Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-07-03
IMPORTANT CHANGE IN MANNER
OF SELECTING vENIREMEN
NOW POSSIBLE.
APPLIES TO COUNTIES
OF 10000 POPULATION
Commission to Be Named by Judges
to Select Both Grand and Petit Juries
-cosson Law Extended to Include
all Elective City, County and State
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. For Guardsmen.
Special to Times-Republican.


4 Des Moines, July ga highly inn
poitant change in the manner of Sc
curing juries in counties of more than
10000 population is made possible by
the new jury commission law which
goes into effect July 4. Under this law
grand and petit juries are chosen by a
jury commission Of three men which
shall meet on the first Monday in No
vcmber Of each year and select the
grand and petit jurors for the follow
ing year.
While this law goes into effect July
it will not in fact become operative
until Jan. /, 1918. 1t applies only to
counties having population of 10000
or more in which there is a city Of
$4,000 or more.
The three members of the jury COM
I mission are chosen by the judges of the
county. These commissioners must
qualify before the 10th day of October
and have a year of service.
AS to the duties of the commission
the new law says:
The commission shall meet in a
room which shall be provided by the
board of supervisors in the court house
In the county in which they are APP
pointed on the first Monday after the
tenth day of November in each year
and select the names of persons having
the qualifications Of jurors and who
are of good moral character to serve as
grand and petit jurors and talesmen
for the year beginning the first day Of
of ho ofS
commission. The names of ;one hun
dred persons shall be drawn from
which the grand jurors shall be Sc.
lected; the names of a number of per-
sons equal to one-seventh of the whole
number of qualified voters in the coun-
~ who voted at the last preceding gem
eral election, as shown by the poll
books OF such election shall be
drawn, from which the petit jurors
be selected" Talesmen wiH be selected
in the same manner.
The county auditor must furnish the
commission a statement of the number
OF grand and petit jurors and tales
men to be drawn from each voting pre-
cinct in the county and the commission
must so draw them from each voting,
precinct.
The new law has been fought for
by the lawyers of the state for many
years but it was only in the last gen
eral assembly that the opposition to it
seemed to have been overcome. The
law went thru the last session with
comparatively little opposition. 1t was
one OF the laws in which the state bar
association was interested. 1t is oper-
tative in q number of other states. e
Fhe last general assembly also en-
larged the powers of the Cosson re-
movai law making it apply to all cleo.
tive city. county and state officials.
This becomes operative July 4.
State Pensions For Guardsmen.
Two important measures affecting
enlisted men were passed by the last
legislature and are now in effect, the
one exempting the man who joins the
eoiors from payment of debts during
the war, the other applicable to those
enlisted in Iowa military organizations,
rhich gives to dependents pensions
which will abe paid by the state. Men
WHO enlist in the regular army are
not included in the beneficiary list but
they do come under the law exempting
them from debts.
The moratorium law is as follows:
All soldiers and sailors and other
persons in. the military or naval SER
vice Of the government of. the United
states who may hereafter enter such
service during the present war are
hereby exempted while in such service
ard for period of six months after
the. termination of the war, or of said
service or death from payment Of any