New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-12-10
GETTING EXCUSED.

There arc not many men who like TO do the duty
Of Juror. Tho service Is regarded as somewhat oil
n bore. The very persons who are most needed are
those whose time Is valuable and whose private
aYocations are pressing. The excuses usually
offered are frivolous; hut gentleman who the
other day was called juror in the Marine Court,
gave one a little out OF the common. The members
Of the Reformed Presbyterian Church, Old School.
otherwise known Pro-re-natas, decline as a rule
to vote. They do This upon the ground that by voting
they would sanction the omission from the Consti-
tuition Of the United States Of any distinct acknowl-
edgment Of God Us the author OF civil society. In
strict conformity with the practice and principles
of his church, Mr. Robert Stevenson. Reformed
Presbyterian, Of this city, being summoned as
above stated TO do jury duty. declared III writing
10 the Court that in his opinion jurors are oIecu-
two officers, deriving all their power from
the Constitution. To serve, Therefore, would
be 10 recognize = goddess government. which,
tor oue Nj. Stevenson Is not inclined to
do. IIe was excused and We think properly. Juries
should be citizens. and this gentleman has V0lun-
tariiy and consssntously Invested himself of his
citizenship. OF course, his peculiar views involve
him practically in great variety OF inconssten.
cies, such as persons OF extreme and positive
op,uions rarely avoid. No doubt he pays
Lts taxes II so, 1t is for tho support of
the very government which he has dIsOwned.
The Collector would be @ much harder person
70 deal with than the Marine Judge. In various
WAYS no cannot escape a recognition Of the Govern
ment. But he must draw the line somewhere and
lie draws 1t ut jury duty.
OF course, If all citizens should act upon Mr..
stevenson's principle some for one reason and some
for another, the result would be moro interesting
than agreeable, for jurors might be harder to find
than good judges. We might have to
fall back upon the elegant simplicity of
bench decisions altogether Moreover, we
fear that tho number of those having conscientious
scrnples would be suddenly enlarged. NOW, when
a man wishes to dodge the duty he says and swears
that he Is sick or that ss business is pressing, or
that he has formed an opinion" and does not
think that he can render an unprejudiced verdict.
The Judges, through long experience, know the
precise valuo Of these excuses Though for
the credit Of human Veracty we are sorry to
say IL, these pleas are usually shams and
subterfugcs, the empty nature of which is fire.
quently detected But what could be done, il the
whole panel should solennly affirm that every man
in il had conscientious doubts of the validity of the
Government, and could not honestly serve without
an amendment of the Constitution One need not
DO reformed Presbyterian to be no-government
man. great many of the old GarrisOnian Abolition
lists were of that sort, and though they paid
taxes with more or less cheerfuneSs, they would
not vote and regarded the Constitution as so much
waste paper. Fortunately man with decided
notion that the court has no business to be court,
and no night 10 enforce its decisions not precisely
the man who is wanted on jury. lie would be too
apt to disagree
Tho most difficult and delicate thing in this
world to manage persuade is conscience.
Perhaps that is tho reason why there
is so little Of 1t in politics. Generally, We
must take a mans word for the genuine character
Of his scrupos. 1t is not polite, it is hardly moral
to question it at the time, perhaps, too little
Importance is attached to the imperative necessity
of educating the conscience properly. In one
sense even erroneous conscience is respectable
but the nearer 1t intelligent in its convictions,
the better for It's pOssessOr.