Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1874-02-12

the State, or any county, there
shall be no property exempt from
execution, in the hands OF any
such defendant or his sureties lex
cept the homestead, and as to
other property the same shall be
liable therefor, as for State and
county taxes.
Upon the conviction of any de-
fendant for felony, not capital, de.
lendant so convicted ought to
work out (at such pay per day as
the Legislature may specify, J the
costs occasiOned by the prosecu,
tion.
One of the chief items of ex-
pense necessarily incurred in Grim
inal prosecutions is the cost of
boarding prisoners III the county
jails, confined for safe keeping for
tetonies or under sentence Of i'm
prisonment for small offenses.
We beg leave to call attention
to the fact that the laws now in
lorce upon the subject of work
houses afford means which, if
acted upon by the County Cour,s
and Judges of Circuit and Crimi,
nal Courts, will effectually remedy
this evil and eXtinguish this oner-
ons charge upon the taxpayers
Of the State. Under sections of
the Code. we recommend that the
County Courts throughout the State
declare the jails work houses, and
the jailers &c oficjo keepers Of
the workhouse and relieve the
State Of eighty thousand dollars
of taXat on
Judges Of courts Of criminal ju.
risdiction can, under seCtion--
Of the same article Of the Code.
put every inmate Of the Jail to
work, 10y which, under reasonable
rale of compensation, the law.
breakers will thus be selfsustain-
ing, and the law. abider lie reIiev.
ed Of at least $4,000 per annum
OF taxation
This recommendation, together
with the enactments hereinbeiore
set forth, particularly those as to
making the property of law break
ers responsible under execution
without any exemptions except
as to homesteads, and the allow
ing inries to separate under the
discretion Of the courts, thus a
voiding the immense hotel bills,
will relieve the tax burdens now
pressing upon the citizens of the
State. to the eAteut of thousands
of dollars.
These recommendations are re.
spectfully submitted in no spirit
of dictation to the law making
powers of the State, but under
the sense of our obligations as of, !
fcers 81 ceciaIly charged with the du-
ty of protecting the States inter
est, and as citizens G&eerishlnS the
warmest affection for, ana inter
est in the welfare of the common,
wealth.
There are other changes which
may be made in the whole system
of criminal prosecutions. 1t is
not, however, every change WHICH
is a reform or belterment of eX
listing inconyeniencies, and. while I
we do not pretend to have eXhaus
ted the catalogue of judicial re,
form, we have abstained from
further or more radical changes
in our time. honored system, for
fear that a spirit of innovation
might be evoked which would
rudely shake or overthrow the
well-settleG and salutary proVi-
sions which in time past proved
efficient for the protection of law
abiding citizens and the punish
ment OF malefactors.
1t is scarcely necessary to-allude
TO the well.known fact that the
evil times upon which this gener-
alton has fallen, the result in part
of the decadence of virtue, conse-
quent upon the direst of all po-
litical calamities, a civil war, is a
full and sad explanation Of the in
crease of lawlessness requiring
prosecution in this State. An
honest man and law-abiding citl-
zen costs the State nothing but
on the contrary, is her support
and ornament. 4 law breaker,
on the other hand, is continual
source of trouble and expense,
who must be punished ct any cost,
or the State given over to be
bound and slain by malefactors.
Tbo WinoboStar IVah shoe