The Morning herald., 1876-08-02
FOR PRESIDENT.
SAMUEL ]. TILDEN.
FOR VICE PRESIDENT.
THOMAS A. HENDRICKS
roR..sHER1FF,
ISAAC GRUBB.;;
FOR coRoNER,J
DAVID G. ROSE.
HAVE TAXPAYERS ANY RIGHTS !

HAVE TAXPAYERS ANY RIGHTS
The last report of the Eastern Peniten
tiary of Pennsylvania is very suggestive O
the amount the Taxpayers of this county
are Aeeced out of every year. The cost Of
maintaining prisoner in the said peni-
tentiary in 1874 and 1875, was "thirty-one
cents per diem" This includes fuel, Light,
medicines, bedding, clothing and extras
Of all kinds. We subjoin the bill of fare,
for this cost:
Monday -Saur-kraut, pork and onions.
Tuesday-Mutton, potatoes, mutton soup
Containing barley, onions, parsley and
celery.)
Wednesday-Bean soup and beef
Thursday-Mutton, potatoes, rice soup
with onions
Friday-Pea soup, beef and onions.
STANDARDIZATION, potatoes and mutton
soup.
Sunday-Bean soup and beef.
For breakfast-cofee, and bread, for
supper-tea and bread. "a few extras"
says the report for 1876, see page 1874" are
given on holidays, and in cases Of sick
ness, nothingis refused which may be or
dered by the physician, but the above
constitutes the regular house diet, which y
far superior to that given paupers in our
almshouse, and which will compare favor
bly,, both in quality and quantity, with the
diet of any public institute in the world,
not excepting the hospitals"
The cost of fuel and light in five years
as per report page 8, was $55,565.62
Taking 600 as the average population of
the house, 59S being the wardens estimate,
and assuming the cost of each year to be
the same,it costs give cents" daily for fuel
and lights for each prisoner, say zone
cent" daily average for medicines and
extras, 1.-TWO cents" for chothing, we find
the cost of maintaining prisoner to be
twenty-three cents per day. The bill of
fare shames that of our County Prison,
and yet our taxpayers are charged nearly
lDwice as much for infinitely less. The
Sheriff of this county is paid forty cents
per day for the food of each prisoner. Let
us see how much the groaning taxpayers
have to shoulder that our Sheriff may
grow rich. By the aid of few figures,
assuming the average population of the
New Castle prison to be one hundred, he
puts into his purse the nice rouud sum Of
sc. 200 per annum on this one item alone.
We will give him the benefit of the legal
fiction, that there is no fraction of a day,
whereby he is enabled to charge eighty
cents for prisoner who may be commit
ted in the evening after supper and dis
charged after breakfast next day!
The people rely upon the Levy Court, to
put a stop to this leak, and show our
citizens that we are truly the party Of
reform. Candidates for the Levy Court
should distinctly pledge themselves, to
this purpose. While upon the subject we beg
to ask the Sheriff,why it was that two gen.
tleman attached to the HERALD, were kept
waiting in his Office two hours, a few days
ago, and failed to obtain admission to the
Jail. He was out it is true, Mayor Gitfen
they were informed could alone in the
absence Of the Sheriff, give permission to
enter the jail, he was sick, or could not
be found, so the reporters were compelled
to drive home, without seeing the prison,
or examining the prison fare. This too
after the grand flourish "that every facility
was always given to reporters to visit the
prison."