something Of q mystery,
but Il Is believed TO be survival Of
a practice in the early days Of the
city during the days Of the Dutch oc'
cupation. At that time the burgomas-
ter was the chief man Of the town
and carried q lantern from the two
meeting houses-since the meetings
then occurred at night--to his home
where il was hung on the top tcnc'
rail and left burning until morning
Its light served as guide to those
who wishd to make a complaint OF
Give warning OF trouble. II IS fairly
certain that this custom has survived
since 1868, at least, for at a sale O
ANTIQUITIES one Of the articles dispos
ed II was described in the catalogue
as a lamp said to have been used Z
illunine the front Of the house Q
Mayor Cornelius Steenwyck in Mai
den Lane, and TO have been used TO
the same purpose by three Of his sue
cessors" This would seem to md
cate that only the house Of the actiy'
mavor was thus marked at that time
Atspresent the houses OF the mayo
and ex-mayors as we'll are market
BY the two large lights provided b
the city. The lamps in front Of tn
Wickham family have been in plae
since 1875, when w. 9. Wickham be
came mayor. There are now nine set
Of these mayors lamps burning =
the city every night. So Tar %
known Robert A. Van Wyck was th
only mayor who refused to hay
these lights in front Of his residence
He opposed them on The ground tina
thew no serve no useful purpose.
Wyh;ie much has been said an