New Britain herald., 1915-03-04
TOWN JURY LISTS
 SCORED BY ALL|NC
Politics Have Entered Into Sslte- tions, Declares States Attorney.

Hartford, March 4.-State'S Attor- ney Arnon A. filling of New Haven county severely criticized the town jury committees in his district at a hearing before the legislative judi ciary committee yesterday afternoon on a bill to give increased powers to the county jury commissioners. The bill supported by Col. filling would give the county jury commission the right to demand a new list of jurors from any town when the first list SUD- piled by the town jury committee or selectmen is not up to the standard they think necessary. Politics have entered into the selection of jurors by the town jury committees and select men to such an extent, said Col. AL ling. that it becomes difficult to se- cure proper men for jury duty.
 Col. filling particularly attacked the conditions in Waterbury. It is we'll known in that district, he said, how the jury committee fills their lists with ward healers and the exceeding ly low standard of honesty and in- tegrity of the men chosen for this important work. Some method must be adopted, he said, to secure better jurymen.
 Too High a Standard.
 Judge .Peasely of Cheshire asked why 1t wouldn't be a good thing to put them under civil service.
 filling said he was afraid they'd then get too high a standard of men.
 Senator Ernest l.. 1sbell suggested that the county jury commission which is appointed by the superior court judges. select the panels direct ly from the lists of voters in the towns, without preliminary selection by the town jury committees or se- lectmen. Col. filling said he thought this plan would put too much power with one jury commission. We have excellent jury commissioners now and always have had excellent men, he said. but you never can tell when things are going to change. If three politicians as the committee in Wa terbury got into this office. the result of such a system might be serious.
 Urges Second List.
 filings plan Is to give the county jury commission authority to demand second list when at least fifty per cent. of the first list doesn't come up to the standard necessary. This sec ond batch, which the bill provides must be supplied immediately. would be only one-half as large as the first If this second batch wasn't satisfac- tory, the jury commissioners could then make their own selections from the town in question.
 Bascom Johnson, Yale 1910, now counsel for the American Social lily giene society, appeared before the ju- dietary committee in favor of bill which would give private citizens the right to bring injunction suits against houses of i'll fame.
 Depburn Favors Bill.
 Thomas H. Depburn of Hartford. appeared in favor of a bill which pro- vided that 0 metal plate must be put over the door of buildings used as hotels and lodging houses giving the names of the owners of the prop erty. The idea of the bill is to make public the names of persons owning houses of designation. In the course of his discussion in answering a Waterbury man who opposed the bill he said Waterbury was considered one of the worst cities in this part of the country as regards this matter