The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-02-15
THE DRAWING OF THE JURY.
''RUSTICUS" TAKES A PHILOSOPHICAL
VIEW OF THE MATTER.

He Feels the Slight that He and His
Friends arc Never Drawn on the
Jury -. Others arc Drawn Every
Two Years.-He is willing to Ac-
knowledge that the Jury Commits.
siOners May Know Better How to
Estimate His Ability to Serve ns
Juror.
Editor Press and Banner:
notice there has been great deal In your
paper for the last two or three weeks about
the drawing of the jurors, from which learn
that the Jury Commissioners, or some OF
them are being censured because they didn't
want certain persons on the grand jury who
they supposed were not friendly to them, &c.
Now, is seems to plain citizen like myself,
,, that this Is making great TO do abouta small
matter, or rather it is expecting these men to
act contrary to human nature. What are the
duties Of the grand jury?
If understand 1t Alright one Of the chief du-
ties is to examine carefully the public offices
with law, of which offices these same commits
soners are the incumbcnts. Such being the
case, Is 1t reasonable to expect that they
should want men on the jury that was to pass
upon the legality of their acts who were not
particularly friendly to them? Why If such
n thing as that were permissible that stereo-
typed portion of the presentments OF our
grand juries in which mention Is made OF the
| excellent manner in which all our public Of
| fees are managed. might not prove to be
available, and hence would arise the necessit ty
for new departure IN that particular when ,el
ouietude. think such matters had better be
let Jog along in the old ruts.
| These men have been In office long enough
to know who are best qualified for the reSpon.
sible position Of q grand juror, especial ly as
| to the peculiar qualifications requisite In or.
der to make satisfactory examination OF the
public offices-much better than we plain far.
mers of the country.
| I know there arc q great many men in the
county who are never drawn on the jury
men whom I, In my humble opinion, take tc
be thoroughly competent, still may he bias
ed in my Judgment and as matter of fact
they may not possess the requisite amount Of
intelligence to make good grand juror, or
while they may be competent In every other
respect may be sadly deficient In that pecu
liar qualification which would fit them tc
make satisfactory examination OF our public
offices. don't pretend to set up my judg
ment in such matters against that OF men men
who have had years Of training In that line,
/ believe one of the commissioners said In
his statement in the court the other day, or al
least so 1t appeared In your paper, something
about their trying to get the best men on the
luries, and suppose from that that those o
us who are never drawn arc regarded by the
commissioners as not belonging TO that class
There are not few In our county who feel
ing that they are as competent rs are many o
those who are drawn regularly every two
years have thought it strange that they hap
pened never to be drawn. To such 1t Will be
not mere accident, as they have been think
ing all along, that they have. never been
drawn, but because In the opinion or the
Board of Commissioners they were not pos
sessed of sufficient intelligence to fill SO I'M
portant n position, or in other words, don't be;
| long to the best class. To all such / would
I saw let us not be worried by such n rcflec ion
on our intelligence, but console ourselves with
the thought that these men are perhaps better
Judges Of such matters than we.
If they should happen not to have MS good
| an opinion of us as we have Of ourselves, Is II
not moro likely that we have over-shot the
mark in estimating our fitness for such po
cause, MS before intimated. they have been IN
office long enough to know who is not quail
fled to make satisfactory examination of the
public offices-one Of the chief duties OF the
grand jury. Yours, RUSTlCUS.