Democratic Sentinel, Volume 4, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 October 1880 — Page 2 Advertisements Column 4 [ADVERTISEMENT]

Judge Hammond in his charge to the grand jury on Monday, among other instructions, gave the following: It would occupy to much time to call attention specifically to each offense defined in our statutes. By examining the Statutes, the first and second volumes of the revision of 1876 and the acts of 1877 and 1879, under the titles “felonies” and ‘•misdemeanors” you can ascertain every crime known to the laws of this state. But there is a class of crimes to which it is proper to call your special attention. I refer to those penal statutes enacted for the purpose of preserving the purity of the ballott box and securing fair and honest elections. An election was held last week after a zealous and exciting contest between the rival political parties, in which there was perhaps unusual temptation for fraud. W hetherany violati ■ of the laws upon this subject occurred is a proper matter for your investigation: and if from any evidence you receive, you have reasonable ground for believing that there were any criminal violations of the election laws in the county, your investigation cannot be too thorough and searcling, even if it consumes the whole time limited by law for holding this term of court.

I, therefore, invite your careful attention to the law, and if von find it has been infringed I urgently invoke in behalf of vindication, your earnest remembrance of that part of your oath which obliges you dilligently to inquire and true presentment make of all violations of the criminal laws of the state of wlich this court has jurisdiction. Under the constitution and laws of this state, every male citizen of the United States oi the age of twentyone years and upwards, who has resided in the state six months immediately preceding the election, and every male of foreign birth of the age of twenty-one years and upwards, who has resided in the United States one year, and in the Slate during the six months immediately preceding the election, and has declared his intention to be come a citizen of the United States conformably to the laws “thereof upon the subject of naturalization, has a right to vote in the township or precinct where he resides at the (uue of voting. Any person, not thus qualified, who votes or attempts to vote, or any person voting or attempting to vote in any precinct except the one in which he resides, committs a felony which subjects him to imprisonment in the State’s prison for any period not less than one year. The inspector, judge or clerk of an election who knowingly and corruptly violates the law prescribed for his official conduct, or who commits a fraud in executing the duties of his office, is guilty of felony, the punishment for which is confinement in the Stale’s Prison for any time not less than one year. If any voter sells, barters, or offers to sell or barter to any person, for any candidate, for any office, his vole for any money, property, or thing of value, or for any promise or hope of reward, he thereby commits a misdemeainor for which he may be fined not more than fifty dollars and disfranchised and rendered in capable of holding any office of trust or profit for any period not less than live or more than ten years. It is a felony for any person to hire, buy, or offer to hire or buy, either by himself or anyone else, or to furnish any money or other means to be used, or to permit his money or other means to be used to hire, buy or induce any person to vote for any candidate for any office, or to attempt to induce any person to vote for any candidate by offering any reward or favor. The punishment for this offence is a line not exceed ing one thousand dollars, imprisonment in the State’s Prison not less than one, nor more than five years, and disfranchisement for any determinate period. These laws seem to be sufficiently stringent to guard the ballot box from the frauds which they were designed to prevent. Their execution however is left to the officers of the law, thegrand jury, the state’s attorney, the court and petit juries. The court can do nothing but direct your attention to this matter and in case of the return of indictments to act impartially between the state and the accused and see that the trials are conducted according to the forms and precedents of law. I feel assured, gentlemen, that with the assistance of the able and energetic prosecuting attorney, Mr. Babcock, you will fully, fearlessly and impartially discharge your duties. I may suggest, that if you ascertaiu the names of any who have made charges of corruption

against others, that you can have them brought before you and examined under oath so thatyon may have the benefit of the evidence, if any, upon which'their charges are predicated. And in this connection, it may be remarked in the interest of peace and friendly feeling among citizens and neighbors, that charges of fraud ought not to be indulged in without evidence of its existence. If the proof exists it should be brought before, and acted upon by the grand jury. It any be guilty of violating the law, they should, without reference to their social standing or political attachments, be brought to trial and punishment. At the same time, however, the indiscriminate indulgence of criminal charges, unsupported by evidence, cannot be too severely condemned as tending to excite bad feeling among those who should be good friends and neighbors. If there is no proofofsuch charges, they should not be made. If the proof exists the grand jury should avail itself of its benefit and return indictments against those whp have offended. 4 I also direct your attention to the statutes which make it a misdemeanor to bet, or to win or lose any money or thing of value upon the result of any election. The penalty in such case is a fine of not less than the amount bet, lost or wop, nor more than twice that amount.