Show for meditation by LEONARD A BARRETT TRIAL BY JURY A recent issue of the forum IN there was published an interesting debate on should the civil jury be abolished the publication of the article was doubtless suggested by recent court trials in which justice appeared to have been thwarted because of an irresolute jury many will believe that the jury Is an antiquated and cumbersome device reads the article inefficient and uncertain at its worst a trav esty of justice in place of the jury set up a small but scientific trl bunal of experts others will agree reads the article that the akal refinements of made law are to be feared and prefer to purge the jury system of its abuses rather than to abandon it it la maintained that the jury system Is also wasteful of time money and human energy the cost to the state of maintaining the civil courts for a single day often exceeds the entire amount of the verdicts rendered re garding alie possibility of a jury be ing prejudiced the article reada most juries are influenced at least in part by considerations which have no place in the administration of jus alce some are baad on ignorant preconceptions of the case others suggested by newspaper reports of the trial jurors are especially prone to be influenced by and spectacular exhibitions staged by coun set such as the skillful display in the courtroom of hospital bots smelling salts superfluous crutches and exhibitions of faked injuries such as apparently lame legs or pretended deafness verdicts essentially un just are often the outcome of lar prejudices religious intolerance political antipathy or neighborhood in debating this question it should be remembered that the right of trial by jury Is a very important element in our democratic system it Is one of the really fine privileges of do mo cracy if the jury system Is at fault and undoubtedly much can be said in just criticism of it might the difficulty be not BO much the system as its abuse the mistakes made by a jury are those made by the men and women who compose tho jury so long as men and women who are abundantly capable of doing BO abold serving on juries and the task be left to those less capable we shall continue to debate the question should the jury system be abolished ua newpher New union |