The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1900-05-04

4
nal one with the reader who told her listen
ers that she wished to read that particular
paper because II was 50 much better than
anything she herself could prepare, but any
one who could select and read appreciativeiy
such paper as that one was might be de-
pended on to write something OF her own
which would be we'll worth listening e..
The paper brought out very clearly that it
Is the unconscious influence OF ones life,
the one thot of least of all, that Is after all
the most important and no one should feel
that his or her life Is failure bsclu'e h
cannot see Just how 1t Is doing any good in
the world.
Floyd Reynolds gave review of the
current events OF the month, devoting con-
siderable time to the Paris exposition just
opened. The United States, he said, was
next to France herself the largest exhibitor
at the fair, having more than three times
the number of exhibits shown by any Of the
forty-two other nations included In the list
of exhibitors. The organization of the big
International Canal Co., of Trenton, N J
was also commented on. The Puerto
Rlcan bill aud the announcement of
Dewey's candidacy received mention.
A papar prepared by Mrs. P. b. Rey
nolds was read by her son, Leo. 1t was on
the lines of true living aud the secret OF
true living was found In the cultivation of
the character itself. Character cultivated
bears fruit. Life Is what we make 1t and
whether our lives be true ones or not de-
ponds not on the circumstances by which
they are surrounded, but on ourselves. 1t
is only the things that we can ourselves
change that we are responsible for and a
true life makes everything which 1t itself
controls, the best possible.
After song by Samuel Lemon, Judge
Smith was called on for talk on the jury
system. The Judge said that it sometimes
seemed that people were quite unduly prone
to discuss and criticse the jury system
without knowing much about what they
were discussing. He referred briefly to the
old English Wager of Battle method of set
| thing disputes and the gradual evolution of
the modern jury system. He then told of
the method of procedure by which the
names Of the jurymen were determined.
| On the day of the review of the assessment
roll the clerk and the supervisor of each
| township make list of names taking one
| for every one hundred. men whose names
were on the rolls. This of itself brings it
about that the men who serve as jurymen
must be taxpayers. The law provides
further that the men must be men of pro-
bity, of honorable character and in fact
must have nearly all, 1t would seem, of the
moral characteristics laid down in the
decalogue. Moreover the men SO chosen
are given certificates of character by the
clerk of the town. The names of all the
men selected are written on similar pieces
| of paper, folded so that the names are con-
cealed and are put away, each township by
itself. Then when the jury is to be drawn,
one name Is taken from each township list
In succession until the entire panel Is
| drawn. The names which remain are left
throughout the year. The judge expressed
1t as his belief that juries are much more
intelligent and are far above what people
ordinarily give them credit for being The
grand jury is never drawn except on the
order of the court and, as he said, he had
never been obliged to draw one, Shiawassee
applause, however, when he remarked that
he did not know at one time but he would
do so in connection with the tax law and
the making of assessments this year. but
that the danger of that seemed to disappear
as soon as the possibility of its being done
was suggested. The regular program was
then concluded with a selection, "rhe
Legand of the Beautiful Hand, by Miss
Jessie McGilvra.
The subject of the jury system, however,
| was not settled to the entire satisfaction of
some of the members present who wished to
hear the judge discuss some other phases Of
the question. Mr.. j. j. Whelan, especially,
did not see how 1t could be considered any
thing else than relic of the dark ages when
one man on jury could completely tie the
action of eleven men and make them pow
| erless, and IL his point was not we'll taken
| 1t may at least be said that there was no
argument advanced in support of the prac-
| tice except the mere excuse of custom.
Mr. A. l.. Chandler spoke briefly in favor
of the system, then gave it as his opinion
that the effect of the tax commissions work
would be to raise the assessed valuation of
those present and of other honest people
| everywhere throughout the state while II
would not raise to their proper place the
assessed valuations of those whom they
wished most of all to bring where they
must pay their just part of the taxes. a view
which whether they wished to or not some
other members could scarcely help sharing
to some extent. When Mr.. Chandler
touched upon the Puerto Rican tariff meas
ure, however, and asked the club why the
trusts should want tariff on the sugar i'm
ported from Puerto Rico, he was very
promptly caught mapping by Mr.. Frank
Sheldon who informed him that that was
exactly what they did not want. The pre-
vaiing sentiment seemed to be, however,
that whatever the dangers which the trusts