Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1873-05-08
THE COUNTY
SYSTEM

. IT. H.a...... llfU
The late Legislature las passed an &C
which we publish below, authorizin,
County Courts to erect warehouses, OF 4
contract with other adjoining counties
having warehouses, for the confinement a
hard labor Of persons convicted of misde,
meanors and who fail to secure the fine,
and costs assessed against them for such 0
period as is necessary to pay said fine
and costs. The law is as follows:
AN ACT to authorize counties having no
-s County w~ork-house, to contract with
adjoining Counties having warehouses
for the keeping and working of misde.
meauor conyicts.
SECTION 1. Be il enacted 6y the Gene.
raj Assembly oJMe State Of Tennessee.
That hereafter it shall be lawful for
the County Court of any County in this
State having no County work-house to
contract with the County Court of any
adjoining County having County work.
house for the. keeping and working of
the misdemeanor c%onyicts os the former
upon such terms as may DO agreed upon.
&, SEC 2. BE 10 further enacted, That
hereafter when any person shall DO con.
victed OF a misdemeanor, and shall fail
70 pay or secure the fine and costs adj
judged against him. it shall be the duty
OF the Court %pronouncing judgment, to
direct that the person SO con, icted be con-
fined at hard labor in the work house of
the County, if the County have a work.
house, If not, then in the work. house of
any adjoining county having a work-house
and with which the County where the con.
viction is had may have a contract for the
keeping and working of such c~onyicts as
provided for in Section 1 of this Act, until
all the fine and costs so assessed shall be-
paid, creiting such c%onvicts with (25)
twenty-five cents for each day so confined.
SEC. 3. BE 1t further enacted, That
tins Act take effect from and after its pas.
sage. the public welfare requiring it
Passed March 10, 1873.
d W. s. McGAUGHEY,
Speaker Of the House Of Representatives.
A. T. LACEY,
Speaker of The Senate.
Approved March 81, 1873.
@ JOHN. G. BROWN,
nn..uo.
The law il, we believe, a just one, and
II carried out will do moro toward sup.
pressing a certain class of lawlsssness, now
entirely too prevalent. than any other
measure that could be adopted. The
class OF offences denominated misdemeaus
ors among which are carrying arm con-
trary to law, lewdness, drunkenness, dis,
turbing public worship, assault and bat
terry and nuisances of all kinds have be.
come entirely too common in this section
OF late, and under existing laws the pun>
shmcnt has in the majority of cases been
inflicted upon the tax payers Of the coun,
~ instead Of the offender. As the law
now stands, without a workhouse, the de.
PENDANT after conviction can take the pau.
per oath, by giving the Attorney General
ton days notice, and is released, the coun.
~ paying the cost. This notice is in
cases waived as being less expensive,
aud saving the county the cost of keeping
him in Jail pending the notice. This is a
mockery Of justice, and the result
that this class of offences are daily on I,
the increase. In this county since the
first Of March last, about sixty indict-
and presentments have been found I
against this class of offenders, most of |
will escape like their predecessors 3
little or no punishment. Some of I
them have thought SO lightly of the mat I
as to already, by their conduct, sub
jet themselves to another indictment by G
The Grand Jury at the next term of the I
court. We believe we are safe in saving
that these sixty indictments will cost the T
not less than Eve hundred /
dollars, and may double that sum, Is it i
apparent to every one that some {
like that contemplated by the t
new law isnot only necessary but absolute.
y indispensable, Il. this county is ever to Y
get out Of debit 4
By we'll organized workhouse, thous. l
II dollars may be saved the ,ounty every
rear, not only by making the convict la. D
'or profitable but in supprcssiug crimes 6
fthis character. A iporson who is una
'le to give security for the fine and costs a
to a prosecution for misdemean. a,
II Of any kind will be careful bow he /,
'onducts himself, knowing that ho must !,
pay it BY laboring hard at twenty-6y
ents q day. The corporation Of
onesboro' = could we'll afford 10
rect the workhouse and use the convict
abor on the streets of Jonesboro' for
Of years. We trust our County II
,ourt will take action in the premises At
n early day. The lsw.abi ding citizens N