Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-11-29
AFTER NEW JURYMEN.
Judge Ewing and the Commissioners
Busiiy Preparing the Lists.
IDEAS OF THE BAR ASSOCIATION.
1t Will Have the Shiras Bill to Reform the
System Called Up
AT THE NEXT LEGISLATURES SESSION

Judge Ewing and Jury Commissioners
Walker and Jiles are now making up the
list of jurymen who will be called upon to
serve during the year 1891.
Thirty,fve hundred names will be select
ed, two of the three furnishing l, 167 each,
and the third 1,166. These lists must be
prepared on or before the first Monday in
January, and the names be ready for the
wheel. These names are numbered on the
tab from to $500, and the names, with
corresponding numbers, are copied into a
book, which is kept in the Prothonotary's s
Office, and is at all times open for the in
spection of the public.
No name is used oftener than once year,
and the total number is never drawn. Be-
fore the Brooks law came into effect the
usual yearly drawing amounted to about
5000, but since that time not more than
$500 or 1900 are taken from the wheel.
When the new lists are prepared the names
remaining in the wheel are taken out and
destroyed.
These precautionary measures have all
had their origin within the last II years, but
for all of that it has been fond desire OF
the Bar Association for several years to still
further reform the jury system by having
the courts appoint the commissioners instead
of having them elected by the people.
WISHES OF THE BAR.
At the last session of the Legislature. it
will be remembered that George Shiras Ill,
introduced bill covering this particular
point, at the request of the association, and
it was reported tavorably from the Judici-
ary Committee, to which it had been re-
ferred, but the business Of the session was
so extensive that it was not reached on the
calendar before the date of final adjourn
| ment.
A member of the association, in speaking
of the matter last night, said that the bill
would be revived at the coming session oi
the Legislature, and that many local at
torneys thought it would meet with favora.
BILE consideration. The main argument that
has been before used against the present
system will be revived. and that is that
Jury Commissioners, as politicians, avail
themselves of this opportunity, to very
great extent, to repay political debts, by
selecting their friends for the jury box. II
is claimed that in many instances these men
are not chosen with reference to their fitness
to properly discharge the duties required Of
them, but for their ability to hustle up votes
for the delegates who name the Commission.
| ers.
SIMILARITY IN THE LISTS.
A gentleman who was at one time con-
nected with the Commissioner Office said
last night that it was remarkable fact that
a comparison of the lists from year to year
would find about the same names thereon.
He ventured the assertion that in eight
cases out of len they were one and the same,
and almost invariably were those of men
who have that most essential quality III
politics, "pull." He said that even the
Judges did not always 60 outside of the
ranks of politicians in their selections, a:
had been demonstrated on more than one
occasion. At the same time he insisted
that the material furnished was about a.
good as if it had been selected in some othel
manner.
1t is not known that the Shiras bill viii
be revived by member OF the Allegheny
county delegation. but the chances are thai
it will be. At all events. several members
of the local Bar Association insist that the
subject will not be dropped, but that it will
be pushed through to finish, one way ol
another.