Page:Race distinctions in American Law (IA racedistinctions00stepiala).pdf/287

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acceptable jurors. I have been struck with the fact that our lawyers in selecting the jury for both criminal and civil cases, seldom ever object to the Negroes who are on the regular panel. If this is always kept up, with only the best and most intelligent Negroes in the county in the jury-box, all will be well and our people will not object. But in former years, when sometimes the majority of the jury would be Negroes, there was great dissatisfaction."

Oklahoma.—County No. 1, 15,000 white people, 2,400 Negroes: "Negroes have served on both grand and petit juries nearly every term of court with the exception of the last two terms of the district court. There are some Negro names in the box, but they did not happen to be drawn by the Sheriff or myself. The men who have sat have given satisfaction to the litigants, but have been objectionable to the other jurors. Where it has come to a locked-up jury, and where they have to eat and be closely confined with the white man, I have heard some complaint. The court and officials who are all white Republicans—except the sheriff—treat Negroes with utmost fairness."

South Carolina.—County No. 1, 9,000 white people, 19,000 Negroes: ". . . I have only been in office for [the] last four years, but since I have been in office I have had a good many Negroes on juries. Year before last I had Negroes on juries three consecutive courts, and every year I have several of them. We always put the names of those qualified to act in our jury-box, but it is a bad condition of affairs when you go over the Negroes of the county, and find how few are qualified to act. The Negro jurors have increased in our section."