New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-05-10
WHAT THE PEOPLE SAY.
THE WOES OF THE JURYMAN.
SERIOUS EMBARRASSMENT TO HIS BUSINESS AND
UNFAIR TREATMENT THAT MIGHT
BE REMEDIED.
Get achat you ask for.

To the Editor OF The Tribune
Sir: The Commissioner OF Jurors asserts that he
"can summon jurymen by registered letter mailed
day and have the jurymen In court next morn
ing This Is very nice for the Commissioner, put
how about the jurymen? A man may be going out
of town on the o'clock train. but must be In court
at 10 o'clock A poor clerk receives the summons
while at breakfast to appear at 10 o'clock or be
fired for non-attendance. He has no time TO go 10
his place Of business, and. II he has his employer
may not be there to excuse him or find "A substi-
tute and the poor clerk Is in trouble. person
qualified 10 act as juror should have ample time
to arrange his private business, and has some
rights, 1t appears to me. which the Commissioner
of Jurors and courts. should be made to respect.
Why should one or two hundred citizens be com
PEELED TO leave their business. without sufhcient
notice TO prepare for absentins themselves mercy
az is too often the TO decide petty suits IN
volving small amounts of money, which the jury
men could better afford to contribute 10 settle the
suits saving time and money by so doing? This OF
course would not he feasible; but people have
cause for Sinking jury duty" for these reasons
Jurymen are not treated fairly by the judges. The
Judge generally announces that no business cX-
cuses will be received" and the juror with press,
knows not what TO do. all Of which Is wrong, ana
citizen should be subjected 20 such treatment
In saying this may state that some judges rca,,%c
that jurors have private business Whlch Is az IN
portant TO them as and more so than most OF the
petty cases chronic litgantsl which The jurors
are called upon TO waste their time III DECIDING.
A lawyer vii! sometimes be ten or fifteen minutes
late when case il on trial. but ne waIks ca mn.
in. smiles benignantly on the Jury ana Do"S 10 tiie
Judge and the case proceeds. The Judge starts
from his Office and meets some one VINO nT,ains
MIN for fifteen or twenty minutes ana ne Walhs III
Oerhaps a little faster and raps on the desk, anu
the case proceeds fifteen or twenty minutes late
But woe TO the unlucky Juryman who detains me
business of the court. wasting Its precious tiine
ten fifteen minutes the poor man Is calieu NV
like a schoo.boy before the whole courtroom Tor ms
remissness. He may plead missing boat or ran an
pecuniarily. but it makes 10 difference; he gets
scolding and If he insists asserting mis- right to
be excnsfa hc he Wno eyef G Of
Judge paying fine for being late at court =
juryman. understand, is an officer OF the court
the same as lawyer or judge. ana Is emitted 10
respect commensurate with It's dignity.
\ lawyer has cases postponed until ne can ai,eha
10 them properly; n judge can adjourn court II ne
thinks it advisable. perhaps to attend the races
but Il poor juryman must, laying aside an ousl
ness dance attendance upon the court contlnu-
ally and continuously; Are not these good reasons
why business 'shrk jury duty. with IT'S poor
pay and unjust treatment, while their associates.
lawyers and Judges. all well paid? | have
Weeks and get only 81 or s. for their services. when
the loss to them was ten to fifty times the amount
il is not supposed that people should be paid for
their losses by acting as jurymcn but the way TO
better pay them well. treat them better. treat
them as Court officers. giving them the same
rights and privileges that lawyers and judges IN
sist upon having accorded to themselves This will
add TO the dignity Of being a juryman, which now
has not a. much honor or dignity attached TO II as
there IS TO the Office OF Alderman. This VIII
prove more effectual n,roforming or improving the
Jury system than the present way OF realing
lrymer as IL they had no rights during the trial,
and at it's close discharging them with the temptD
thanks of the Court
These things and allowing threc-quarltrs or nine
tenths of the cases to be decided b. the Judge In
stead OF by jury, will have tendency TO furthei
tho ends or Justice insure better jurors and rave
time and money TO thousands OF citizens whose
time ought 10 be better employed than In deciding
fha m
calendars weekly
This is the result of observation. not experience
as I have always enjoyed jury duty barring the
petty cases owing to an innate love OF the law.
New-York, May S. 1897. KELHAS