The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-11-21
Twisted Justice

whether the nations capital is wet or dry is sub
iect in which the public naturally Is Interested News
paper men are in the business OF presenting n1orna
ton on interesting subjects.
The washington Times sends three reporters TO
verify a two-year-old report liquor conditions 10
gee if thew have improved become worse. The
result is series of stories saying forty-nine speak
eas!es are flourshing.
grand jury is in session. Following the puDhca-
lion about the speakeasies the three reporters are
summoned before the grand jury. They are ques-
tiond as to the Of their information Ihey
refuse to diyulge them Meantime, however the city
editor of the newspaper supplies the grand jury WIN
the addresses of the reputed speakeaSies
The reporters also according to the account Oh
the Times refuse to go before the United States COM
soner IN the role Of prosecuting witnesses against
alleged operators Of speakeases and refuse to swear
out complaints against them.
The reporters say they can not produce liquor as
evidence of purchase and are unable unwilling be-
cause it might involve the betrayal Of condolences
to produce supporting witnesses.
Whereupon the grand jury sidetracks Itself from
the objective which constitutes the grand urys reason
for existing namely, the ferretng out OF law VIOLA
tons 1t engages itself with the task of certifying the
three reporters contempt at the hehest Of the pros
ecung attorney for failure to answer the questions
The reporters are sentenced to forty-1ve days in
fall and the grand jury, far as the public knows
does nothing toward running down the supposed
clews that have been given by the reporters.
The speakeasies presumably continue to run. The
reporters are cared off to Jail and habeas corpus pro-
ceedings are begun. Here is an example OF twisted
justice.
An important public issue is raised by this latest
exercise of the power to punish for contempt One OF
the most useful public functions Of newspaper Is
TO expose law violations distinct aid to that func-
ton is the newspapers ability to secure confidential
information on which investigation then is based
and on which action has been TAKEN informing the
uublc OF conditions that do exist.
The attitude of the grand jury and OF the Judge
who sentenced the reporters to be that news
paper investigator automatically should become a
prosecuting witness Should that attitude be adopted
by all grand jures. it would decrease automatically
to the vanishing point the effectiveness OF news
paper as an investigator into subjects of great public
Importance
What grand jurieS should do is to accept such in
formation as that provided in the Washington case
run 1t down. verify disproye it. and employ it as
9 useful part of the basic grand jury function.
The Washington grand jury has not seen fit so to
employ the information given to it. But there is no
need to be alarmed about such action becoming gen.
eral custom Why? For the simple reason that the
public. which in the final analysis determines what
turies and judges and district attorneys do viii not
stand for any such precedent the washington case
would tend to establish.
Fathers education is beginning all over again
Junior has home work.