Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-12-09
Philadelphia Jtaries.

From the Philadelphia Times.
However warranted may have been the re-
fusal of the jury board to respond fayOrabIy to
the requests of the committee of one hundred,
the petition of that body is an admOnitiOn that
deserves more than summary refusal None
doubt that the judges exercises as much care as
would ordinarily be expected of them IN filling
the jury wheel, and there is no evidence that
the drawing of jurors has been corruptly d-
rected; but it is well known in this community
that justice has often miscarried by reason of
corrupt or dependent jurors. and it calls for the
prOmptest and most exhaustive measures to
supply complete remedy.
1t is notorious fact that grand jurors have
many times ignored bills for political or other
favOrite wrong doors, regardless of the pointed,
instructions OF the courts and Of the most con-
elusive testimony; and we can recall the dis
credtable instance of the court remanding a
bill to the grand jury, after it had been ignored
In fragrant disregard of testimony, only to have
it ignored again. Nor does this evil end with
grand juries. Our petit jurors have in many
instances which must be more than suspected
by the Judges. defed both law and evidence to
shield political criminals from just punishment
These facts have been fretting the people of
Philadelphia for many years and tine committee
of one hundred simply voiced a great public
want when it made an effort to assure higher
measure of care in the selection of Jurors.
The judges are not entirely free from reason
able blame in the failure to reach the correction
OF the evils in our jury system. The failure to
exhaust judicial powers when false persO-
nation of Juror was detected i'm 4 recent crim-
nal case. to expose and correct the root of the
evil. did much to cause public distru8t in the
integrity of our administration of justice. A
hired jury-fixer sat for days on jury in one Of
the MOuat trials. and when detected by the vigil
lance inspired by the liberal rewards offered by
the Times 1t was discovered that he had been
served with regular notice from the sheriff s Of
flee, but to this day there has been searchinsin-
quiry into the fraud that had It's origin iii the
very fountain of administrative authority. It
was deliberate fraud and affront put upon the
court in the sanctuary of justice and one that
should have been probed to the bottom in open
court: but 1t was allowed to pass with vigOr-
Gus judicial admOnitiOn. while the sherif-s Off
Ger who perpetrated the fraud is probably vet i'm
his public place. ready to repeat it whenever
political or personal interests may require IT,
Sheriff Taylor evidently did not dare to acduit
himself Of the fraud and the court should have
compelled him TO answer by the exposure and
punishment of his corrupt subordinate.
Another reason that has quickened public dis
trust OF our jury system, is the apparently sys-
temat!c exclusion of the more intelligent class
OF business men from the jury wheel OF course
all business men want to be excused from Jury
service. willie the idle, the ignorant and the
vicious are more than willing to serve. It is
impossible for judges to discriminate in any gen.
eral degree against incompetent jurors; but it is
possible for them to compel the selection and
attendance of considerable number Of ntelli-
gent business men to discharge the important
duty assigned to jurors. A few of that most
competent class Of jurors are selected to
serve, but they are ever ready with plausible
excuses for their discharge This has grown
into grave evil In Philadelphia, and nearly
every miscarriage of justice may be fairly charged
to it. Indeed. so great has the evil become that
IT is now an accepted truth that justice Is next
to impossible In certain suits, such as claims
against street and steam railways. and against
either corporations or individuals presumed to
be rich while the plaintiff is poor. This goes to
the very foundation of Justice. and it shakes the
jury system to its cornerstone. The Jury is the
buiwark OF safety for both person and property.
and any assault upon its purity or its intelligent
discharge of its sacred duties strikes at the most
sacred rights Of the citizen. These cOnsidera-
lions were less plainly reflected in the admOni-
ton of the Committee of One Hundred and
that admOnitiOn must be well needed by the
jury board If public faith is to be preserved in
Philadelphia trials by jury
| GEN. BURBANK's DEATH.-Gen Sidney Bur-
bank, U. S. A. (retred) died Thursday night at
his residence in Newport, KY, where he has
lived for several years. He was graduated from
West Point In 1929. He served In the Black
Hawk and Seminole wars and at various frontier
and recruiting posts, the last being Newport
| barracks, where he was in 1851. He served In
| the army Of the Potomac during the late war;
| and was brevetted brigadier general His age
was "a. One son survives hin. Clayton Burbank
| . lieutenant In the 10th infantry.