The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-03-05

THE QUESTION OF JURY SERVICE
EXCLUSION OF CoLoRED MEN.-A let
ter from this city published in a recent
issue of the New National Era, of WASH
ington, contains the following pointed ex-
tract. John Oliver, esq, is the author Of
the letter:
"We have often heard it said that time
is the arbiter Of our msfortunes, and that
he who has the patience to wait will be
abundantly rewarded thereby. We have,
however, a striking illustration of an ex-
ception to that rule in the stubborn falli-
bllity of tn Walker party of Virginia, in
their continued injustice to the colored
people, in which time works no change.
Our county and city judges are all Demo-
cratic appointees, and they have neither
the wish nor inclination to keep faith with
either the state or federal constitution.
The legislature of 1871 vested these judges
and commonwealth attorneys with the
power of selecting all juries, and, notwith-
standing the changed condition of the peo-
pie, they adhere strictly to the old code of
1850 in the premises; and that is, twenty
persons for every thousand inhabitants
shall be drawn in such county, &C., provi-
ded that in no case shall the list include a
less number than fifty persons, and they
are to be white. The constitution adopt.
ed in 1869, under which the state was
admitted, says all persons entitled to
vote and hold Office shall be eligible to sit
as jurors. But this right is as rigidly de-
MED to colored men now as it was when
slavery ruled in the south! More than
three hundred colored persons are yearly
sent to the penitentiary in this state by
these (white) juries, and under the law
Governor Walker hires them out to the
contractors of public works, in and out
of the state, from the labor of whom our
Democratic manipulators derive consid-
cradle revenue. Five colored to one white
person are convicted and sent to prison
by the Richmond hastings court. But it
is not 'rious fact that no colored man has
yet been drawn there on any jury, and
the time will never come when the ue,,ue
facids shall include colored men, unless a
change by popular vote be made in our
state government this fall. The old slave
oligarchy dies hard, and it exposes in
every attempted construction Of law, when
the negro is party, the wicked and
degrading influence that slavery
had upon the vulgar class. Nothing
but the growth and inculcation of Repub-
lican PRINCIPLES will put an end to this
wanton despoliation Of the constitutional
rights of the people. No honest minded
citizen can, for moment, look upon this
exclusion Of colored men from the juries,
when so many of that class are interested,
in any other light than that it is fragrant
injustice, too intolerable to be borne, and
would not, under any pretext whatever,
be justified only in barbarous country y
An act of the General Assembly which
went into effect on the 2lst OF February
provides that in a criminal case in q circuit
court, jurors may be summoned from any
other county or corporation, if found neces.
sary; and makes it the duty of treasurers,
instead of sheriffs, to pay jurors for servi.
ces, at the rate of 81 per day and mileage.
1t is pity that the act did not go farther,
and preventanv man serving on juries, and
drawing pay therefor, who is indebted to
the commonwealth for poll-tax. Before
innocent children are excluded from tn,
| common schools because their parents fai
to pay taxes assessed against them, il
would he well to look to other cases Of {
more fragrant nature.