National Republican., 1877-11-06
North Carolina Juries.


It is the studied policy of the ruling
powers of South Carolina to exclude colored
citizens from the jury-boS, and to render
this the more apparent the grand jury of
| Carteret County has just made present.
ment OF Judge W. A. MOORE for "mal-
feasance and corruption in Office" The
offense committed is set forth in letter
from Judge RUMLEY, the clerk of the court,
as follows
The prcsentment was doubtless prompted
solely by the remarks and the action of your
honor in reference to colored jurors for l am
quite certain that the grand jury entertained
no doubt of the ability, integrity and impair
tiality of your honor in all other matters per-
tanning to your office.
Judge MOORE is an able and impartial
Judge, and an honorable and upright man.
lie meets the case with this array of facts:
There was no colored man on either the
grand or petit jury. l was informed, nor
| was IL denied, that such had been the case
| at every term OF the court since the war.
| The law, passed In 1868, prescribes as the
qualification of juror, that he shall have paid
| his faxes for the preceding year, and shall
possess su cient intelligence and moral char
| acter. By the census OF 1870 the population OF
the Carteret County consisted of ,2S5 white and
2,725 colored citizens; the auditors reports
show that in 1s7l-'72 $s745O were collected
on the white poll, and s222.50 on the colored
| poll and that In ls13-'74 there were III tax
| paying cOlored citizens in the county.
JOHN d. DAVIS, the present sheriff, was
| sheriff then, and made these returns under
| oath. As soon as the grand jury were charged
asked Mr.. DAVIS IL he knew why there was
| no colored jurors the list. He said he did
not. then directed him to request the chair
! = =
appear in court the next morning as wished
to instruct him as to the duties Of his board in
| drawing the jury.
| Mr.. Rowland, the chairman, and the sheriff
| on that afternoon came together to my hotel,
and both stated that only twelve colOred men
| had paid their taxes for the preceding year,
| that six of them had been drawn, and that
each one of those drawn was deficient in in.
teiligence or moral character. l concurred
with Mr.. Rowland in the propriety OF reject
| ing them upon the reasons given by him. On
the next morning, in open court, stated the
| substance Of the conversation, which the
sheriff then and there admitted to be correct.
then stated to the Colored people that unless
they paid their taxes II was the duty Of the
commissioners to exc ude them from the jury
box that il they expected to enjoy all the
| privileges of government they must bear
their share of its burdens, SC, &c. l have no
reason to believe that the grand jury OBJ
jccted, or would have objected, to any stric-
lures made, or could have made, on the
shortcomings of the colored people.
On the following morning Wednesday l
received a communication, signed by ffty-two
colored men, stating that they had paid their
taxes for the preceding year and had the
sheriffs receipt for the same. i caused this
communication to be read In open court by
the clerk. Shortly afterward it became nee
essaIy to summons tales jury, and as there
; were present quite large number of we'll
dressed and intelligent looking colored men
Instructed the sheriff to summon some oi
them If any present possessed the required
qualifications. He replied that none Of them
did Pointing toward them, l asked him II
not one in TIE courtroom was ft to be juror.
He replied that not one of them was free
holder.
stated that that was cause of challenge
which might be waived by the parties. He
T then asked me II he could summons preacher
+ replied that had no instructions to give
him rs to individuals, but insisted that the
colored race should not be entirely excluded
from the jury-box; that he might summon
the preacher If he chose, and l would hear his
, excuse, If he desired to make one. The
. preacher was summoned, and, on application
excused. | ordered the sheriff to proceed t.
complete the jury. To my great surprise, thi,
, man, who for years has held, either as sheriff
or legislator, the most intimate relations t.
, nearly every man in the county, replied that
he did not know the name of any colOrcd
: man in the courthouse. | said that then ht
] must get a deputy who did know them
, | ThereupOn without the assistance OF deputy
he summoned two colored men by name, ant
the trial proceeded. On the next day he sum
c moned two others by name.
I These are the facts Upon reading them
believe every candid man will concur with III,
that the colored citizens of Carteret Count,
: have been and are now persistently robbed o
one OF their most important political rights
+, | and that justice is constantly violated in he
/ very temple. This action OF the grand jur,
seems to be blow aimed ut me personally
but il has q far deeper and broader signiR
! cance. 1t is only one Of many assaults on thu
/ independence Of the Judiciary OF the State ant
a nation. But forbear to make such comment
+ as the action of the grand jury warrants, feel
ing confident that All impartial and discerning
public will place the stigma Of corruption
n where 1t properly belongs. This much, how
ever, will add, that while | hold my com
mission when the law is outraged in my imme
: diate presence | shall endeavOr to viudicate IL
regardless OF personal consequences, trustin
to my own conscience and an enlightened pub
I lie sentiment for solace and support.
4 Nothing can be more clear than that tn
y colored citizens OF North Carolina are bein
i outrageously despoiled of their rights, an
y it is equally apparent that the judiciar
d is being made, as lar Us possible, an engin
of persecution against those who have tn
Q manliness aud courage to stand firmly b.
the rights of the freedman.
r |