The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-11-23
JURY COMMISSION
AND ITS WORK SCORED BY REV.
A. NJ. WILLIAMS.
TRANSCRIBED ALL AUTHORITY
HE DECLARES. WHEN THEY IN
CREASED EXEMPTION CAUSES.

Peculiar Coincidence, He Says, Thai
Those Active on Former Juries in
SuppressinE Gambling and Illegal
LIQUOR Selling Were Stricken
from Jury LiSt-The Calvin Law
Despite Opinions of Many Counties
TO Contrary. Declared Dangerous
by Some Court OHciaIs-The Open
Town Policy Can Not Work in a
City with n Negro Population.
"The All Round Church Member
was the subject of the sermon yester-
day morning at Trinity Methodist
Church by the pastor, Rev. A. NJ VIII
liams, and under this head he dis
cussed the qualifications Of church
members. One point brought out was
that the active church member should
carry his religion into his daily life. In
discussing this subject reference was
made to the action of the jury
commission. In speaking of the mat
ter, Rev. Mr.. Williams said. among
other things:
'The all round church member makes
a conscientious judge and never shirks
his duty-of course, l must add, in
these days. if the jury commission all
low him. The tendency to leave off
good men by recently appointed jury
commissioners is worth watching. 1t
mas been carried to such an extent in
this county that the recent grand jury
felt called upon to present it to the
court and the people. 1t is a serious
matter.
The beginning of the wrong was in
the appointment of commission
ers. The work committed to them is
delicate and important. The rights of
men as we'll as duties are effected.
The morals of a community are to a
certain extent in the hands of the
grand and petit jury. 1t is supreme
ly important that the men who make
up these juries should carry the great
est possible weight.
mo wonder the people, as repre-
scented in the late grand jury, do not
take kindly to their actions. The sur
est way to arouse disorder in a de-
lucrative body is to have an ineffi-
oient presiding officer; the surest way
TO produce discomfort is to give au-
thority to those who have not the
weight of influence to carry it.
Peculiar Coincidence.
There is a coincidence in the action
of these recently appointed commission
ers that ought to be closely scrutinized.
The number of names of those who in
past grand juries have been active
in seeking to indict violations of gam
bling and liquor laws have been left
off. Is a citizen who believes in sup
pressing gambling and illegal liquor
selling to be deprived of his right to
sit on the grand jury? Without MAX
ing any formal charge, l do not hest
tate to say, that the coincidence is
striking.
"One plank in the Fast several Dem
ocratic platforms has emphasized the
tendency I'd legislate through court de-
cisions. But here is a jury commits
sion usurpring the rights of legisla-
ton. Some may doubt whether Chat
ham county would send either of the
recently appointed, on his own merits,
to unite with others to make laws for
the state. Note, / say on his own mer-
its. Machines, in all the states. know
send without considering the quail
fications of the individuals.
But these men, by the declarations
of one of their number, have made a
new law of exemptions. The law speci-
DCS WIZ are cAGlnpl anu the commas
sioners are made the judges of the
qualifications. When they make rail-
road officers, bankers, and busy men
exempt, they transcend their author
ity. Endowed with such authority
they may extend their exemptions and
leave of members of certain churches
or those, who hear certain pastors
They enter on dangerous ground, when
they expand their exemption within the
law to judge as to the most exper-
fenced, intelligent or upright into pow
er to increase the classes of Jury ex-
emptions.
The Calvin Vagrancy Law.
There are two other reflections con-
corning the presentments of the grand
jury 1t calls for the enforcement OF
the Calvin Vagrancy law. From all
over the county comes evidence of the
good results of this law And now
cometh forth one of the officials of the
Court House of Chatham county and
deponeth the law is a failure. What
a wonderful facility these officials have
for finding out that laws won't do!
The Open Town Policy.
The grand jury states that II
found seven indictments for murder
and twenty-five for assault with at.
tempt to murder. This justifies my
statement of some weeks ago thai
there was a homicide or attempted
homicide for every two weeks of the
year. The record is. l say 1t in love
and sadness, a disgrace. I believe II
the legitimate outcome of the lax ad-
ministration of law.
Letting down the bars at one point
means a lowering at another. The oper
town policy may suit Europe, but il
cannot be followed in a Southern city
city people largely with negroes
race. taken from barbarism, held ii
slavery for generations, and ther
turned loose in a town with no rigiC
enforcement of laws, can do no good
Harm is bound to result. Run policy
crap, Sunday whisky, can you expec
anything better than the fearful story
presented in that able paper read las
Friday in the Court House?"
Rev. Mr.. Williams closed his ser.
mon by making an earnest appeal fol
the use of strenuous methods in abat.
inc axriIc