Miss Mary Garrett Hay, head of the
New York city League of Women Vot
ers. said:
"The Instances recently given wide
publicity In the papers of keeping men
and women together for the night on
jury duty are not arguments against
mixed juries, but are simply illustrations
of local court stupidity. Judge Florence
13. Allen of Cleveland, who has often
had mixed juries. says there has never
been any trouble of this kind in her
court. It Is absolutely unnecessary, and
looks as though it had been planned by
those who wish to discredit the Idea of
women serving on juries.
"The Supreme Court of the State of
Washington has ruled that tunder such
circumstances 'the separation of men anJ
women could be justified by th6 rules of
society, propriety and common decency.'
A little common sense needs to be In
jected into the situation and the discus
sion of the subject. Adjoining rooms
could easily be secured for men and
women Jurors, and should be demanded.
"I believe that women ought to serve
on Juries because the testimony from the
States where they do servie Is to the ef
fect that women aa Jurors are con
scientious ana intelligent, that they scru
tinize the evidence carefully and render
decisions remarlMbly free from bias. For
many reasons their service is needed in
the courts, where they should be wel
comed and treated with the consideration j
that comes from the exercise of ordinary
common sense."
Mrs. Carrie Chapman Catt. president
of the National American Woman
Suffrage Association, is also an advo
cate of women jurors.
