The Rock Island daily Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1872-1873, 1872-12-07
From the Fifth Avenue n. Y. journal.
Mugeins on Juries.

Is the jury system a failure? Yes!
Decidedly, yesl Most positively, yesl
Having been again called upon to serve
my country in the capacity of juror, |
am prepared to sUbstantiate my opinions
by an array of facts as incOGtrovertible as
the Rock Of Gibralter, as impregnable as
the Declaration of Independence, and as
immutable as the banks of the Mississippi.
In view Of the general idiotic character
of jurymen, it is only a wonder that a
verdict of any kind is ever obtained
What seems most strange, too, is the fact
that men who are accounted wise as owls
and as shrewd as Yankees in the ordinary
vocations of life, became suddenly trans
formed into idiots the moment they are ac-
cepted as jurors 1t is gratifying to know
however, that they recover the possession
of portion Of their senses, at least, on
being discharged and the smile that lights
up their countenances onbelng told that on
making application at the Clerk Office,
Room No l3, any day next week, they
can receive their pay, is so seraphic that
| there is no room to doubt their returning
sanity.
| 1t is not pleasant to be an idiot Peo-
| pie point their finger at you. and seem t.
/ drop a sympathetic tear Of pity at your
misfortune, 1t is comparatively safe Il
say that no man would be an idiot from
choice, and to make him an idiot on com
pulsion is doing him an injury which Ell
riches him not and makes somebody very
| poor indeed BY 's0me5ody3 | mean the
mulcted party
1t is incompatible with any mans busi
ness predictions to be dragged from hi,
counting room. where a cosy CRATE sends
forth cheering glow Of burning anthrac
lite, to the chilling atmosphere df the
court house and forced to listen to the
maddening conflict of evidence. the exas
perating drawl of the Judge, the spread
eagle eloquences of the aged barrister. O
the nervous attempt of the fedgehng law
yer TO crate from his maiden brief 1t i
no wonder that all this makes the injured
and innocent victim of the jury system al
idiot The only marvel is. it does no
make him an ass.
=, Why should business men be dragge,
into court, to sit in Judgment on affair
that do not concern them? What is it t
me if Tom johnson steals John Thomson
junk cart? There is the Judge, who sit
) uneTmined on his easy l-sack-tthis
sarcastic .}-and who is paid to rende
Judgment, and all | have to say is-lt
him do his duty
What does jury know of law 1t is n
, their business. We have endured tn;
old fraud, known as Magma Charta, Ion
enough. 1t has been faunted in our fact
for the last-I don't know how many hun
dred years, and we want no more Of it.
may be a very good thing for EnglishmeI
: but Americans have secured their hbertit
= without it, and they can live without it.
A bas, Magma Charta A bas, the j
ries A bas, les idiotsl Nive, Il
? Judge Let him work for his salary
Nive law and justice and if the jury sy
5 TEN be not abolished anterior. to the dec
0 dence of another thousand years, | sha
5 begin tn fear that eur advance in met
9 physical research is far more retrogressir
; than progressive.
y Do you understand what | mean?
u Yours, incomprehensively,
u EPHRIAM MUGGINs.