Evening star., 1926-10-20
Demands Made for Settling
OF Daugherty-Miller Status

been a bad mess, and that our Gov
ernment ought to clear it up at once"
The Sioux City Daily Tribune sug
geSts that Charges in this particular
case were so technical in nature that
it was fairly easy for any juror to be
come involved in mental confusion
That would be true. in particular.
continues that paper. "Of a juror nat
urally inclined to hesitate about vot-
ing for the conviction of prominent
persons. There are many such tenn
peraments in the land, and some OF
them are possessed by citizens Of good
standing"
docs the statute Of limitations
need revising?" asks the New York
Evening Post, with the statement that
'the question is raised by the handI'
cap which was placed upon the pros
ecution in the Daugherty Miller trial.
Unable TO bring into the indictment
certain serious charges" continues
they were excluded by the lapse OF time.
the prosecution had TO make It's fight
upon much more difficult basis
that ot proving conspiracy. Even 50.
the evidence shocked the public. Some
limit upon the period in which suit
NAV be Instituted is desirable, but in
time when we are modifying our
procedure In the belief that It gives
undue advantage TO the defendant. the
possible abuse OF the principle behind
the statute Of limitations deserves
consideration. A fresh study might
lead to changes In the law which
would make It more difficult for viola
tors TO escape the consequence OF their
misdeeds and yet would not facilitate
the rak!ng up of matters practically
obsolete"
THE surprise Is" according to the
ST. Joseph News-PreSs. that In sucAF
cases the IL jurors so often agree"
Under the method proposed for MIS-
souri,. there might not have been
mstrial of the Daugherty-Miller case.
as 1t allows for dissenting votes
out of II. The unit rule as applied
10 our Jurors does not add TO the
Justice Of the verdict. 1t merely
raises a strong presumption there
will be no verdict at all" The
GAINESVILLE Gazette, in the present
case, draws the conclusion that ito
the public the disagreement OF the
jury means only that 1urieS hesitate
to convict men charged with con-
spiracy in the absence of direct and
clearly discriminating evidence"
"As for the way the case was han.
says the Berkshire Eagle, ut Is the
consensus that its action was vigor-
Gus and intelligent. AS a member
Of the Coolidge cabinet. the prosecu.
tor did his duty. The public will
not fail to appreciate this phase Of
the case-that the men accused were
treated as If they we're persons In
the ordinary walks of life. without
influential political connections. The
Lincoln State Journal. however, re-
marking that Harry Daugherty and
his trial mate, former Alien Property
Custodian Miller. express happiness
at the outcome Of their case" feels
that Ordinarily, two accused men
Of such rank would feel no elation
at finding, after a full hearing OF
their cause, that a substantial part OF
the jury believed them guilty"
If our Government has been dis
graced," concludes the Dayton Daily
News, "if the moral sense has been
shocked by the spectacle of cabinet
officer being tried for II penitentiary
offense. the American public can ac-
cept it's responsibility. So long as II
considers business rather than ethics
as a paramount thing. these things
will occur"