Show Efficient Public Service For More Vote Yes on Constitution Change There is only one strictly nonpartisan san issue presented to the people of Utah on the November 2 election ballot That Thatis is a constitutional amendment relative to the calling of grand juries In the Utah constitution at present there is a sentence which reads The uThe grand jury shall consist of seven persons five of whom must concur to find an in indictment indictment indictment in- in but no grand jury shall be drawn or summoned unless in the opinion opinion opinion ion of the judge of the district court public interest demands it it It is that last provision which has been attacked for many years as a barf barrier bar bar- f rier Tier to the efficient functioning In Utah of the traditional grand jury system for checking up on public affairs Under the constitution it is first necessary to arouse public opinion to demand a grand jury probe and then necessary to persuade some judge that the public demand was sufficiently strong to warrant calling a grand jury Even then if a political- political I minded judge wishes to protect officials against a grand jury investigation he has hasa a perfect legal right to refuse to call calla a jury The net r result sult is that rarely have grand juries jurie been called in the state state state- and be because use of that lack it is quite likely many cases of malfeasance in office have not been brought to public attention and public trial The case of the current grand jury investigation in Salt Lake county emphasizes emphasizes emphasizes em em- the point Although there were some suspicions about the affairs of the state liquor system and more to t in enough public interest and question to warrant the summoning of a grand jury none was called until after the state senate senate senate sen sen- ate in a resolution formally called upon the judges of this district to do their duty When the Ithe grand jury was belatedly summoned it immediately dug into a mass of rumor and suspicion So far it has turned in four indictments with al already already already al- al ready the conviction of the chief of the liquor commissions commission's enforcement division on a charge of bribery We Ve feel confident that bribery would never have been exposed to the light of day with conviction of the guilty officer had it not been for the grand jury probe This constitutional amendment is designed designed designed de de- de- de signed to remove remo the present t barrier to the proper functioning of the grand jury system in Utah The provision pro that places the whole responsibility of calling a grand jury on the district judge when in his opinion the public interest demands demands demands de de- de- de mands it will be eliminated Instead it will be up to the legislature to prescribe prescribe prescribe pre pre- scribe by law how and when grand juries shall be summoned It is anticipated that the legislature will provide for automatic summoning of grand and juries at stated peri periods ds That might be as often as once a year in a thickly populated county like Salt Lake which also happens to be the state capi capi- tal In sparsely settled counties where the chances and the profit of political malfeasance would be small there might be no periodic grand jury call at all with the call perhaps still left up to the district judge This constitutional amendment is not nota a partisan proposition at all The need for a change in our grand jury system is widely recognized by both Democrats and Republicans The best besl proof of that thatis is the fact this amendment was passed by the senate unanimously and by an overwhelming 49 to 5 Vote in the house Grand juries are a traditionally popular popular popular lar check on corruption and perfidy in public office They are a peoples people's watchdog watchdog watchdog watch watch- dog operating very plainly in the public interest Every citizen who wants more efficient more honest and more loyal public service should vote Yes on this constitutional amendment |