The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1872-01-27
NeaU Advertisements.

W pear tnese excessive charges, compeu MIN 10
pursue but one course. We, too, can sympa-
thize with Sheriff Burke. We hope it may APP
pear on the trial of the indictments which have
recently been found against him, that be was
actuated by motives of the most innocent and
honorable kind but the "public wrong" must
be remedied, and justice to the community is
of equal Importance with justice TO himself.
Nor do we think the case Of the Commission
ers of the county deserve less notice at our
hands. We have indicted them for doing that
which they must have known was in violation
of both the letter and the meaning of the law,
and for emitting to do those things in the exc
cution or discharge of their off cial duties
which the law imposes upon them to do, and
which have been the habtual and constant
practice of their predecessors ia office. 1t is
not for the undersigned to speak in terms too
strongly condemning the personal conduct of
these officials. To jury of another kind
known to the law and to the Court, over
which your HOnors preside, they have to
answer to the facts as they may be shown
to exist. Our duty is rather TO call attention
to the manner in which the confidence re-
posed by the people in these servants has been
abused how shamefully the work, assigned by
the law for them to do, has been neglected, and
to ask that they, knowing the requirements of
the law, for neglecting or refusing to be guided
by them, be punished for such neglect.
Further, the Grand Jury have found bill
presenting the President and Directors of the
Northern Central Railroad for causing nui-
sance by the daily passage Of their trains of
cars over the bed of the Baltimore and
Yorktown Turnpike Road, at the Cockeysville
and Partition crossings, in the 18th and Sth Elec-
ton Districts of this county, whereby the travel
over said turnpike road is seriously INSTRUCTED
and the property and lives of citizens constant
ly endangered; proper precautionary
measures being afforded by said Railroad Conn
h, r. r ~
trains, when the speed thereof is oftentimes at
the rate, we suppose of 40 miles per hour. As
d further remedy for this frightful grievance in
our. midst, which has already caused much
obstruction of property, of the lives Of animals
and even of human life, with many cases of
horror in hair breadth escapes from crushing
death, this Grand Jury earnestly invokes the
Legislature of Maryland now in session, for
the passage of a law requiring this Railroad
Company either to erect bridges on these cross
ings to station flag sentinels at those points
to warn, at all times, persons travelling on said
turnpike road. Indeed, at all the public road
crossings there should be some warning for the
protection against railroad danger.
In accordance with custom, the undersigned
visited both the Jail and Aims House. At the
former they found the prisoners, fifteen in num-
Der, as comfortable and secure as could be de-
sired with proper sense of the responsibility
devOlving upon them. Their keepers seemed
to have looked closely after the cleanliness and
warmth Of the apartments, and we have moth
ing 10 call public attention to except the i'm
proper arrangement by which the building it.
self is heated and ventilated. This we condemn
inasmuch as it seems to be in violation of the
simplest principles of philosophy and the ex-
perience of every day life. Instead of fur
mace represented, as It is in this case by Il
stove, with its system OF drums and pipes run
ming vertically through the building, 1.-THE cir
eul ati of hot oh -
the bestJ the heater should be in a cham
Der below the level of the first tier of cells
or, as in the case at the Shepherd Asv-
lum, in the vicinity, entirely without
the line OF the house, and thus by hav-
ing the fresh air constantly in contact
with them, the same may be made to ascend
through the building and afford both health
and comfort to the inmates. Although. as we
have said, the apartments about this lock up
of ours, are seemingly as clean as soap and wa
| ter will make them, and are really so, yet the
smell Of confined air. &C., about them, renders
them so offensive to a visitor as to be scarcely
endurable We cannot too urgently call the at
tention of the Commissioners of the county to
this matter, and ask that proper steps be taken
to remedy the defect in it,
| At the Aims House property, COPELAND" y
| there reported to be at this time So paupers
one-fourth cOlored, under the kind ami eff
cient charge of Mr.. Abm. Cole; all comfort
ably cared for, although in winter quarters, in
| the temporary buildings erected for their ac-
commodation and indeed so comfortable are
| those accommodations that they might be en-
| joyed without complaint for some time to come
for all the poor usually presented from Balti.
more county. The Grand Jury consider now
as incumbent upon them to express their un-
qualified disapproval of the erection Of an edi-
| flee on scale so expensive as The proposal for
new Aims House contemplate. The num-
| harn If in oil
average throughout the year forty individuals,
and surely costly building ninety feet front,
and back building, four stories high, capable of
| accommodating 400 persons, should not be i'm
posed on the people fer the palatial residence
OF 80 intirm poor persons, the maj ority of whom
have never enjoyed more than the luxury of a
cottage. building of two-stories high would
better suit the old and inirm than climbing up
| lofty stairways, and such a house might be
| put up for less than $4,000, which would
| commodiously accommodate all the poor of the
| county for many years to come. The tax pay
| ers have had enough of costly Aims House GoF
many years past and now desire relief in re-
duction of that burden. The Grand Jury earn
| estly call the attention of our Senator and Del
egates in the Legislature for the passage Of
law authorizing Gnly moderate sum TO be ex-
pended BIZ the County Commissioners for the
! erection of an Aims House, and further, to give
| legality or sanction to the act Of the Commits
sioners in purchasing the present property for
| the Aims House.
Wa also ask that the Legislature at the pres
ent session pass law requiring the Register
| OF Wills of Baltimore county, the Clerk OF the
! Circuit Court and Sheriff to have put Up in
their respective Offices in a conspicuous place,
card or table showing the amount the law re-
| quires to be paid for each and every item
| of work dong by said officers; and in
view OF difficulties in aseertaining who among
| those requiring license have them, we ask that
a law be passed requiring each Constable to
| visit every store, tavern and place where IL
censes are required in his district, and see the
| license and report the same twice wear to the
Grand Jury.
In conclusion, as the Constitution OF the
! State provides for not less than two terms OF
the Circuit Court throNghoat the State annual
ly, we are satieHeG .ae business of the county
could be do2e in two terms without occupying
! more time in any une OF them than is now de-
voted to one of the four now held, this there
fore being great relief 10 the Jurors and sutors
in not eOm polling them to so frequent attendance
at Court. The Grand Jury would take this oc-
oasiOn to recommend change of the law from e
four to a two term system. We feel fully Justified
in this recommendation not only on account of
the saving of time to jurors &4d suitOrs, but
on account of the heavy expense 20 the tax
payers. Before the judicial separation of the
county from .Ae city, in all time before, we be
lieve the whole business of Baltimore county
Vas transacted in two terms of one month each.
In our examination of the public records we
deemed it necessary to call for the fee book,
prescribed by the Constitution Of the State, to
be kept in the Office of the Sheriff of the coun-
ty, and, on requiring the late Sheriff Burke
to produce it, not to crafty an idle curiosity
or to pry into private affairs, but TO answer
the purpose of enquiry then before the Grand
Jury, he refused, and the Court being called
upon to enforce our request, decided that the
said book was private, and not public one,
and there our duty in the matter ended.
We also find that Baltimore county is in pos
session of notes and bonds due in four and six
years with interest from date for sale of old
Aims House property.
Whole amt. reed for said property $500 0SO. so
Cash received, one third, which was
used to cancel the county indebt-
........,..,,,.,.,, 25,02GS7
$24O,O53.75
Cash in ban4 and due from County
Treasurer ,,,.,,.. .............. 60, 100000
III