The Goldsboro star. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1881-18??, 1882-04-08

I
OF Justice through The machinery
; of our courts cannot be secnred
by making either race the sole ar
bitter to try cases involving the
rights of person or property ofthe
other.
i The acquittal of q white man
charged with an offence against a
col0red man, with o full jury OF
white men, seems to be a foregone
conclusion; for the idea that race
blood Is thicker than water over
rules all other considerations. In
many cas.s the trial OF ecioiHd
men in the courts is a mere sham,
exceeding in Injustice the infamous
''slar chamber proceedings.
1t is q wonder that the colored
people should suspicion the race
feeling against them when huns
dfeds Of colored people are hurried
from the courts to suffer horrors
and prlvations in the State prison
or at the stockade, who have been
condemned by a jury upon which
not single representative Of their
race would be permitted to sit,
and from whom they might exs,.
pect tair and impartial hearing
of their cases.
1t was system of thwarting
the ends OF justiae--a mockery of
trial by jury that helped to bring
on the crisis of the war of the rev.
oluti0n.
Then the American colonists
weIe often sent to an inc0nsider-
able distance from their homes,
sometimes across the Atlantic, to
be tried for offences charged agaiHt
them. The trials of causes in fof
sign lands, where the accnsedgi
hardship indeed, but the accuse
were fortunate enough to NEE
even in remote counties. a ju !,
that was not antagonists to them.
We do not ask that the names
Of colored men should be placed in
the inry box who do not possess
the legal qualifications, but DO de-
mand that the officers entrusted
with the matter of drawing juries
shall not exclude man from jury ,
service on account OF his color.
Nor is the honor of sitting on
the jury nor the pay of Jurors the
motive which prompts us to de-
mand recognition of our rightE
TO ait npon the juries. The posi-
tion of a Juror is that of trust more
than of honor or profit. Follow
ing the pursuits Of private life is
equally honorable and often lar
more profitable than the irksome
task of weighing right and wrong
in the scale of justice, and belng
confined and compelled to hear
contradictory testimony and the
vrangling OF pettifoggers.
l say it is not the honor or the.
profit which lures us to this con-
test for the exercise OF our rights
to serve as jurors in our State
courts.
II ia because of the principle In
yolved in the matter. Because an
attempt is made to undermir *
temple of our liberty.
It was not the tax on the Tea to
which the Americans objected
when they rev evolted and threw =
cargo Of tea overheard in Boston
harbor. 1t was the tact that they
were taxed on the tea without q
representative of the colonies IN
the British Parliament. May We
not enter a plea that we, the col
orsd tax payers Of the state' who
ara taxed TO defray the expenses
Of the courts, the per diem a ]u-
rors, and the penal institutions
have similar ground to complain
that they are debarred from exc
cIsipg their rights In the courts
which they help TO MAINTAIN
We arc encouraged 10 MAKE
this movement on account Of sue.
cessful efforts iD the past. MOI
Long ago "the black man nao no
:..L.. xvhich the white man