The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1909-02-19
LET us PATTERN AFTER MISSISSIPPI N
TINS.

day to a representative OF this paper
that Mississippi has the best system
OF criminal laws OF any state in the
South. An illiterate man in Missis-
sippi can not serve upon a jury.
We are informed that a would.be
Juror is first asked if he can read
and write, next he is asked if he is
a qualified e%Iector, then he is asked
If he is a common gambler or
drunkard.
One must meet the objections
raised by these questions before one
can be rendered to the prosecutor or
TO the lawyer for the defendant.
In Mississippi judges are appoint
ed by the governor. This provision
was put into the law by ~jurists
whose fame and ability were nation
wide. Whether the people of Mis-
sisslppi are satisfied with an APP
n..alel Judiciary. rather than an
elected one we do not know, but we
do know that under the present sys-
TEN when a case is got into court,
Mississippi justice is generally
measured to fit the crime.
The jurors in the Cooper case may
be entirely honest. The jurors in
the Cooper case may render a just
verdict, but the jury now sitting in
the Cooper case could not sit upon
a case in Mississippi, because five Of
the members could not meet the re-
quirements as to being able TO read
and write. A nan should be a
qualified voter to be a juror, 70. the
man who does not take enough in
terest in the affairs of the state to
qualify himself as an elecior should
not be permitted to become an Of
fcer Of the courts.
Had the state been required to
put the question as to gambling and
drinking, we would not have the
scandal Of the three days trial as to
how many days in a year one person
spent drunk.
The Commercial Appeal paid no
compliment to the courts of Missis-
sippi, but merely stated an exact
truth and the fact itself was a com
pliment to the high standard Of in
telllgence Of the men who created
the laws Of that state. In Miseie
sippi the law works for intelligence
in the jury box, in Tennessee the
law works for Ignorance in the Jury
box. Intelligence is a requisite in
business, in the practice Of law, in
medicine, in setting type, in driving
a dray, but not in jury duty in this
state.
That a man can not read and
write does not mean that a man is
not a good citizen. His ignorance
may be due to lack of opportunity
or to other conditions over which he
had no control, but a mar who can
neither read nor write has lost two
valuable adjuncts to the work of
correct thinking, his mental pro-
cesses lack two valuable allies in
forming conclusions. His judg,
ments are based upon instinct rath-
VI VIGIL hbpi lVdsuu VI Ills COuClu-
slons may come from appealing to
his emotions, his likes or dislikes,
than to his power OF reflec-
ton.
Our good lawyers and good
judges should formulate a bill re-
the system of selecting Jurors
in this state. They should submit
this to the Legislature and the legis-
lature should enact their conclusions
laws.
The entire time Of the legislature
now has been devoted to statewide
and such election laws as will insure
the dominant faction in that body
able to hold office for them
" for their allies. At best
their Legislation has been by poll.
and for politicians. Let
them now try to do something tor
the people,
1t has been said that human life
is the cheapest thing in this state.
The Legislature, by three or four g.,
simple laws, can at least give the j
'tate an even chance with the de-
endant when the two meet before a
curt and make the business of muir
Ter a more serious thing than a =
n. ~n...