Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-01-19
JUDGING THE JUR|ES,
A Consensus of Legal Opinions
Indicating Charges
AS TO INDICTING BOARDS.
Interviews With Various Attorneys
on the FiXable Bodies.
TIE BURNS CASE COMMENTATORS.
Many Lawyers in Favor of Getting Grand
Jurors Differently.
TIE BURNS CASE COMMENTATORS.
BURNS AND HIS PALS SUBJECTS OF LAW

awake 10 tne necessity OF q reloTm III Tue
method of getting jury material than are the
people at large, though the latter are sup
posed to be the chief victims of the present
system. OF course there are lawyers and law
yers, and there are some who can make use of
q crooked juror; but, as a rule, lawyers who
can see beyond their noses and wish to enjoy
an honored old age, ARE not so short-sightcd-
not to say dishonest-as to wish to win their
spurs by the farce of reasoning to fixed"
Jurors. In the opinions by the legal fra
ternity given below, it will be seen that it is
general belief that no relief will ever be
obtained until the political upas that now
controls selection shall be rooted out.
As a rule, however, lawyers cling to the
belief that jury of laymen is in some way
or other good thing, Mr.. Cohen being the
only exception found yesterday. One lawyer
held that decisions Of masters in equity and
lawyers as arbitrators rarely gave as much sat-
isfsction a trial before jury.
As a rule the lawyers expressed themselves
quite briefly. but to the point, and generally in
the tenor of an editorial in yesterdays DIS
PATCH Their views appear in the appended
quotations:
n. W. SndleG-"e Idu DeIleI ISSullS NntH
the Judges and Sheriff drew our juries, and
fewer new trials were asked for. 1 think these
officials would give us much better jurors than
we have been having in late years.
BARRING THE SHERIFF.
]. H. white-I can see no reason why the Sc
lection might not be made by the County Com.
missioners under the supervision of the Judges;
but would not think it wise to put it into the
Sherif7s hands in any way. cannot conceive
of any official more likely to be mortgaged to
politicians than he. As County Commissioners
are now elected from both political parties. the
reason for the creation of the Office of Jury
Commissioner is no longer in being.
/. George Shiras-Let the Judges appoint the
Jury Commissioners. don't think the law will
be changed, however.
T. D. Carnahan-Let the Judges appoint the
Jury Commissioners and let their salaries be
raised. The right kind of men cannot be had
for 81 day
L. P. Stone-The Judges must find remedy
W. S. Wison-The only improvement can
suggest is an Improvement of the breed of Jury
Commissioners
C. 8. Cornelius-The first Improvement that
suggests itself to is to take the selection of
Jurors out of the hands of elective officers. /
suppose it would be best, under present circum-
stances 10 put il into the hands of the Judiciary
but can conceive that even then the selections
might be better were Judges elected for life,
or during good behavior.
A. NJ Watson-Put the whole business into
the hands OF the Court, and hold it responsible |
for results.
W. A Sipe-The office of Jury Commissioner
ought to be taken out of politics; he should be |
paid a better salary, and he should not be al |
lowed to secure his selection from constables |
or professional politicians especially of the
puthouse stripe. The good people of the coun-
try are largely responsible for present bad re-
Suits for they try in every conceivable way to |
escape jury duty, and thus leave it to people |
very often not fit.
c. S. Fetterman-About the best suggestions |
] ever heard on the subject came from Russell |
Errett In brief il was that when the triennial |
assessment is made the assessors select list of |
names, fit by intelligence and character for |
this duty, and furnish it TO the County Com |
missioners. Let the requisite number be di- |
vided by the commissioners into three bodies |
TO serve during the following three years in |
such manner that there could be knowing /
and the t'fXer'' would be greatly
HAMPERED IN HIS WORK.
This plan would take about all the available |
material in the county. and when a man had |
served his time he could not get back for at |
least three years. No man could tell in which /
year he would be called on to serve and many i
avenues to rascality would be blocked.
Thomas H. Davis-Let the Court appoint re-
sponsible men and let them learn their duties
Let them make it a part of their business TO
find who are good citizens 'Twould not be
very difficult affair. There are good and intel
gent citizens in every election district who
could furnish clean list without asking pollti-
clans for help.
]. 6. Brvant-The duty of selecting jurors is
q very difficult one. No man can select 4, 900 fit
men unless he is politician who makes it his
business to know the people of the county. An
honest man would make mistakes that might
leave the matter in NJ better shape than It is
now. Then business men who ought to serve
slight the duty as much possible. The
trouble consists not so much in the putting into
4tox nf ir1nr-
Of hand in the getting of those names out.
W. B. Rodgers-1 am in favor of the Bredin
bill. which puts the matter into the hands of
Thomas NJ. Marshall-I haven't thought
much about it. l am opposed to reforms. l
think the Judges should appoint Jury Com
mIssioners.
]. S. Ferguson-EIevate the office of Jury
Commissioner and pay better salaries The
Court should appoint the commissioners.
Josiah Cohen-Regarding the affection of
most lawyers for the jury system, all i have to
say is that they cling TO a fiction which has
very little to recommend it except age. In an
industrial community like this there is so much !
of scientific matter presented for disposition in
the courts that it is too much to expect an un- !
learned man TO comprehend sufficiently to sit |
as Judge. The Court, with its liberal educa- |
ton is much more likely to arrive at right re- |
suits than man whose intellect has not been
trained.
SHOULD BE OUT OF POLITICS.
7. II. Baird Patterson-The office must be
taken out of politics. 1 have lately had a |
chance to test the power of a very small poll
tician, and until the hold of this class is gone
there can be no radical Improvement AS to
getting lists of good names / understand that
lists of good citizens, who would make the |
right kind of jurors, are made every year for
school purposes. don't know exactly what the
list is made for, but understand it contains
good Names and see no reason why that kind
of names could not be furnished for Jurors !
as well.
William Reardon-Tm not a reformer; ask
Wishart.
W. D. Moore-I would abolish the grand jury
as useless lncumbrance and let the District
take the informations made and nre- ,
sent them to court; have the court punish
aldermen and justices of the peace who sent up
trifing cases, by putting the costs on theInand
finally have the court select the petit Jurors.
There would be no need TO go further. 6
]. S. Lambie-I suppose the Bredin bill {
is not as perfect as experience might make :
il. but if j were in charge j would have it ,
passed. l think it is the best thing yet offered
and it has received the sanction of the Allie
gheny Law Association.
AS a general thing lawyers seem to think
they could not get along without juries and {
some appear to take it for granted that any :
Sort of an apology for jury is better than
none.
Yesterday Thomas Burns, who is charged '
With having improper influence on some of the
September grand Jurors, was examined by Dis
trlct Attorney Porter and Judge Collier, and
stated that he had given Doyle $40 and Fred
Hell SO. Burns
SAID THEY HAD BORROWED I
the sums stated from him. He said he gave G
Doyle the money before August and before he :
knew that Doyle was a member of the grand
jury. He stated that he gave He'll the money
N August after McAleese had sued him, and
tbe case had been sent to court. Burns SAID S
hat at the time he lent the money to He'll he
had a talk with him about the case but that
the latter did not say he would do anything for |
him. Burns said He'll came to him and after | {
Eetting the money promised to pay it S