The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1951-03-15
Harris Delivers
Initial Charge
To Grand Jurors
Members Told They Help In
Preserving One OF Funda-
mental Freedoms

Associate Judge Morgan c. Har'-
ris delivered his initial charge to the
Grand Jurors on Monday as the
March Term of Court got underway.
In addition to outlining the general
duties of the jurors, Judge Harris
also called attention to the differences
in government and courts under
Communism and Democracy.
He also called attention the 1919
act Of the Legislature regarding
scditious and subversive activities.
He stressed the Importance of safety
by operators of motor vehicles, point
ing out the heavy loss of life in the
United States in the past year.
His entire charge to the grand
jurors before they began their de
liberations, follows:
Grand Jury Charge
Gentlemen of the Grand Jury:
You have this day become members
of one of the most respected and
venerable Institutions in the world.
The Grand Jury originated in Eng
land in the thirteenth century. At first
it was a body which would hear the
evidence and indict the offender and
would also perform the second func-
ton of sitting as our petit juries now
do, to decide the guilt or innocence
of the accused. In the organization of
government, the Grand Jury is
limited in its function to that of AN
accusing tribunal.
Until very recently. no person
charged with serious crime could be
put on trial without first being in
dicted by Grand Jury. In 1915, the
Legislature Of Maryland passed law
permitting any person charged with
the commission OF misdemeanor or
felony, to file a petition with the
Clerk of the Circuit Court, setting
forth that there is criminal charge
pending against him, and that he
wishes to waive his right to an in
dictment by the Grand Jury, and that
he seeks an immediate trial by the
petit jury, or the Court, sitting as d
jury. The States Attorney then pre-
parcS an Information, which is a
paper in the nature of an Indictment
and the accused is given a prompt
hearing This is very often an adj
vantage to both the accused and the
State. The person charged with the
crime does not spend needless time
in Jail awaiting trial and the tax
payers are saved the useless expense
of maintaining the prisoner i'm jail.
1t also saves the time of the grand
juTleS in having these cases presented
to them. Because of the more general
adoption of this practice the sessions
of the grand juries are not so long as
they once were. OF course, the accused
still has the right to have the Grand
Jury pass upon his case and your
body stands as a bulwark against the
danger of frivolous, false and ma
licious criminal charges against him.
Your membership consist is of
twenty-three individuals, twelve or
more of your number constituting
quorum, and no presentment or indict-
ment can be found by you unless at
least twelve of your number present
should concur therein.
Your Investigations and deliber-
ations are to be conducted in secrecy.
You are sworn to keep secret the
States, your fellows and your own
counsel. The reasons for this are
obviously for the purpose of permit
ting you to deliberate and decide
without apprehension of any detri-
ment from an accused or any other
person; to secure the utmost free
dom of disclosure of alleged crimes
and offenses by enforcement officers;
to conceal the fact that Indictment is
found against party, in order to
avoid the danger that he may escape
and elude arrest
The major portion of your time will
be consumed with determination of
such cases as have already been in
vestigated by enforcement officers