Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1869-06-15
GRAND JURY REPORT.
shelby County ON the Verge Of Bank
ruptcy - Paying Nearly as Much
Taxes as the Rest Of West Tennessee
Unheard Of Extravaganza = I'm.
structive Reading.

Last Saturday the Grand Jury of thu
Circuit Court, after ten days efficient ser
vice, submitted the subjoined report ant
were dismissed. Tax payers, and all who
desire to become such by industry ant
economy, will find some weighty facts t.
consider in the report:
To the Hon. @. W. Reeves, Judge Of the Cir
cult Court of Shelby county, Tenn. MAY
Term held in Memphis, Tenn, 1859:
We, the Grand Jury, would respectfully
submit our report on such matters as
given to as in your charge.
OFFICERS BONDS.
Our attention was first directed to the
examination of all bonds filed in the
County Clerks office. Many of them we
found defective and insufficient, and so
marked and reported them to Your
Honor. In future we would respectfully
recommend that all sureiies on bonds be
required to exhibit to the Court an alb
stract of their titles to oil property held
or claimed by them. This would prevent
the filing of straw bonds as heretofore,
and better secure the interests OF the
county. Honest men could not object to
this; the dishonest by this plan would be
kept out.
COUNTY JAIL.
According to your instructions, we WIS.,
tied the County Jail, and are glad to re-
mort that we found i, kept in good order.
The prisoners appear to be well cared
for, and safely guarded, but complaining
of the flaws delay" as many Of them
have been confined for long period, and
for very trivial ofenses, and at great cost
to the county. This ought not to be so.
They should be brought to trial as soon
as possible, the guilty punished and the
innocent set at liberty. 1t is also the
opinion of this jury that the current ex-
penses Of the Jail could and should be
greatly reduced, and without detriment
to iis ffcient management. We lind that
guards are paid one hundred dollars per
month, when the same service can be OBJ
tanned for thirty or forty dollars per
month. The office Of Engineer is nearly
sinecure, and yet he receives from the
county two hundred and fourteen dollars
per month. Nor can we see the neees-
sity for two jailers at the cost of one hum
bred and twenty five dollars each per
month. ss reliable fnan could be secured
as assistant jailer for sixty dollars per
month.
POOR HOUSE.
Orr visit was extended to the Poor
House; found it in good condition, con:
tanning thirty-four inmates, number OF
whom desired to be sent to their homes,
and are, to all appearances, able to earn
their own living. A few were blind and
insane, and should be sent to the proper
institutions for such perGons. We find
this Poor House to be one Of the most
expensive institutions of the county,
compared with the benefits derived from
it, aud would recommend that it be abol-
ished, for ca nov conducted it would cost
the country less to board its poor at one
of the frst.class hotels Arrangements
could be made at the City Hospital for
the sick upon the same terms as the
United States marines,
DEAD BEATS.
The enormous expenditures of the
county, under the head of contingent
expenses and suudries," leave grave
apprehensions upon the minds of the
Jury that the idle and vsgabond persons
been 10 and about the court buildings are
the recipients OF these appropriations in
a large measure, and we recommend that
the cause Of these spprehensions be re-
moved.
OTHER DEAD BEATS.
Another matter claiming attention is
the fact that parties are nov Occupying
az private Offices ROOMS ip the different
court buildings, for which the county pays
the rent. We recommend that they be
made to pay the rent or vacate them, as
they are wanted now for county offices.
PorTER's FIELD.
In regard to the Potter's Field or pau
per's burying ground, we would report it
as a nuisance too offensive toE our thor
ough inspection, a. the siF in aud about
the grounds was redolent with the stencil
OF decaying and putrid bodies. The num-
Der of graves reported by the sexton
could not justify the enormous allowances
made by the county for the burial of her
poor, as will be seen by reference to the
County Clerks books,
COUNTY FINANCES.
We come next to the financial condi-
tion Of the county, and regret to say we
End il In a most deplorsble state, vergiDg
almost upon bankruptcy, as will be seen
by the rapidly increasing expenses for
the past few years
In 1867, our total exsenses were 1884,
COS o.; in 1868. S487. 0S8 l8--an increase
in twelve months Of $120, 600; aud for
the first quarter of this year, 1859 from
January lst to May LIST, as seen on the
County Clerks books-we believe, il not
curtaile5, will reach by the LIST Of
January next, the sum Of 5000, 600, ap-
proximstiDg If not equal 10 the disburse-
meuis Of the ~hole State of Tennessee
in the year 1865. To give you detailed
account Of the disbursements Of the
county would make our report too prolix.
but we cannot forbear to mention few
Of them in order to show the extrava-
gsnce that prevails in sll departments Of
the county. The expenses Of the Jail for
the last four months is Sll 900; for run
ming the courts, S3l, 900; rents, 81 goo;
books and stationery for courts and off,
GERS, $1,000; poorhouse, iuqaests aud
burial Of paupers, $1,000 The item Of
books and stationery alone cost the cou o.
ty more in 1868 than was expended for
bridges 10 the whole couniy-an item
which. a few years ago, was scarcely
known as a public expense.
IMPORTANT SUGGESTIONS.
We would call attention to another evil
from which we have long suffered, to-wit
the unequal and usjust assessment Of
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