The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-06-15
DRAWING OF LURES
 SUBJECT OF STRICT INVESTIGATION BY CESSC0MM|TTEE
Jefferson County Legisla- tive Delegation Probes the Jury System Women Ask for Censorship of
 Moving Pictures

ty jury commission was heavily scored at the final meeting of the Jefferson legislative probe committee at the courthouse yesterday by Horace c. All ford, an attorney.
 Witnesses stated that there were large numbers of citizens of this coun- ty who had been residents from three to 30 years and had never served on the jury; that they were qualified jurors and entitled to serve. but were stricken from the jury lists without cause.
 Statements were made that corpora tions and large business firms were al- lowed to fill out blanks with the names of men eligible for the jury box In
 many instances these lists were made
 up by store clerks and timekeepers Horace c. Afford the chief witness before the committee, stated he learned that the jury commission in October or November. 1917, was preparing to destory the names in the jury box and refill it, whereupon he Immediately swore out an action of mandamus re- quiring the commission to put the name of every qualified voter in the box according to statue.
 NOT CALLED TO SERVE MT. Afford testified that he had learned before the mandamus was nled that there were at least 700 machinlsts in the county who were never sum moned for jury duty, stating that they were qualified. This information ne learned, according to his statements,
 by going to the United Mine Workers unions in various parts of the county and was advised that large numbers Of the members of the union had never been summoned, even though they were house owners and tax payers ana hao been in the county for long periods, be- I . n were 75 men. at Republic whose names had never appeared on the jury list though qualified.
 He said that while the mandamus proceedings were pending Eugene Brown, then president of the jury com mission, testified before the board as 1 to the number of names in the jury box; that he refused to state just what determined him to exclude name from the list and Judge H. A. Sharpe | did not make him answer.
 1 MT Afford testified that Harry An l drews, clerk of the commission testlned | that he went to various organizations | and left blanks to be filled out, these l lists to be returned to him for the max = | ing up of the jury lists. MT. Afford sald I that there were approximately 35,00o | qualified jurors in Jefferson county and | that when these lists had been made up 1 the sheriff summoned witnesses and l in some places he found vacant lots where the names were given.
 WOULD SEND MISSIONARIES | When questioned as to how he would | remedy the jury system he stated that 1 he would have questionnaire sent 10 | every man in the county and that the | lists would be made up from the an- swers returned and the jury commits l sion should not have any discretion in | the passing upon the qualifications. 1 'Is it not fact that the whole com plaint of the jury system comes from l damage suit lawyers representing plaintiffs?" asked Augustus Benners. | This he denied, saying that the law I was all right, but the fault lay With the ] jury commission.
 MT. Benners said: Did not the unions refuse to furnish lists for the jury box,
 saying that they lost money by serving?
 MT. Afford said that they had offered | to furnish lists.
 "Did you ever hear of a man asking | to serve on the jury and then be re- | fused?" questioned MT. Benners.
 1 "Yes," replied MT. Afford. "A. B.
 Warner of the postoffice stated that he l applied to the commission requesting l that his name be placed on the list, as he was a citizen, a property owner, quail 1 fled and thought it his duty to serve 1 His name was taken, but he, was not | l there was a man named Robinette who had served on a jury in 1915 and rendered 1 a decision against a corporation and that l his name had never appeared on the list since.
 DUPLICATION OF NAMES l Harry Andrews, clerk of the jury com mission, testified that before the suit brought by MT. Afford it was the custom
 to fill the box every December, but last l year the box was filled in August, and l that this could result in duplication o1 names and cause the same man to serve twice on the jury in one fiscal year. Du- 1 plication would not result from drawing the box in December
 There are between 16,000 and 17,00
 names in the jury box at the present time Approximately 5000 or 40oO names have been added to the original box
 making the above total,'' said MT. An l drews.
 The probe committee asked that the
 manner in which the jury box was filled | he explained To this he replied that ht | visited every precinct in the county gath
 ering the names of all men qualified by Il going to the merchants in the agricul-
 ] tural districts and to the stores and busi
 ness concerns in other localities; taking
 the lists as submitted. In Bessemer hs
 | would canvass one street at the time
 In Birmingham proper he would start
 the Brown-Marx building and visit eacf
 office on each side of the street unti
 the business district was finished, ther
 he would take up the residential sections
 Johns, the first precinct taken up
 showed that more than 90 per cent of th'
 men were employees of the Tennessee
 Coal Iron and Railroad company, ant
 that he had received the lists of thes i, names from the timekeeper there. Fo
 the names of the farmers he had gone t the merchants. He admitted that il iSome instances the lists submitted brought many men selected by T. c. l for the juries. but this firm never sen any special names for jury service. CROSS IN FRONT Mir. Ross asked the witness if he knev why the name of Hopkins had eros in front of it and was it not because h was active in labor circles and had beel barred from working ,vith this company | MT. Andrews said that he did not know but the cross mark was put in front O the names of the men to be left off b. l the jury commission.
 | Mrs. A. T. Simons headed delegation of about 40 women representing all wom HI | Morrou Clnworc AZ cn