Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-06-25
The whIppi1g,Post.
,inia Cor. Hartford Times.

never InOugnC snOulu be an
advocate of the lash as a punish
ment Of any kind, but visiting
Alexandria to-day, and making a
little examination into the result of
a ten months trial, | am now free
to say that the whip will prevent a
great deal Of the petty, as well of the
large, stealing that IS so prevalent
in all the large cities now. Hap
pening to come across a copy of the
Message Of the Mayor of Alexan-
dria, DR.. j. B. johnson, which was
sent to the City Council last week,
| was struck with the following sem
fences
81 take pleasure in saying that
not single instance of any conse-
quence of u violation of law has
gone unreported and unpunished.
The police department has not a
single prisoner on the chain-gang,
and but one prisoner in Jail for the
action of the court,
"There have been but four cases
Of larceny sent to the court during
the past ten months, and fifty cases
of petty larceny have been disposed
of at tie police court withoat one
dollars expense to the corporation,
thereby saving, by such a disposi-
tion, to the city treasury, a sum not
less than $4,000, thus indicating
the good results of a prompt and
impartial enforcement of the laws,
regardless Of the prejudice of any
one; and as the disturbers of the
peace and the violators of the law
bear but small proportion to the
rest Of the community who keep the
peace and respect the law, it has
always appeared to me to be mis-
guided sentiment for those who de-
sire the maintenance Of the ordi-
nances that have for their object the
preservation of life and property, to
evince misplaced sympathy for the
yiolators Of the law when they are
punished, and to make common
cause with them in reproach of
those who justly and impartially
enforce the laws"
The italics in the above are mine.
The idea of disposing of cases OF
this kind without any expense,
struck me as very novel, and | soon
called upon His Honor and asked
him for the secret. | found the
Mayor to be an excellent gentleman,
aud very communicative, proud of
his position, his success and his city.
lie has given the affairs Of his office
much study and thought, and has
reduced it down to almost a science.
He informed me that when he
looked into the matter he found the
Jail full of people (more than five
sixths of whom we're colored) who
were serving out sentences for va
rious ofenses. He thought it would
be better for all concerned if those
fellows were required to do some
kind af work. He then wrote what
are now known as the "chain- gang
laws" and had them adopted by the
municipal law-making power, and
put the prisoners at work cleaning
the streets, alleys, cutters, etc.-all
of them being chained together.
81 soon found out" said the Mayor,
shat this would not work, because
first, it would not pay; and second,
it deprived the families of the SER
vices of these men. 1t worked in
jury in other ways. No city wants
to make or save money out of the
proceeds Of crime, and our endeavor
should be to prevent crime. We
found that Imprisonment would
only temporarily do this; and be-
sides this, it costs forty cents per
day to keep prisoners in Jail. Then
there is an expense for medical at
tendance, clothing, ETC., which ma
terially adds to the cost. Then,
while men are in Jail, their families
are deprived of their labor and sup
port. After looking very thorough
I ly into the matter, and in accord
anca with tho laws of this corpora
ton, | ordered that all persons
J found guilty Of stealing of stealing
Of any kind should be given nine
: and thirty stripes on the bare back
for the first oifense. 1t is a success
in every way, and is economical. !
usually order that but twenty Of
: the stripes be laid on, and tell the
; party to come back in ten days for
the other nineteen. OF course, he
, never retprns for what we owe him,
J This clears the city of class that
we can get along without, and 1t is
f, tho most effectual way of doing it
, that | know of. purind the ton
+ months ending May 1st, We had but
afty cases of stealing to dispose of,
) while in previous years we had a
great many more"
: =
p Houses and Things.
, In an article, with the above title,
in "Scrbner" for June, DR., Holland