Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1910-05-05
CALL A GRAND JURY.
PEOPLE OF ABERDEEN STIRRED
UP over GRAND JURY.
High Handed Action at Chamber of
Commerce Meeting Starts Grand
Jury Balls Rolling in All DireC tiOnS
From Aberdeen to County Bound.
0rY.

An agitation was started Monday
evening, at the meeting of the Cham
ber OF Commerce that promises to
stir the atmosphere of Chehalis
county from center to circumference
before it ceases. The commotion was
started, after the chamber has dis
posed of the business on the calendar,
by the Introduction, by J. J. Carney,
of resolution stating that the
Chamber favored the calling of a
Chehalis county grand jury at the
earliest possible date.
The resolution would, in all pro-
liability. have been passed with lit
tie if any discussion but for the fact
that the impression had gained about
town for several days that it was to
be in the interest of former City At
tOrney Wade, and against Mayor
Benn, and there was a decided feel
ing against the introduction of this
controversy in the deliberations of
the Chamber of Commerce.
But, this inference was decided
error. The resolution was the out
come of an effort of the Herald for
nearly a year, to insist on the right
of Chehalis county to grand jury in
vestigatiOns, now, and at stated per-
iods in the future. Fearful of in
Jury to the chamber, President Hum
barger undertook to work the Can
non gag, and refused to entertain
the motion to adopt the resolution.
His position was appealed from, and
the house refused to sustain him;
and a running discussion followed
upon the resolution, but one speaker,
]. w. Clark, editor of the Grays Har-
Dor Post, denouncing grand juries or
opposing the sentiment proposed. All
the other speakers-and they were
too numerous to mention-agreed
that grand jury should be called,
but were plainly fearful that 1t
might injure the Chamber OF Com
merce to take the iniative, and the
resolution was tabled.
The action of the Chamber has had
result directly opposite to what was
expected Instead of putting the
movement for a grand jury to sleep,
it has awakened thea city OF Aber-
deem to an extent that no other
means could have accomplished. That
the mere mention of a grand jury
should arouse such an opposition
gave food for thought, and all day
Tuesday that subject was the COM
mon TALK OF tne Clly. belOIe evening 81
the officers of the Aberdeen Civic
Betterment association had issued a
call for mass meeting, to be held
in the city council room tomorrow
night to take action in the matter,
and it is a safe bet that no gag rule
will be attempted there. Every citi-
zen interested in the good name OF
Aberdeen and Chehalis county should
show his interest by being present.
The Herald, in taking up this
fight for grand jury, was fully
aware of the opposition it would
meet, and for that reason labored for
months without publicity, in the hope
it would be secured before the pow
erful interests opposed were awak-
ened to their danger. But, from now
on the fight is in the open, and it
will remain on, not only until a
grand jury is called, but until that
body does it's full duty, and probes
every criminal charge, taking for its
motto, "Hew to the line, let the chips
fall where they may"