The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-22
THE PERSONAL ELEMENT.
Its Operation in Influencing Juds-
ments Of Men and Women.

To the Editor of the Indianapolis Journal
1t was alleged in an article in the Journal
OF the 10th inst, taken from the Brooklyn
Eagle, entitled ugly Liabilities in Lynch
Law" that the personal element in wo-
mems judgment is what makes them un-
safe as rulers. politicians and jurors This
position was illustrated by the case of a
young negro in Atlanta who shot his sweet
heart while almost insane with jealousy
because she had been shedding her smiles
on his rivals. He was tried, convicted of
murder in the first degree and sentenced
to be hanged, though the murder does not
appear to. have been deliberately planned.
land instances might be cited" said the
article, where jealousy was declared to
be a sufficient cause for homicide" Whilst
his friends sought a modification of this
sentence, as a matter of justice, through
the Governor a woman of fashion, accord
ing to report, insisted that he should hang,
not because the evidence and justice de-
manded it, but because the girl had been
the womans maid and her mistress wished
to be avenged for a personal deprivation of
services. Now does not the personal ele-
ment in mems judgments unfit them equally
to be rulers politicians and jurors? The
personal clement in the young negro who
did the killing seems to have totally dis
qualified him Tor righteous course In the
premises He far lost his moral pOiSe
that ne seems to have entirely forgotten
that vengeance is mine, saith the LORD; L
will repay Yet his case would be mar
row pretense for denying to his race the
plenary rights of citizenship or access TO
any position of trust and honor.
This personal element complained Of has
disgraced men in high position in every age.
Because woman of Belshazzar's court adj
mired one of his courtierS he had the man
subjected to an unnamable operation. Lord
Jeffres so allowed the personal element to
predominant in many of his judgments that
his name is the synonym of Ju61ci2i lntamy.
The personal element so deINDralIzeS the
Judgment of male jurors that acknowledged
the service, and men are excluded from
sitting upon juries on this very ground.
A litigant, also is allowed ~ swear judge
off the bench for this reason.
Notwithstanding these facts, who would
perpetrate such q traVesty of common
sense as to contend that men arc unified
to be rulers, politicians and Jurors? If the
contention of the article means anything
it is a covert assertion of the constitutional
inferi0rity of woman to man, which has
been diSprOVed in the colleges and moral
arenas of Chrstendom. The sixty years
reign of Victoria is an example or intelli-
from which politicians on both sides of the
sea can learn much. She was once advised
by one of her ministers to sign document
OF the ground Of eXpediency to which
judge between what is right and wrong,
but expediency is a word | wish neither
to hear nor to understand offer these
words from a convection that the antique
assumption reiterated in the article OF the
Brooklyn Eagle has debarred woman from
a development which responsibility and its
prived the world of many an able and faith
full public servant by the exercise of
prejudice against the female sex as baseiesS
and unjust any which have commonly
disfgured the INTERPRETATIONS OF , dlTfeTent
Cartersburg, Ind, July 20