The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-06-02


the end that there may be no grounds
for the we'll founded complaints that arc
heard on every hand.
One of the growing needs Of the time
is the improvement, not in the jury sys-
tenn, but in its administration In many
instances the men who complain most
against the miscarriage OF justice are
the most inveterate shirkers of their Jury
duty. Go into any court house during a
term of court and you viii find the
leading lawyers doing everything within
their power to get judges to excuse the
most influential men who have been
summoned to serve upon the jury and
too often the judges grant these requests
upon the plea that these men are so busy
that they cannot devote a few days to the
jury service, thus protecting the State
against the evil Of which they complain
most loudly. In a certain city IN North
Carolina, where there was a gross mis-
carriage of justice a few weeks ago, a
business man was very severe In denounc-
ing the course of the jury and declaring
that they were tending to make anarchists,
because the law was not enforced. 1t
transpired that this very man had been
to appear on the very jury and
had shirked his duty. Men who shirk
their duty have no right to %crltlclse the
verdicts of juries rendered by men who
are not shirkers.
In a recent charge to the Grand Jury
in Guilford county, Judge w. r. Allen,
of Wayne, emphasized the need of every
good citizen serving on the jury when
summoned, pointing out that it was only
in this way that life and property could
be protected and the law justly adminis-
tered. On that very afternoon a leading
lawyer and business man called to see
the Judge and asked him to excuse the
leading business man, who had been sum
eXcuslng him was a very strong one. FL
rally Judge Allen said to the business man;
4 think you ought to serve and show
ed him why the best man ought not to
Il want you to think about this matter
tonight in the light of your public duty"
The next day the business man, after re-
f~lecting upon the matter, came back and
served on the jury. The action of that
business man is one that ought to be
emulated; but if men of large business
interests try to escape jury service the
judges of the State owe it to themselves
and their oath of office to refuse. to ex-
cuse any except for the reasons that are
So strong that refusal would work a
severe injury. They ought to compel all
persons eligible to serve upon %juries.
In his charge to the jury in Guilford,
| Judge Allen stated that he had under
stood that IN some counties the county
commissioners did not put in the jury box
the names of all persons who are eligible
for jury duty. One gentleman who was
In Raleigh a few weeks ago from the
western part of the State, a leading
manufacturer, said that heshad an ar
rangement by which his name was not
put in the jury box and he had an I'M
Outstanding with the sheriff hat if he
was in the court room that he was not to
be called to serve upon the jury. If
there are many such instances there is
great need of the Grand Jury going into
the business of indicting county commits
sioners and sheriffs for helping men to
evade jury service. The county commits
sioners IN every county hould at once
take this matter into consideration, and
they should see to it that the name of
every person eligible for jury service is
put in the jury box and the judges should
compel them to, serve, permitting no rea-
son except very grave ones to excuse
any man.
The jury system is the very foundation
upon which rests all our system of juris-
prudence. If there is not an honest ad-
ministration of this system then tn,
fountain Of justice is polluted at it,
source.