The Oskaloosa herald., 1908-01-16
SELECTION OF TALEsMAN.

Editor Herald: | noticed an item
in Saturdays Daily Herald entitled
"Talesman Selected which | think is
misleading, and which ! wish to cor
rect In this article the reporter says;
eThe list of names for each precinct
We're arranged by County Auditor J
w. Doak and given to the board.
This would lead the readers of the
Herald to believe that the Auditor, and
not the Board of Supervisors, selected
these names. from which jurymen are
to be drawn for the year 1908
desire to say for the edification Of
those not familiar with the law in
this matter of selecting new jury
list, as it is generally termed, that un
der the arrangement of the biennial
election law in each year when nc
election is held the district judge in
compliance with Chapter IL OF the
Acts of the Sind General Assembly OF
Iowa. must make and order to be ser
we'd on the Board of Supervisors a
notice that they shall meet in special
session for the express purpose OF
selecting the list of names from the
qualified electors of all the voting pre-
cincts in the county, as shown by the
poll lists returned by the election
boards as voting at the last preced
ing general election. The statute
provides that in counties of over 90,
600 population such list shall be as
follows:
Seventy-five names for grand jury;
500 for petit jury, and 800 for tales
man; said 300 talesman are all select
ed from the voting precincts of Os
kaloosa.
Judge B. w. Preston made the or
der converting the board of supervis.
ors on Monday, Jan. 6, 1908, to select
the list of names as referred to.
The statute" also provides that the
county auditor shall prepare list OF
all those who have served on the jury
in the preceding year from all the pre-
cincts in the county, whose names
shall not appear ON the new list as
selected by the board of supervisors.
The same law applies in this case as
that governing election boards in Sc.
lecting the jury list This list of the
men who had served in 1907 is nc
doubt the list referred TO In the Her.
aid, as being prepared by Auditor
Doak, but as it is written the readers
would naturany construe it differently
Your article | refer to states the
facts that the duty fell on the board OF
supervisors to select these names;
then following says the list was pre-.
pared by the auditor, which is a mis-
take. After selecting this new jury
list as outlined by the statute, the
board of supervisors have to make a
certificate, that they have made the
same in strict compliance with the
statute and that no name is included
in said list, who directly or indirectly
requested that his name should be put
on said list. &
In conclusion | would suggest that
it would be well for our next Legisla.
ture to amend this law SO that at each
general election there could be enough
names selected to draw jurymen from
for two years. 1T would save quite an
expense, taking it all over the state,
and the trustees of the several voting
precincts surely know more about who
is qualified to serve on the jury than
the board of supervisors, who are not
acquainted in the majority of the pre-
cincts, as the election boards are.
grant you the board of supervisors
will make no kick if they are released
of this responsibility of selecting an.
other list. w. Doak, County Aud