Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-08-25
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FROM JUDGE ASHFoRD'S
CHARGE TO THE GRAND
JURY. .. .


n -.
y 1.-THE court instructs you that J
= the grand jury is not TO be re.
graded as mere automaton for
Y the placing Of its sign Of APPROX
al upon the acts or wishes Of the I:
y prosecuting officers of the gov ,
Y eminent. :. The grand jury has ,
y a discretion and class Of func-
u tons distinctly its own and with
;: in the scope Of those functions il !
y may, IL il will, prove itself an )
\ agency Of inestimable value to )
u the community, quite apart ,
y from the narrower and somewhat >
y sordid function Of listening to ex >
parte presentations of evidence )
aeairs,t persons charged with ,
x crime. The grand jury Is the
x grand inquest of the county and
as such should be vigilant in OBJ .
4 serving, investigating and report .
x inc upon all matters which touch
u upon the common life Of the com >
Z nunity and affect the general :
y weII-beine Of society. II. Those
= matters which come closely home :
4 to the welfare, comfort and safe 7
x ty Of the community in general
r may very reasonably, as appears
n to the court, be inquired Of and :
X reported upon by the grand jury. :
zsEE q q q q q z 9 9 . q 9 9 {
court to express any preference as be
tween the two methods suggested, bu
It is decidedly within the province O
the court to suggest, and to demand
that the laws enacted by our legisla
ture shall be enforced while they re
main upon the statute books; and, 81
vast and numerous, and so intimately
affecting the home-life and the well
being OF the community at large are
the manifold qualifications OF this de
structive traffic that II has long since
become a matter of the utmost con
Germ to every citizen whether the laws
provided for the regulation of that
traffic are being conscientiousiy and
effectively administered. II therefore
fails most appropriately as II appears
to the court, in the scope Of the func'
tons Of the grand jury, considered az
the grand inquest Of the county, to
inquire and report upon these matters
Te hcourt is aware, through the me
dunn of the public prints and other.
wise, that this grand jury has recent.
ly been engaged in pursuing an in.
quiry as to the ownership of Ger.
tain saloon located within this city.
The inquiry in question was undertak.
en-, no doubt, under the Impression
that some violation of the criminal law
was involved in the matter of the own
ership of said saloon and would be
disclosed by such inquiry-and the
mere fact that the inquiry in question
revealed no violation of the criminal
law. but merely resulted iI conclu.
sions on the part of the grand Jury
that the ownership is vested in GER
tain persons named in its report pre-
scented to another Judge 70 this court,
should not, in my opinion, discredit
either the report itself or the object
with which the Investigation was un-
dertaken.
But, in this connection, / desire to
advise the grand jury that, while all
such matters are fairly within the
scope of its inquisitorial powers, yet 1t
should show no favoritism as between
the different places or concerns estab-
lished for the sale Of liquor, or be-
tween their respective owners. The