The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1876-02-09

" orders are not included In the statement.
These embrace the shcriffs and county
clerks accounts for fees, the expenses of the
Jail, and the fees of officers and witnesses
IN cases OF inquest courts OF inquiry, and
liquor cases-all of which, IN 1874, amount
ed to Sl2 500 "a. Aud to these expenses is
still further to be added the expenses of
the several towns for costs, ETC., in minor
criminal cases, embracing oil cases within
the jurisdiction of a justice TO try save only
| liquor cases, and, also, the salary of the
states attorney. 1t is proper to add that
| Rutland county shows very much larger
proportion of fines and costs collected than
any other county in the state, except Addi-
son and Washington, where the proportion
is about the same, and Windsor, where the
proportion is somewhat larger.
Now let us contrast this statement with
the following, which we clip from the
| Springfield Republican of Saturday:
"Heny Cordier Jail superintendent
near Pttsburg, Pa, has cleared S1S,631,
this year, for the institution under his
| charge, not outstanding most of the SEN
fences were for 30 days. lie employed
the inmates in the manufacture of barrels
and bricks and in laundry work, and al
lowed each man so much for all he did per
day above a certain limit. No contracts
were let This Is rather remarkable as a
successful exhibit in year when nearly all
penal and reformatoiy institutions have
been run at a dead loss"
With such showing, the tax payers of
Vermont and of Rutland county have good
cause to complain. Not of the builders of
the present jail for, at the time of its cree
tion, il was large enough and suitable for
Jail purposes; not with the officers of the
law for taking the fees prescribed by law /;
but with our whole criminal system. In
stead of the courts, and criminals before
they reach state prison, costing the state
over nnety-four thousand dollars annually.
besides what it costs TO the several towns,
, il ought not to cost a dollar-and the Pitts
burg Jail superin,endents experience shows
} the way to bring this about. We care not
; now to inquire whether the fees in crimi
nal cases are too large, or too small-tht
defect is back of these fees, is older thar
the liquor law, and is not common alone tc
. Vermont.
We have not space, this morning,to trea
r of the remedy any more than by sugges
e tion-the figures for Vermont and for the
e jail near Pittsburg furnish the argument
y What is the use, we may inquire, of th,
= grand jury, every year, going through will
the farce of indictng the Jail 1t hal
been done year after year for, no one know
how long. 1t is impossible to find sen
sible person that questions the fact tina
the Jail is and, for a long time, has beer
: insufficient, unsuitable and disgraceful
=, power only in the legislature to order tn,
), construction of a new jail. If the CRANE
, jury present the JAZZ as out of repair, then
. under the statute, it is the duty of thu
county judges to repair it at the expense o
the county. But the fault is, not that it i
out of repair, but that it is insufficient an,
unsuitable. 1t has been SO for years, blu
;, when the legislature came to our relief
the people of Rutland county did not avail
', themselves of the relief 30 profered, but, OF
the contrary, went to work, and worke
, with will until they procured repeal o
Il of the law authorizing the building of
'' new jsil-and yet we find fault with tn
e Jail, and some, even, lay the blame at til
q door of its builders.
a But if we had new jail-largc, comma
n dious, and with all the modern improve
II "ments" how much better off would we b
l. in the matter of expense The difficult
s is, again, with the laws. There are now
|. we believe, seventeen persons confined
|. the Rutland county Jail, and the expens
= of their excepting" is fifty-nine dollars an
l. fifty cents for each week and this the ia
v payers must pay. But are the officers
n blame ? Not at all. The fault lie with II
At law, which provides no means by whiC
re criminals can "work out" their fines, cos
" and expenses of keeping-unless son
benevolent person may take them
bondmen," keep them in their fsmili
until they earn sufficient to pay their boal
" and, also, their fines and costs but wi
al would particularly desire such inmates
d their families
n, Let the state, then, remedy this matt
Is by prescribing system of work for the il
u mates of our prisons, and requiring eac
* prisoner to work in accordance therewit
Ill 1t may not be advisable, we hardly think
ne would be, to provide for the erection
s. suitable jails, or work houses, for such
ar purpose in each county of the state. Fi'
n or six would, perhaps, be all that wou
I'll be necessary-sne, for instance, located
IT. Rutland would answer for Rutland ar
al Bennington counties as, also, for portion
OF of Addison and Windsor counties, and
D. nearly as convenient of access, and in son
or cases more SO, as the present four or mo
ne jails But supposing one was required
at each county, how long would it be befo
Vi each would pay for itself in the saving
money which would, otherwise, be draw
No annually, from the treasury to pay fine
io costs, and Jail expenses? If Pennsylvan
with thirty days sentences can pay expe
p SEES and nearly nineteen thousand dolla
ie more in single year, what might not
u expected in Vermont with practically Ii
NC sentences' The figures, by their contra,
ch as we have said, suggest the remedy, al
Gu furnish the argument.
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no Washington Items.
. Generals Sheridan and Ord have be,