The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-05-10
GOOD CITIZENSHIPs

GOOD CITIZENSHIP
 Just what 1t takes to constitute good citizenship Is a question about which | there might be differences of opinion, | at least on some points, but there Is | one test upon which all should agree, | if they will think of it right. and that Is the duty of every man to assist in enforcing the laws. A man may be | honest. upright, temperate, truthful, | and in all respects a strict observer of l the laws, human and divine, but if his | law observance only applies to his own conduct there is yet something lacking. 1 The enforcement of the law, or assisting in it's enforcement, is one of the highest and most important duties of citizenship. A mans own life and conduct may be without blame. but he fails in his duty if he. refuses to do l his part in bringing about the punish | ment of those who violate the laws of the country and one of the most | important posts of duty for the good ] citizen is found in the jury box, for there are few positions in our system | of government that are of more impor- | scientious jurymen.
 Our jury laws are too mild and elas- tic in at least one respect. There are too many exemptions from jury duty, aside from the questions of age, and
 even in that respect the limit is too low. The average man of TO is cer-
 tainly better fitted for jury duty than ! ts he nf nd fItI1x vaI1
 qualified as he was at GC to perform the duties of a juryman. Leaving out the question of age. however, there are too many classes exempt, and in l most cases these classes embrace the men best qualified to make good jurors. It may work a hardship in some cases | for & man, to leave his business and serve on the jury, but it may be no less hard on the farmer or t.her work l ing man. Of course there are some exceptions in which men are engaged where it would not only be a hardship on them but loss and inconvenience to the public if they should be taken from their duties for days or weeks at | time. There ought to be, and must be some exceptions, but our laws allow too many.
 Aside from this we think there is no doubt that judges too often show more leniency in this respect than is good. Men may be excused from this duty on so many pretexts that fre- quently it is matter of great difii- culty to get a jury to try case. Not all judges are thus complaisant, we well know, but we also know that
 there are some who will excuse jurors
 on such slight pretexts as to serious
 ly delay the ends of justice. This, also,
 is an evil that should not exist.
 This exemption from jury duty for
 various causes results In most of our panels being composed of men who are
 not best qualified for the duty, however
 honest their intentions may be, and it too often happens that men are drawn
 and accepted who are not fitted, either | by character or intelligence, for the task. This, again, leaves the way open
 for the 'jury-fixer." and If there any
 where exists under our system of gov
 ernment a vultIre who preys and fat
 tens on the very vitals of justice it is the professional jury -hxer. as he is now called and known in many places,
 We hear much bitter and just de- nunciation of vote-hxers-men who stand about the polls on election day, or circulate among the voters earlier, using arguments, promises and money to influence the voters and change the result of elections. Such men deserve all the harsh criticism bestowed on them but they are rot as bad as the | iury-fxers are. The former may cor rupt the electorate but the latter be-
 foul the fountains of justice and often are the means of defeating it entirely. | They not only manipulate in such way as to get men of their own choosing on the panel, but also contrive to keep off those whom they consider unsafe for their interests. thus working evil in two ways. They are assisted in their nefarious. work by the long list of e1- emptions, and thus it happens that all most any average jury may have one or more members who can be so influ- enced ny threats, arguments or money as to prevent a verdict in any case.
 This scandal is especially rife in the large cities. The reform Mayor of Philadelphia is finding 1t an almost impossible task to get the courts to convict or punish any of the gang of | looters who madc that city almost by-word The newspapers of New York and Brooklyn almost every day have l complaints of the failure 10 punish l crime there. If is the same iri Chiea- go and any other large city where the