National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-10-14
POLICE COURT FINANCES.

This subject is one full Of mystery to some mem
bers of the press At least we judge so from their
shooting so wide Of the mark in sundry attacks
upon officials. We propose to clear it up. The
officers of the court and their salaries fol-
lows Judge, s2,iOO; clerk, 81, 6Oc; deputy clerk
$500; two bailifs, each s. day. The fines, pen
alties and forfeitures are collected by Deputy
Marshal Ecklof No money whatever passes
through the hands Of any other otcer of the court
Neither the Judge nor the clerk, nor the attorney
ever touch any money paid in on the judgments
of the court; and the collateral for appearance is
handed in regularly by the lieutenAnts Of police
10 the deputy marshal. Not single complaint
has ever been lodged against any policeman for
embeZzlGment Of collateral.
At the end Of each financial quarter the deputy
marshal makes return to the marshal and the
latter settles up in full with the auditor Of the
District, and pays over to the District treasurer
the balance due the District AFTER payment of the
expenses Of the court. This is in compliance with
the sseventy-SeYenth clause OF the organic act OF
February p. lS7l, which provides that
The salaries OF the Judge and. 8lerk Of the PO-
lice Court, the compensation Ofthe deputy clerk
and bailifs OF said Police Court and Of the mar
sbal OF the District Of Columbia shall be paid by
said District: PToUtded, That the moneys col
lected upon the judgments Of said Police Court,
or so much thereof as may be necessary, shall be
applied to the payment Of the salaries Of the
nudge and other officers Of said court, and to the
payment Of the necessary expenses thereof and
any surplus remaining after paying the salaries,
compensation and expenses Aforesaid, shall be
paid into the treasury OF the District at the end
Of every quarter"
The settlement of the marshal with the treas
urer is without the Intervention of the Judge or
any other officer. and the expenditures made by
the marshal for expenses Of the court are SUBJECT
TO revision and control by the accounting officers
OF the District. This statement is in itself the
refutatiOn Of the charges made from time TO time
against Judge smell by ill-infOrmed writer's for
the press.
An impression has prevailed, too, that no pro-
ceed5 Of fineE in the Police Court have been paid
over to the District treasury. This is erroneous.
We have taken the pains to copy from the books
OF the District the quarterly returns OF the mar
shall and other receipts from the fines il the Po-
lice Court. These do not include the amounts
collected prior to the hrst OF last August, on
cases appealed to the Criminal Court nor on re-
leases at the WOrk-hOuse.
The returns are as follows: October l, ISL,
S2-lOA4s; December T. 1S71, Sl,0l9-76; March :,
1sT2. eS55.S June g. 1872, LOG; September 13,
1S72 2l9822; December u, 1872, S2,056-30; March
u, 1873, SOs.5O; July S, 1873 Sl39Ol5; October g.
1873, 2G25S0 January Z, 1874, 81 lO32S; April Z,
1874, 81 lilo; July 3, 1874 s., 2S7O3; September
and October, 1874, (frOm marshal and Attorney
s, Z2563. Total, 81. 3561s. We are not prepared
Al present to state the exact amount collected on
appeal cases and at the WOrkhOuse prior to Au-
gust, but it will not vary much from 81, 100 max
ing the whole sum derived by the District, from
the Police Court, over and above salaries and all
eIpenset, about $4,000.
II the WorkhOuse prisoners had been kept dill
gently at work since the organization Of the PO-
lice Court, as they have been by the present gov
erHmeRt, it is probable that the offenders against
the ordinances would have been made TO pay the
full expense all the machinery for their trial
and punishment.
1t h evident, TOO, that a municipal court is far
cheaper than trial by justices Of the peaee-a
system which must have cost the people in one
form OF other, for criminal cases only at least S5o
coca year Would 1t not be an admirable reform to
substitute single municipal court for the civil
cases to the fifty justices Of the peace aud hun
bred cOnStabies, whose tee-bills are the cause of
so many complaints? An enlargement OF the
Police Court bench and its Jurisdiction might give
NJ the needed reform in the District.