The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1876-01-12

qulre where is the justice or public policy
of system of laws that require III man
is arrested for certain acts, because the law
declares such acts to be ''crime," and
punishable as such. Charity, public policy |
and economy unite in demanding that the |
penalty shall be paid, not by the offender |
himself-because 1t is an impossibiity--
but by the town or by benevolent individ- |
uals May we be permitted to inquire in
what manner either the spirit or the letter
of the law is INDICATED by such a course ?
1t is not only offenses against the liquor
law that result thus, but similar results
follow the prosecution of petty cases of
breaches of the peace, as the criminal rec
ords of Rutland show. The difference be-
ing that of the former there are many
cases, the town pays the fine to the state,
and the fees to the officers in the latter,
the cases are few. the town pays the fees
to the officers and RENTS the fine.
The growth of this evil is shown by ac-
tual statistics. First let us look at the
increase of criminal expenses. For courts
of nqYiry-that is all causes before justices
of peace, the expenses of which were paid
by the state-the whole expense for the
state in 1860 was 81, 329. IS, and for Rut-
land county alone in 1874 it was Sc, 2S2 Oh,
or nearly fifty per cent more in Rutland
county alone in 1874 than in the whole
state in 1860 In 1860, however, in liquor
cases-that is offenses against the prohibit
tory liquor law--thc costs were paid by the
towns, not by the state, so we will take
another view of the matter. In 1860 the
expenses of courts of inquiry for the county
of Rutland were $4S2.41, and of all
classes of criminal cases in the town of
Rutland, including liquor cases, S644. IS,
amounting to 81, 144.40. For 1874, the
expenses of courts of inquiry and liquor
, suits in the whole county of Rutland were
S6,2S20 o., or deducting those which arost
= outside of the town of Rutland, SIS, 1882. 90
In 1860, the expenses of courts of inquiry
(! for the whole county of Rutland, all crimi
/ nal cases before justices of the peace, in
| cludng liquor cases, in the town of Rut
' land alone, and the expenses of the jail
T.. were S2,448 80. In 1874, the EXPENSE
+ of courts Of inquiry and liquor cases in tn,
, town of Rutland alone, and the Jail ex
: penses for the county-most of which
r were for Rutland alone-were SO, SIT 80
: This increase of five hundred per cent
c needs no particular comment here. Tn
figures speak for themselves.
C We do not propose to inquire into tn
1 cause of this extraordinary increase of ex
: penses, nor to point out the manner il
t which they have, also, increased other ex
1 penses, notably in the support of the poor
= it is enough for our purpose, this morning
r to show by the figures that the expenses o
t supporting the poor in the town of Rut
l. land have increased in about the same rati
: as the criminal xpenses-perhaps tn
It manner may be suggested by the cases o
d the two men before referred to. In 1866
C the town of Rutland paid for the supper
it of the poor, on the town farm, $461 90
y for poor not at the farm, 1929 Go tots
c expense for supporting the poor in 1860
# S1,O95.74. In 1875, the town of Ru
!, land paid for the support of the poor. o
n the town farm, $l,2S5,S0 for poor not {
the farm, $2,0l60e total expense fc
supporting the poor in 1875, 50, 202.7s
~ In neither year is the salary of the owe
seer of the poor included, but it is prop'
- to say that it was some four times as muo
~ in 1875 as in 1S60-and small enough
!" that. When, in reference to town affair
~ we have spoken of year, we have referre
to the municipal year ending in Februar,
u The increase of population will not a
. count for this enormous increase of erin
inal expenses and corresponding increa'
in expenses for the support of the poo
Is The population of the town of Rutland
= 1860 was 1871, and in 1875-allowing Il
:, same proportionate per cent. OF increa
- from 1870 to 1875 as from 1860 to 1877
g although we hardly think it has been col
;; tnued-10. OCEAN Increase of less thu
,o fifty per cent. against five hundred p
nc cent. in criminal expenses, and over fo
j., hundred per cent in the support of Il
i, poor. Neither can the increase be sufliC
III emily accounted for by "hard times"
a. any one can see for themselves by simp
i'd contrasting the situation of the COUNT
s. for the year 1S60-between the panic
1857 and the outbreak of the war-and f
nc the year prior to August, 1874 or Febr
hs airy, 1875 We leave to others to accou
EN- for it, and will merely suggest that Il
ev cases of the two men before referred 10 a
:, not isolated ones, and chat the effect
y such cases will doubtless appear in O