Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-16

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were asked to vote on the question in
1922, and the report is that they cast
1,164 votes in favor, as against $40 OPP
posed. This year the women and the
men of Illinois are going to vote on
the same question. The Illinois League
Of Women Voters, which has been
arguing the merit and logic of the case
for years, both before the courts and
with the members of the Legislature, Is
now confronted with the need of an
educational campaign in a large and
populolS State. Members Of the league,
Of all persons, know that referendum
campaign is an arduous and expensive
proposition, and it seems to them a
pity to have to divert effort from up
to-date problems of government to
fight for an anachronism like this while
women in nearby States--1owa, In
diana, Wisconsin-serve as q matter OF
course.
Say Not Fit for Women.
A favorite argument of those fright
ened by the idea of the mixed jury Is
that court houses and jury rooms are
dingy, dirty placeS-not fit for women.
The answer from the women is, Then
clean them up-if they are not mt Tor
women, they are not At for the admin
istration of Justice" Experience bears
them out, for in States where women
serve, court houses have gone through
process of renovating not unlike tnat
which cleaned up thousands OF polling
places when women got the vote. Some
States are Just in the stage OF seeing the
handwriting on the wall--like Missouri,
where the Senate judiciary committee
last year refused to report out the jury
bill after it had passed the House, but
where, It is said, orders have gone out
to the official architects to provide for
quarters for woman jurors In designing
new court houses.
Another story from Missouri tells OF
an inquest" held by women after the
session of the Legislature adjourned.
Before q jury of women the Senate ju-
dietary committee was accused Of the
murder of poor Bill Jury Service, but
the defendant was released when 1t was
determined that 1t was no corporal
murderer, but q mere state of mind"
which had done the deed, and, further
more, that the victim, poor Bill Jury
Service, showed signs Of vigorous return
| to life.
/ ShEaS9c@sAN
One Of the commonest arguments
against women on juries Is that they
! would have to listen to facts that are
| unpleasant to hear. That is true, and
undoubtedly this argument Is searching
in its implications. Are women. to be
| sheltered from the problems Of COM
munity life? Or are they to partici-
pate in government to find their solu-
ton? Chivalry, old-fashioned, asks the
first; progress the second.
The question Of unpleasant testimony
is most acute in cases Of sex crimes and
! offenses. In the Territory Of Hawaii In
the last few years there has been an
alarming increase in the number OF
such crimes and an almost equally
alarming difficulty in securing convic.
tons. Women have been aroused at the
failure Of the courts to deal with the
situation. They say that in every such
case q child, young girl or woman
is involved, and usually as the victim
| and they protest that it is unjust to
| expect such witnesses to tell their
stories before juries composed entirely
of men. Moreover, public opinion gen.
orally seems to agree with them.
The Hawaiian Legislature, unfor-
tunately, is unable to change the situa-
ton. This is because the Congress Of
the United States years ago wrote into
| the organic act Of the island that Jurors
| should be male citizens" The Legis.
lature has done what 1t could, however
and has twice memorialized the Con-
gress to remove the determinations fol
which It Is responsible. A bill to do thi:
did pass the House in the last Congress
but got lodged in the Senate committee
| on Territories and inSular affairs, Of
which Senator Bingham is chairman
The National League of Women Voters
Is supporting the measure introduced BY
Delegate Houston Of Hawaii in the pres
ent session.
Districts Law Is Quoted.
This is not the first time that the
Congress of the United States has beer
asked to act on the question of jury
service for women. In 1927 It provided
that women In the District of Columbis
should be eligible to serve, but that nc
woman should be compelled to serve
against her will. This type of statute
women hold, is unsatisfactory. Yeal
after year In certain States women lob.
bying for jury service bills with con.
sentative legislators have been offered
permissive statutes as q bait and yeal
after year have refused to compromise
In South Dakota the Senate tackled Q
proviso onto the jury bill to the effect
that it should not have any force or ef-
feet "as to any female until her name
should have been placed upon the jury
list at her request" The South Dakota
League of Women Voters chose defeat
in preference to this, the president OF
the league remarking: Can you mag
inc anything worse? I dare say there
are few men, other than professional
jurors, who would volunteer to serve
on juries." Yet the State of Louisiana
makes just such q requirement OF
women.
Surveys conducted by the league in
dictate that the effect Of an optional
law is to reduce the proportion OF
women on the average Jury, making
It more onerous for women who do feel
q sense Of obligation to serve. Such q
law plays into the hands Of defense at
torneyS, making 1t an easy matter to
remove by challenge all women from
the jury in cases. especially in liquor
cases, where they suspect that the
! presence of women is more likely to lead
to convictions. Only last Winter the
women of Utah, who had found that
their optional law was little better than
none at all, worked for and secured an
amendment which put Jury service on O
compulsory basis for women as well as
for men.
Suggests All BE Women.
In Minnesota the first bill suggested
by the newly organized League of Wom-
en- Voters in 1921 was q jury-service
measure. 1t passed. When the next
session of the Legislature came around
! league members were amazed to learn
that House bill No. / provided that all
women should be excused from serving
In "Salacious" cases unless they should
especially ask to serve. The league
wrote around to its members to ask IL
| anV nf them had SArvad nm sala cio,,r