Evening star., 1923-03-23
RAPS MEN TOO BUSY
TO SERVE ON JUR|ES
Justice Stafford Discusses
"The People and Their
Courts of Law"

Describing the Importance of jury
as a means of maintaining law and
order, Judge Wendell Phillips Staf-
ford of the District Supreme Court
declared "a man who is too busy to
render his service as juryman is too
busy to be a CITIZEN" in an address
on The People and Their Courts of
Law" before the Washington Study
in the Highlands apartments yester-
day.
1T is the duty of the people to
support the courts and the law" he
said. In court the people see the
government in action"
CphOlds Trial by Jury.
Cpholding the policy of trial by
jury, he pointed out that through il
the people were enabled to look upon
the courts as their own. "Legis-
lators, governors and judges are
poWeriess to punish the meanest GRIM
mai unless the jury of twelve men
pronounce him guilty. Trial by jury
IS as good and safe method for the
1urtherance of law and order as can
be maintained" he said, and ito do
away with this method we should
lose one OF the greatest bonds be-
ment"
Iouchfng upon the unwillingness of
a NUMBER of people to serve on juries
he explained that many. of the men
whom he had insisted on serving as
jurors had afterWard thanked him for
making them do so, telling him that
through serving that they had learned
TO appreciate a number of the diff
cult1es of the law which they had
never thought of before.
Tendency to Disagree.
Describing the tendency of jurymen
and Judges to dkagree, he said often
some of the best decisions are rem
dered after much controversy among
those deciding upon the case, as,
through the various arguments pre-
sented, all have been enabled to see
the case from many different angles.
Expressing his belief in human ma
ture, he pointed out that 1t was the
tendency to trust it too little rather
than too much.
Decisions" he said. Should be rem
dered free from all passion and pref
udice. Courts must inspire the peo-
pie by their Justice
He condemned the so-called "un-
written law" as one of the crudest
methods to be resorted to in render
ing a decision, stating, when We
to where we started at the begin
ming Of our progress. However" he
said, "unwritten law furnishes the
machinery to enable the law to eX-
press the will of the people in GER
tain cases.
women serving on juries will in
troduce in the courts a new element
of common sense and knowledge of
affairs" he said.
Duty OF the People.
In conclusion he pointed out that
the law is not perfect, but stated,
Whereas impefections exist, 1t was
the duty Of the people to sup
port the law as a whole until the
fla Wis in 1t could be corrected. There
never was any great race of people
that did not support the law
Mrs. William Howard Taft was
guest of honor at a luncheon, follow
ing the address, while Mrs. Charles
Warren acted as hostess. Other
guests were: Mrs. Richard Harlow,
Mrs. w r. Turner. Mrs. l. H. B.
Smith. Miss Gertrude Fetterman of
Philadelphia, Miss Maud r. Cavanagh,
Miss Maria Ewing, Mrs. George p.
Scriven. Miss NJ. McQuade, Miss Ell
mer Murphy, Miss Eleanor Ewing,
Mrs G. L. Hutton of New York. Mrs.
c. c. Marbury, Miss Ellen Olson and
Mrs. Brodhead.
A rising vote of thanks was ex-
tended to Miss Maria Ewing for the
course in government conducted un-
der her supervision, just completed,
and an announcement was made that
another course would begin the 18th
of next October.