St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1884-05-03
REFORM IN OUR CRIMINAL,
LAWS.
[Daily States. /

peratively demanded by our civil
cation, we will briefly SUMMARY
now, and discuss in detail in futur
, issues of the States.
, In the first place, then, the iur
. system, We believe, should be en-
tirely abolished. OF course. we d
not anticipate any such radical re-
form at tins time. But as we mus
have the jury system, we should, a
far as possible, eliminate from it th
abuses which have become a par
OF 1t. The worst of these abuses i
the Wholesale exemptions that ar,
allowed from jury duty. The objec
should be to compel the most in
telllgent and responsible men tt
perform this duty, while the laws
practically devolve it upon the mos
ignorant and irresponsible classes
10 this end all exemptions from
jury duty should be abolished, ex.
cept in the case OF ministers of re.
ligion, practicing physicians and
practlcing lawyers, and possibly
school teachers, and those public
officials whose constant services ars
demanded by the city and State.
All questions of the equities arising
III the eases Of other classes and ill.,
dirlduals should be left to the dis
erection of the jud ,es. The anti
quated, absurd and peruicious pro-
vision, that it shall require unaLi-
nous jury to convict, should be
done away with. A majority, or,
ut the most, three-fourths of the
Jurors. should be sufficient to rem
der verdict. The fact that a man
has read the papers of the day and
possesses the same knowledge of
the facts concerning the perpetra-
ton of a crime that every intelli-
gent citizan possesses, instead of
excluding him from the jury, should
commend him ne proper juror.
2. The recorders courts should
be empowered and required. on the
preliminary hearing, to take, in
full. the testim ony of all the wit
nesses in the case; the State should
be represented by the District At
torney at such preliminary trial;
the evidence should he taken down
in full, as in the District Court.
preserved, an in case Of the death,
splriting off or absence from other
causes of any of the witnesses on
the trial before the Criminal Court. |
the record of the evidence of the |
absent witnesses taken on the pre-
liminary hearing should be admit
ted as testimony and given the same
weight the oral evidence of the
witness would possess were he
present; and no postponement
should be granted because of the
absence OF such witness or wit
lesses.
4. The jury should be the judges
'nly Of the facts, and should be re-
luired to receive the law from the
Judge.
5. Cheating. swindling, and
lumber OF other Infamous acts, un-
'nown to our statutes, should be
lassed as felonies, and the sem
ence of the rascals who are found
utility of these offenses should for
Yer disqualify them from exercising
he elective franchise. Here, we
hould add, that it should only be
cases where a pardon is granted
convict on the ground of miti- .
ating circumstances. which nei- .
ler the judge nor the jury could,
nder the law, take into account
lat pardon should work q restora-
on of citizenship. A pardon a
ranted on thu eve of the expira. g
on of the convlct's term in the
enitentiary, granted with the OBJ :,
ct of restoring to him the right a
franchise, and because of good n
'havior during his term, should "
1T be allowed. The commission O
an infamous crime, with no ex- !
nuating circumstances justifying /;
e immediate or early interposi- II