Evening journal., 1913-04-17
EDITORIAL OPINION
WOMEN JURORS AND HANDSOME

MEN.
From Golfers Weekly
A mournful cry comes from Cali
fornia. A citizen Of Redwood City
has discovered that the integrity
high h-mindedness, and impartial JUS
tice of our beloved institution, the
jury, is threatened by the advent Of
women into its hallowed ranks. He
writes us a letter inclosing a clipping
from the San Francisco Examiner,
which has this alarming headline:
WOMEN JURORS ADMIT FANOhlNG
HANDSOME MEN.
After few words in praise of the
city of his choice. without which no
true Westerner can begin conver-
sation, he says:
"I am not sending this as a joke,
but as a matter of evidence to show
that women are a failure as jurors.
Unfortunately we have had women
jurors in this State since we have
enfranchised women. The women all
over our State are furnishing the
strongest arguments against woman
suffrage in such instances as the
above
And so on for two pages. It seems
that a handsome youth named Dian,
da, caught stealing horses, had been
acquitted in spite OF the evidence, at
the instigation of the three women
Jurors on the case. These three
women had argued so we'll for the
boys release that the nine men jur
ors had been convinced, and he was
acquitted. The enterprising reporter
who wrote the above headline inter-
viewed the ladies to find out how
much the prisoners looks had to do
with his acquittal. The first one said {:
Undoubtedly women in time will
make just as fair jurors as men. The
idea of a woman juror is so new ana
the feminine sex so inexperienced in
the matter of acting as jurors. that
II is impossible for me TO say at this
time whether women jurors will per-
nit handsome criminals to escape JUS
tice. We would want more
evidence to convict the matinee idol
than the villain In the play"
What do you think of that? Con
slider the past How does a clever
criminal lawyer convince the jury OF
the innocence of his young and pret-
ty female client Isn't it by appeal
ing to the even justice Of their male
intellects? The second woman inter
viewed said:
THE age of a prisoner will have a
great deal TO do with verdicts render
ed by a woman juror. In the case
of Ugo Dianda, the youth OF the pris-
cner was best exemplifed in his won
derfully clear pink-and-white com
plexiOn and his small. dainty hands
No woman could send a youth like
him to the penitentiary unless there
we're loads of evidence introduced
showing him to be a criminal of the
, worst stamp"
And the third agreed that It was
the youth and apparent cleanliness
Of the prisoner that biased the wom-
en- in his favor. She said:
"The reason why Dianda was no'
convicted was that he was not o
criminal despite the fact that he stole
horse. He is youth that has gone
astray."
"In other words. these women had
no intention OF sending boy--young
clean and promising-for so slight ar
offense, into an environment thai
would almost certainly make a Grim
/ inal of him for life. Women's minds
are not like mems Their interests
/ are not the same. This Is not an age
when it will do them any harm to ad-
NIT that they care less for abstract
questions of law and more for human
Justice. Isn't that exactly what W,
are trying TO get into our courts to
day?