The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-12-29
STILL ON THAT VERDICT.

The announcement previously made in
THE HERALD dispatches that one man on
the CRoNIN Jury had his way as against the
other eleventh other words, that one
twelfth of the jury instead of the whole OF
it made up the verdict-has been fully con
firmed; and what travesty on justice as
relates to the jury system it is Accounts
have since reached US to the effect that
another man on the panel-one of the stub
born eleven-is thoroughly Disguised with
the whole matter in general and in detail,
especially in so far as it relates to that
particular case, and is decided convert to
the scheme for permitting a verdict to be
rendered without the unanimous consent
of the panel. 1t is also clearly demon
strated that What States Attorney LoNGE-
NEcKER said regarding the verdict-that 1t
was a compromise-was entirely correct
and proper presentation of the situation.
While it is undeniably right for jurors to
compromise as to civil verdict, and that
very often more nearly substantial justice
is reached in that way than in any other,
the idea of the issues concerning which
mans life is in the balance hanging on the
'ender thread of a few mems capricious
Juggling, and this brought about by one of
their number, is trife inappropriate, if
not altogether unseemly and the least bit
CHASTITY.
Speaking on this subject, the GlObe-Dem-
ocrdt is constrained to say that ''lt is I'M
reasonable to say that the opinion OF a SIN
gle person in such matter should finally
outweigh the opinion jointly held by eleven
others having precisely the same facilities
for reaching sound and fair conclusion.
The course of justice is far less likely to
be promoted than defeated by a rule so
clearly illogical, not to say ridiculous. All
of our public officers are chosen ard all OF
our current legislation effected by ma
jority vote. The higher courts render de-
cisions according to the same theory. The
governor who has an absolute pardoning
power may be elected by plurality of one
vote Why, then, should different plan
prevail only in jury trials? 1t is notorious
that the effect does not justify the doc
trine. Oftener than otherwise it happens
that jury verdicts are indefinite, inaccurate
and unsatisfactory. Society loses more
than it gains by reason of such an arrange
ment." Occasionally our st. Louis cotem-
porary is right, and 1t was never more so
than when it gave birth to the foregoing
lines of doctrine.
The verdict was not the only disgusting
thing developed in the CRoNIN case. The
eager and hot-headed anxiety exhibited by
some of the Chicago press to have the de-
PENDANTS convicted and hanged, after the
manner of the anarchists, was altogether
out of place and partaking not little c.
that bloodthirstiness which can find place
more properly anywhere else than in a
newspaper office. Undoubtedly there were
degrees of guilt, and to this extent the jury
found properly; but for the public journals
to take it upon themselves to parade the
guilt of the accused men, while on trial as
previously, before the world in general
and the Chicago part of it in particular,
was almost enough of itself to justify the
Jury going the other way.
Justice las she is known elsewhere) aud
Chicago ought to be introduced to each
other.