Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-04-17
T IN RUSSIA.
Collisions Between Juries and the Imper.
ial acknowledgements Courts.

SOAAASAOAS hAu Jag Au1HCIs
ial ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Courts.
Twenty years ago the Gar Reformer
substituted trial by jury for the sys-
TEN of Crown Judges. 1t is the gen.
eral opinion here that, next to the
abolition of serfdom, the introduction
of trial by jury has served for the moral
elevation of the people far more than
any other reform. The jury system,
however, has not been introduced in
all the provinces of European Russia.
A part of the Caucasus and all of ST.
IBERIA and Central Asia are still under
the jurisdiction of the Crown. Judges.
Trial by the Crown Judges is usually
called trial by Judge Shemiaka. In
stead of listening to the testimony,
that worthy Judge used to keep his eye
on the caps Of the plaintiff and defend
ant, in which was kept tangible and
undisputed evidence in the shape of
copper and silver coins. The balance
Of justice turned in favor of him whose
cap contained the larger bundle. AS
the cap evidence can not be conve-
niently presented before the public, the
Crown Judges to this day hold court
behind closed doors. And yet there
are many Russians, MI. Kathotf of the
Moscow Vedomosti, included, who give
preference to the Crown Judges. In
Justice to the Russians, it must be
said that the jury is not quite COM
patible with the autocratic regime.
THE Gar, being the sole legislator,
issues his laws regardless of the views
of his people. The jurors, the peo-
pies representatives, are called upon
to pass a verdict according to their
own convictions. But the trouble
is that there are many things
which. though forbidden by the I'M
perial law, are justified by popular
opinion. Hence come collisions be-
tween the Russian jury and the imper-
ial authorities.
In Il village stricken with famine the
imperial tax collectors undertook to
empty the village granary and drive
away the domestic animals. Starva-
ton stared the villagersin the face, and
q peasant shouted TO them:
s.Brothers! Let us take sticks and
drive away the tax collectors, who have
come to rob us of our last crust OF
bread. The treasury may safely wait
for our taxes. and at any rate the Gear
would not starve us. To the sticks!"
And to the sticks they betook them
selves, and drove off the tax collectors.
But the next day a regiment of SOL
diers came to the village, and the lead
or of the riot was put in chains and car
ried away. On the trial the Crown At
torney demanded that, according to the
law, the defendant should be sent to the
Siberian mines for twenty years. But
the jury brought in a verdict of not
guilty. The acquitted peasant, how
ever, was kidnapped by gendarmes and
disappeared forever.
This is one of q thousand cases OF
collision between juries and the impe-
rial authorities. It seems to me that
the jury system, though far from being
what it ought to be in the interests OF
justice, is one OF the most powerful
factors which are undermining the
a%utocracy.
There are some special courts here,
| such as the Merchants Court, the
Craftsmen's Court, the Church Court,
the Military Courts, the Land Survey
ing Courts, and others, in which specific
oftonses are tried.
But there are many subjects ct the