THE JURY SYSTEM

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16377, 27 June 1927, Page 11

THE JURY SYSTEM

ADDRESS BY R OTARI AN CHRISP “The criminal law of England lias been, si ill is, and will continue to be, both lu re and wherever English communities are to lie found, at once the organ and the safeguard of English justice and .English freedom. I make this claim (for the legal profession! tli.it there is no class or profession hi the community which has done more; I will go I'lirHier and say there is none which has done so much to deline, to develop and to defend the liberties of England.” With this cuiotntion from a speech of Lord Oxford, Rotarinii Harry t’hrisp opened an interesting paper on the Jury System at; the Rotary Club luncheon to-day. Rotariau James Allan was m the shall - . The speaker held that the jury system is one of the greatest, safeguards we have to unbiassed and impartial justice being meted out to all of high and low degree. After briefly sketching the history of the system lie said: 'there is frequently heard much discussion as to the use of the Grand Jury, and many advocate its abolition. 11 is. however, a very great protection to the liberty of the subject. The Grind Jury, representing' the State, presents the accused person for trial and then the petty jury come Mong and like their old predecessors frv him. They find out and search for anything in his favor, and unless the Grown proves ihe guilt beyond doubt then Hi” accused poison leaves the Court without a stain on his character. ’Ehis system has stood the tost ot ages and it has been very dearly bought ov the lives of many defenders of our liberties through troublesome times. Its principles, namely, the right of trial bv one’s equals, was firstly enunciated in Magna Charta, which was wrested from King John. In these enlightened days when wo probably do not thoroughly comprehend the measure of our liberty and the function our institutions play in our Jives it behoves us to safeguard such institutions by devoted service when it falls to one’s lot. The immortal words of the Great Charter of 1210 were: “No free man shall be taken, or imprisoned, or assized or exiled, or ailv wise destroyed: nor will we go upon him. nor send upon him, but by the law of the land. To none will we sell, to none will we deny or delay right or justice.” If undoubtedly is a very great and sometimes intolerable burden upon busy men or women, con-, tinned the speaker, to be called away from their business to decide a matter in which they are not in any way interested, but if they will only reniemner they are performing a. great voluntary service; ii only they will remember that some day it may happen to them, that, some day they may want a jury of their fellows to decide as to their riglils or as to their liberty, he was certain that this great constitutional safeguard would be preserved and possibly still further perfected. Upon tlio motion of Rotariau Maekny a. hearty- vote of thanks to tli<> speaker was passed.