The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1880-05-13
A CIRCULAR
To the Jury Commissioners of the Blue
Ridge Circuit.

ties which devolve upon you, but
feeling as | do, a profound solicitude
for the welfare Of my circuit, and
sincerely desiring a just and proper
administration of law amongst its
people, have deemed it proper to is
sue this circular, which | hope may
furnish some aid to you, in discharg
ing the important and responsible
| duties Of your position. Good aju-
rors are absolutely necessary to an
efficient administration of justice by
the courts. Under our system, law
less men have no place in the jury
boxes. Men who habitually violate
law, and who are accustomed to dis
regard the peace and good order of
the community, are unfit to serve as
grand or petit jurors in this State.
Paragraph . Of section Is of article
6, Of tie Constitution Of 1877 de-
clares, that ''the General Assembly
shall provide by law for the selection
of the most experienced, intelligent,
and upright men TO serve as grand
jurors, and intelligent and upright
men to serve as traverse jurors"
Let it be borne 10 mind, that this
is a requirement of the constitution,
and under this command of the con-
stitu,ion the Legislature have acted,
and it is the purpose of this circular,
to call your attention to the laws on
the subject, and direct you to the
books in which they may be found
The Act under which you were
appointed can be found on pages ~
and 29, of the Acts of 1S78-9.-
This Act defines your duties by
reference to sections /, 2, and 3 of
another Act, which may be found on
pages 81 and 80 of the Acts of
1883. | also refer you to sec,
tions 1910, and 1880, of the code of
Georgia, and to an Act found on
page 50 of the Acts of 1875, touch
ing the qualifications of jurors.
Now that you have been appointed
and sworn, careful perusal of these
laws, to which | have referred, will
point out the following things to be
done, viz:
/. You must meet at the court
house of your county, on the first
/ iz0Sd0g III June, 1850.
2. The clerk of the Superior
Court of your county shall be the
clerk of your board, aud shall per-
form all the clerical duties required
by law to be performed, for which
he shall receive 50 per day.
3D.. When you shall have met,
you are required to revise the jury
list, and select from Tax Receivers
books, upright and intelligent men
to serve as jurors for your county.
This should be done with impartiali-
ty and care. The men selected,
should be above twenty one years of
age, and under sixty years of age,
according to section 1910 of the
code, whilst the act of 1875 declares,
that that Act shall not disqualify
men over sixty years old from serv
ing as jurors, when they are willing
to serve. The men selected must be
neither idiots, lunatics, nor insane,
and must have resided in the county
for six months, preceding the time
of serving. And the men selected,
must be upright and intelligent
Az upright man, is one who is just,
honest and true, in his principles
and purposes one who adheres to
truth and right, aud who does not
habiiually deviate from correct NOR
a! principles.
An intelligent man, is one who
possesses a sound mind and good
understanding one who is endowed
With the faculty of understanding
aud reason-one who is capable OF
forming correct judgment.
A man, therefore, who has intelli
gence enough to understand the
questions in case, and to form a
reasonable and just opinion of the
weight and application of testimony,
has Intelligence enough for juror,
aud, if along with this intelligence,
he has uprightness enough to do
that which is just and right and
true, without favor or affection on
the one hand, and without prejudice
or partially on the other, be has the
qualifications of good juror. Ii he
lacks either of these qualifications
bis name ought to be left off the list
If he be intelligent, without also be-
ing upright, or upright without also
being intelligent, he should be re-
.jjS-- If he be neither upright nor
intelligent, his name ought not to go
in the jury box.
4. When you have thus carefully
revised the jury list, and determined
who are upright and intelligent men,
and who are qualified, as to age and
residence, to serve as jurors, the
names of the men thus selected,
should be plainly written On tickets
as required by law. The names
should, if possible, be correctly spell
ed and the first christian name given
in full as far as practicable, and the
list should be purged of all such as
have died, removed from the coun~
ty, become insane, or otherwise be-
come disqualified.
). When you have completed
your selection and written the names