Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1914-05-22
ARKANSAS BAR
 MEMBERS HERE One Hundred or More Lead CTS in State Affairs at
 Convention.
NEED BETTER JURIES
Moral and Intellectual Standard of Juries Must Be Raised Says President Coleman. Elect
 Officers Today.

The feature of the seventeenth an nual convention of the Bar associa tion of Arkansas, which convened il this city yesterday for a two days session, was the annual address o1 President Charles T. Coleman of Lit tie Rock Mr. Coleman spoke on .Tri al by Jury" He told that the mora and intellectual standard of the jur- ies must be raised. "We must get away from the notion that every man is qualified for jury service and that jury service is the birthright of every citizen. Membership on jury should be a distinction of honor,' said MT. Coleman.
 Mir. Coleman said that he had found that the origin of the jury was French instead of English, and that it was instituted by royalty and not by the masses. He gave William the Conqueror credit for fathering it, and Henry " perfected it. The modern jury had it's origin in the Inquisition. Early history says a jury of cooks was selected to try man charged with selling bad food, and jury of lawyers tried man charged with calling judge a robber.
 "But while every other feature of jurisprudence has advanced and been made adaptable to modern condi- tions," said MT. Coleman, "trial by jury has merely marked time. The moral be raised. It is deporable that judges practically exempt men of af- fairs, who ask to be relieved because of press of private business or for other excuses"
 He favored the abolishment of eX- animation of jurors in civil cases by lawyers. Twenty to twenty-five per cent of the time consumed in trying a case is given over to the selection of the jurors. They should be exam ined by the court, he declared. The rule requiring the unanimity of yer diets also ought to be abolished, he he said. A majority was sufficient to return a verdict in olden times, and that rule should apply now in civil cases. He urged the association to use its influence in securing these reforms.
 The first session began promptly at ii o'clock yesterday morning, when Judge Jacob Trieber of the federal court introduced w. F. Coleman of Pine Bluff, who delivered the address of welcome. Rev. James Thomas sald the invocation.
 Tn welcoming the visiting lawyers to Pine Bluff Mir. Coleman said may he some of you don't know that we are in the midst of the biggest cotton country in Arkansas. Pine Blum actually handles more cotton than Little Rock. We have the biggest compress in the world here, and the town is full of big-hearted, good men and lawyers of integrity" .
 The afternoon session began al /. o'clock with a general discussion or President Coleman's address, Irlal bv Jury." The report of the secretary and treasurer was heard and three napers were read, Judge U. M. Rose by Judge John M. Moore of Little Rock: "The Constitution-A Grant. or Enumerated Powers," by James b. McDonough of Fort Smith, and Some Needed Reforms" by Lamar William son of Monticello. Each paper was discussed at length and the afternoon session came to a close at o'clock.
 The first social feature of the meeting was a reception rendered the visitors last evening by the local cl association at the Hotel Plnes' whleh was followed by a ball tendered the lawyers by the Lotusl Cotllllon clun at the Pines. Seibert's elght-plece orchestra furnished music TOT the dancers, beginning at S:3o O'CLOCK and the lovers of the light fantastlc nioyed themselves until O'CLOCK this morning.
 At the business session this morn ing about twenty-five new members will he elected. The 1915 meeting nlace will also be selected and or ficers for the eAtEsng year will DC elected. During the afternoon the visitors vii be taken for an auto mohi,e ride over the new Dollarway road and will wind up at Doris TEX
 where Duke" Pohl will await their arrival with refreshments.
 Members Present.
 The members who registered yes | tnrday were: ldr
 W. B. Alexander. Pine Bluff. W. H. Arnold. Texarkana. William H. Askew. Magnolia. F. G. Bridges, Pine Bluff. Thomas s. Busbee, Little ROCK. s, D. Campbell, Newport.
 | D. H. Cantrell. Little Rock l T. M. Carter, TeXarkana.
 l Ashley Cockrill, Little Rock. l e. T. Coleman, Little Rock.