Free trader-journal and Ottawa fair dealer. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1920-1927, 1921-09-26
RANK AND EXPENSIVE METHOD oE JyRY SELECTION:

During the last session OF the county board supervisors
States Attorney Harry Kelly took occasion to request the serN
TO Use more care in selection OF places ON the
petit and grand iureS lie pointed the pencousneS ct using
this selection OF playing petty politics. and the injustice
attorneys and the great useless expense 10 the county the
failure put the names OF proper men III the DoM
This evil is those things which the average man pays
little attention. and yet Of the utter waste OF thousands
Of dollars to the aIpayers The system as pacced wrong and
expensive has been properly aired before the people for
various Briefly stated, the plan that each supervisor
hands in each specific number Of residents OF his
town to serve the ures These then put box and
as Jury required requisite number of is drawn and the
summoned appear Each gets his mileage and per d IL"
supposed ii he rejected Tor any reason he
still paid mileage the house and he paid for each day
he the he did Unless he is excused tor
ordinary the lawyers have something like ten per
emptory challenges protect their clients against improper jurors
for the trial OF
Under the usual custom OF the county the names
handed those who looking for jury oo-tre-
queny last earth who should be selected. knowing
they will probably be rejected in OF any real Importance or
which would require any work thought looked upon easy
money and they paid for doing little nothing Then there
professional urymen who that their get IN ire
queny They like the job and the pay) but are not the men
whom the law conempae should constitute jury The average
high class citizen don't like jury duty much less looks Tor It, The
result that many instances the selected Tor jury duty are
those who OF job with no business who are Just sit
ting around those who request their supervisors get them
jury and willing to do little political work in return for the
The kind OF jury that could be drawn such bunch
be readily ii all were physically and mentally qualified
which they not There has for years been practically no term
which prospective juymcn have been excused be-
they deaf to hear evidence to dull 10 understand and
unable speak the English language And yet they
have drawn full pay from the county treasury.
Imagine what justice say there would be
trying important involving thousands Of dollars before
jury composed Of eXaoon buns the professional jury
men Or criminal or damage before jury OF the same kind
let this thing the lawyers OF the county compelled to do
every Of They get rid of who grossly
incompetent for they rid few by reemptoy
challenges these safeguards exhausted they have 60 trial with
whatever the jury box deyeope Doyou wonder there many
vedc hatare close to okcsespeCay damage personal
jury eases? Md the taxpayer pays the bill both III cash and
verdicts that viii not stand
There another phaze Of the matter which to few
How about criminal cases Here, pereuptory cha
lenges be used but how much of handicap prosecutor
work under against jury anything but representative
And the regular panel exhausted (and nearly always in
ct any % rance the county pays all these and then goes
and gets jury, which also has to be paid
Any clean reputable lawyer only fair representative
jury Of good intelligence before which But he does
want that and he has right demand supervisors that they
the names OF representative the jury box and the
OF men whose best qualifications that they Jobs
easy money
the taxpayers realized how much this evil the county
annually how much money worse than thrown aWayhey would
insist upon their supervisors using least horse the scec
ton of the names Of prospective jurymen.