Eureka weekly sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1887-1902, 1889-01-12
gURr Duty.
rhe Legtsistnre the oniy Remedy
for the Evil.

for h Evil.
En-. S~ExTT<KI: Allow ne space in your
paper 10 call attention 10 the prevalent
custom among business men to evade
Jury duty. The reason for this 70 easily
explained. The fact Of being imprisoned
from Eve 70 ten days. with a guard over
you, is obnoxious and disgusting in the
extreme. Again, the lOss OF time Is an
important consideration, and the monos-
ouy Of a jury trial completes the aver
sion entertained for such employment
The result Of all this is that . majority
of men will stretch their conscieness tc
the last notch in providing excuses. Men
who would scorn 10 t4nPsr with thsiE
word where thousands Of dollars are in
volved, will not hesitate 70 mAnnfsesare
and urge reasons for escaping jury duty
that have no foundation in fact.
This is lameutsble, 10 must be con
fessed, bat ii IS the case eveEywhsrs, and
Eureka is perhaps in no degree sIsP
.ioual in this respect. IL is useless C
appeal to the pablo spirit Of the citizen,
and urge upon him that the good Of the
community is involved in his making q
personal sacrifice. lie viii think aud SAY
tha, others are just IS deeply concerned
Is he is, and 20 On in the sane old way.
The remedy for this evil Is not in the
community, but IN the Legislature. Tie
range Of causes which justify the sxsnP
lion Of an individual from jury ssrvtcs
must be narrowed.
In point Of fact, the Intelligent and
conscientious citizen who has formed
and expressed an opinion" On A. isolated
statement Of facts, or on current runor.
is no more incapable Of rendering . fAi'
and unprejudiced verdict in = given case,
on an entirely different condition OF facts,
than the man who never heard OF the
case. Men can set aside former impress
sions on a criminal trial just as easily
As they can opinions formed upon
statements demonstrated to be false and
untrustworthy. II this were not true,
men would be incapable Of changing opin.
ions once formed concerning snthing that
came before them in the ordinary trans
actions Of life. Human intelligence
would have TO sink very low before it
could reach = condition 30 abject a. this.
An intelligent, honest business man,
familiar with the temptations to which
his fellow men are liable, and acquainted
with the different phases Of human char.
soter, is just as capable Of separating the
false from the true aspects OF . murder
case, about which he had previously re-
ceived and entertained impressions, as II
he had never heard Of the case at all.
The fact is, the range of "chsllenge for
cause" in jury trials is far too large. i.
uarrows the jury system down to mer
who rarely read or mix with their fell
lows, and gives mems lives and property
into the hands of Q class who represent
the lowest instead Of the highest ele
ments Of intelligence and respectability
These conditions can only be obvisted
by the Legislature.
Every good citizen is interested in en-
forcing and maintaining the laws. Th'
man OF family, intelligence and prop
erty has the highest stake in society, and
I. Is incumbent on him, more pointedly
than on bis less fortunate fellow citizen,
10 give his time and attention to preserv
ing the safeguards which society has in
,tituted for its protection. His con
science, his Judgment, and his sense o
duty should all combine to teach hin
that in evsdipg his just obligations to tn
laws and the well being Of the State. h
is opening the aoodgates Of evil and pei
ling the peace and good order Of th
| community. Core.