Evening star., 1951-12-08
HE EVENING STAR
Almond
Privileges for
Woman Jurors
, Decision on Excuses
Should Be Made by
Judge, Official Says
BY the Associoted Press

SuoSSS SIiiStuI SOyS
BY the Associated Press
ROANOKE, Va, Dec. 8.-Attor-
ney General ]. Lindsay Almond,
1r., said in Roanoke last night
women should not be able to get
out of jury duty any easier than
men.
He said in a talk to the Asso-
citation of Commonwealth's Attor-
neyS OF Virginia at Hotel Roanoke
that the difference in the law in
itself is discrimination.
Women are notified when the
jury list is made up each year
that they are on the list. If a
woman does not want to serve
she can notify the jury commits
sion within Is days and her name
is removed from the list.
Mr.. Almond maintained that it
should be left up to the presiding
judge whether or not a juror, man
or woman. should be excused.
Bill to Be Offered.
He declared that women are
making good jurors and should
serve on juries, but he feels that
the law. to be sound, should not
discriminate between the sexes.
Mr.. Almond said he under
stands a bill embodying this
change will be presented to the
General Assembly in January.
The Attorney General made this
observation in his preliminary re-
marks concerning the relationship
of his office to the common
wealth's attorneys in an address
devoted to morality in Govern
ment.
Mr.. Almond attacked what he
described as the dissertation of
public trust" in Washington and
declared that no public official.
regardless of party, can defend or
condone conduct that violates the
sacred trusts of public Office.
1t. Gov. L. Preston Collins of
Marion introduced Mr.. Almond.
Rice Discusses Gambling Laws.
Virginia laws against gam
bling are probably adequate. It's
a question of enforcement"
Downey Rice told the attorneys.
Federal laws. however. are not
adequate" he emphasized. "and
the answer lies in the % bills
recommended by the Kefauver
Crime Committee"
Mr.. Rice, who is a former coun-
sci for the Kefauver committee
and is at present counsel for a
Senate investigating committee,
condemned the gamblers tax
stamp recently enacted by Con-
gress.
This gamblers tax not only
gives rise to fuller corruption at
the State level but contributes
towards the confused thinking
prevalent in Washington today"
he commented.
Gambling will probably always
be with us. The answer lies in
minimizing it and controlling it,"
Raises for Judges Sought.
The attorneys are of the opin-
ion that Virginia judges are un-
derpaid and feel the General As !.
sembly should do something
about it.
A two-pronged drive in this di- /
rection developed yesterday. /
The first development - on
Thursday-was the mailing of let
tiers to all members of the Legis-
lature urging them to boost
Judges salaries and change the
method by which the jurists are
selected.
This was carried out by COM
mittee of the Virginia State Bar
Association, which is on record in
favor of increases of from ST 500
TO $4,000 a year for circuit judges
and $4,000 to $4,000 annually
for members of the Virginia Su-
preme Court of Appeals.
In addition, the committee
recommended that the legislature
hold public hearings before the
election of judges so that it's
members and the public will know
who is being considered. Judges
now are chosen in caucus.
Wicker Explains Proposals.
Both proposals were explained
to the commemorative attorneys
convention by former State Sen
ator John j. Wicker, jr., of Rich
mond, and the group went on
record in favor of the bar associa-
tion plan-the second develop
ment of the campaign.
The prosecutors also went on
record as favoring a request to the
General Assembly to equalize the
salaries of city and county COM
monwealth's attorneys in the vari-
GUS population brackets.
j. C. Hutcheson. of Lawrence
vile, was elected president of the
prosecutors organization to sue
ceed Irwin w. Cubine, of Martins
vile. Also named were Howard
w. Smith, jr., of Alexandria, wee
president, and w. Darlington
Thompson, of Chatham, secretary
treasurer.
Executive committeeman chosen
were Paul L. Everett, of Nanse-
mond County; Ernest w. Good
rich, of Surry County; c E. Cud-
dy, of Roanoke: and Stanley A.
Owens, of Prince William County.
Jesse w. Dillon. commonwealth
treasurer, spoke on Virginia's
sound financial condition in his
talk on History of Virginia Debt"
$500 Million Outlay Planned.
Mr.. Dillon said no State or To-
cality can prosper unless its roads
are adeuIate and he cited the