The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1879-01-05


who might use the building for the -
else of their industries, or, falling In ~ !.
or any other kindred suggestion, We recor,s
mend its abolition.
THE PARISH PRISON.
In the inspection of this BUILDING n.
grand jury have discovered that n T.
orderly and well kept, its discipline Az
bat humane. The prisoners seem to he =
we'll treated that to many of them prisos
life offers comforts to which they are strsn
gers in their ordinary pursuite. BARN.
the confinement, We should say one tbirS
of the human family would have s tbas
condition improved by becoming innata.
| in similarly conducted institutions.
| Tbepresent number of prisoners amoun.
to 300; this, we were told, is about ,bs
average number. Upon inquiry at the
City Hall, we were informed the AVERAGE
expense to the city for the maintenance Of
the Parish Prison and the expenses of the
| two criminal courts for three years ia ovar
SEC, 900 per year. This amount We respess.
fully submit is too much for a tax ridden
and impoverished community like the citv
of New Orleans to pay. The want of
| thorough insight into the economy of tbs
institution does not permit us to know bov
80 large a sum is expended. But il isa
simple arithmetical problem, that ali
things being equal, if the Charity Hosn;.aii
can support 700 inmates on $40, ,OOO nss
anuum, the Parish Prison ought to observa
the same pro rata for it's 800, but ADMITTING
the difference in cost is in favor of the
prison by reason of court charges, surely
this difference should not amouDt ~
$50, 900! The city allows the Crim;naI
Sheriff forty cents per capita per diem.
The grand jury are in receipt of a commu-
nication from the Mayor of Mobile in
which he says: "Since have been in
office, have given much care and atte.-
tion to the city prison. I visit it daily.
and am fully eatistied at the present price
of meat and breadstuffs can feed and do
feed, at cost inside of twelve cents per
man per diem"
Ex-Mayor Pilsbury is our authority for
saying, two y ears ago the city government,
thinking thirty cents per capita ample COM
penaation to the sheriff, besought the Legis-
iature to reduce it to that price, and did
succeed in SO doing, when, by some politi-
cal legerdemain or other questionable
means not unknown to modern politicians.
it was restored to forty cents.
1t will be observed that the price Of
provisions is about thirty per cent less
now than then, surely twenty-fi five cents, or
at best the same fgure-viz., thirty ceuts
Ought to satisfy the criminal sheriff at
ion that there is still another source Of
economy in the administration of the Par.
ish Prison that is. in the utilization of
the labor of the prisoners in the cleaning
and repairing of the streets. The peniten-
tiaries of many, if not ali, of the Southern
States farm oat the convicts--in our own
State it is done. Why, then, should seuti-
mental politics or pseudo philanthropy
stand in the way of this much desired
1t is not alone from an
point of view that this sugges-
tion is recommended. Our streets are full
of uramps and idlers, of which classes most
of the criminals are from. If they were
confronted with the daily parade Of the
parish prisoners in their routine Of cleaning
the streets, many wonld-be criminal, in
tho con emplation of committing crime,
would be deferred by the visual presence
Of his punishment, and thus the number Of
crimes, az we'll as the number of criminals,
would be reduced, and proceeding down
The scale, the number. of policemen to
police the city would be, pro tdnto. reduced.