The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-04-28

LIQUOR on a Sunday. am satisfied that these ex. |
ira ices have In some instances induced the ar.
left OF innocent persc ms, and whose subsequent
aCquittal enaied upon the city large bills OF costs
But In another point Of view this ordinance is |
still more reprehensible. The police obtain |
these fees only upon the conviction of the &C. |
cused,so whether innocent or guilty, II Is to their
interest 10 convict aud this may lead TO the fab.
ricRton OF testimony and perjury. In most |
cases policemen are themselves witnesses in |
many cases where persons are arrested without |
warrant for ohenBes committed in view Of the |
policeman. and especially In cases of resisting |
officers. The personal conduct Of the police IT, |
self Is In ISSUE and In all such CO ses there is up
on failure to convict the responsibility Of having
caused useless expense to the city. Hence we |
some times have seen the sorry spectacle Of pO |
licemen swearing not only to justify their own |
conduct to save their own reputation and to es. |
cape the OpprObrum Of having caused a useless |
expense to the city but also to gain these coveted
extra fees. Here 1t seems to me Is an induce |
ment TO swerVe from the truth to the fabrication |
Of false testimony and perjury that should not be
tolerated for an instant. But the evil does not |
stop here for certain 1t is that for the enforce
ment law and order the police need and must |
have the moral support and co operation Of the |
masses; and this they will have only as long as !
the masses believe that they are aotuated by mo.
tves Of duty or justice, but the desire to get these
extra lees, instead OF giving them their moral |
support and cooperation, the masses will even |
| seek to thWart and Illustrate them.
A CHANGE IN PAY OF POLICEMEN RECOMMENDED.
Hence recommend the repeal Of this ordi.
nance and the passage 0f another providing that
these fees be paid into the Treasury and that the
police be paid sslary only; salary however
sufficient to justify men Of character ability in.
elligence, and discretion in entering the force;
men who will command the respect and conf
dence, and hence the moral support OF the com
munity, and then hold the police to strict &C
countability, and not act as though they were
infallible and incapable Of committing wrong or
on the theory that It is necessary for the sake Of
| law and order to uphold them, no matter what
they do; but on the contrary to afford ample op.
pOrunity for complaint to all citizens to give the
| same due consideration and investigation, and
| without hesitation remove any found guilty Of
misconduct or neglect Of duty.
DIsBURsING OF FEES.
And here may state that the practice hereto.
fore prevailing, Of the May or making himself dis
bursting officer and dis5ursing the costs collected
to officers, witnesses and jurors, is contrary to
law. With the exception Of his own fees, the law
| makes 1t the duty Of the Mayor to pay the money
coming into his hands in State cases, into the
| County Treasury, and all other money into the
| City Treasury. And while the law does not pro-
| vide how the police or Marshal shall obtain
their fees after the payment Of the same into the
City or County Treasury by the Mayor, 1t eX.
| pressy provides that witnesses and Jurors shall
be paid upon the certificate Of the Mayor In State
| der the ordinances by the City Treasurer. In &C.
| cordance with the law will pay all costs and
fees collected into the City Treasury and County
Treasury; leaving the question as to how the po.
lice are to obtain these extra feea, Il this ordi
nance is not repealed TO the Council and the po'
| lice.
FEES OF TIE CITY MARSHAL.
The harshS.i being clearly entitled by law to
receive in addition to his salary the same fees as
! Constable, for all services performed by him or
| his deputies In all cases Of conviction, where
the accused pays the costs, 1t will probably be
|
ion for the payment of his fees and probably also
for the payment OF witnesses and jurors. And
here may suggest that 1t is proper that the
Council furnish me with blank Jury and Wit
| ness certificates
THE vAaBANT NUIsANcE
The time has come to put Sn end to the tramp
ant, yagrant nuisance DurlnS the late -. hsLd ara
times thefe was some excuse for toler ing NJ ~, oG.
at this prosperous time, there is certainly uo e1
cuse for 1t; and II the thorough enforcemem Vi
| the laws and ordinances relating TO them, can
| effect It, this evil will soon cease
The law makes 1t the duty OF the Mayor In case
| q flne Is not paid to imprison the party faed un
til the fine is paid and hence In case Of the nom
payment thereof entails upon the city large
expense for board, unless the prisoner is made to
work 1t out. Now, while there is q sweeping or
dinance (page 49, sec. ~ empowering the Mayor
in all cases, In case OF nonpayment Of fines, to
sentence the party to work out the hne Yet the
State law, while II authorizes the Council in all
cases Of violations OF ordinances, to provide the
penalty Of hard labor, does not authorize the
| Council to provide tnst fines and costs shall be
| worked out except IN certain class OF cases.
Hence 1t results that in larg5 number Of csSes,
| where the ordinances provide a fine only the
| prisoners cannot be sentenced to work out tine.
| II would therefore probably be good policy to
| provide the alternative Of fine or imprisonment
| with hard labor for all violations Of ordinances
| so that in those cases where the State law does
not permit the working out Of hne, the party
| unable to pay fac, can be sentenced to impris'
onment at hard labor
! woRKHoUsE QUESTION.
And while on this subject suggest that the
| time has come, in my opinion for the Council to
seriously consider the propriety of erecting City
| Work House. The policy Of compelling parties
| convicted to work outside Of prison, or prison
yard is not entirely satisfactory and should be re-
sorted to only az long as 1t will not Justify cor
| pOratlon to maintain work house. The law now
authOriz any city and the County Commission
| ers to unite in the erection and maintenance OF
| work house, and even when city alone main
| tains work house, II l am not mistaken, the law
oeliges the Probate Court and Court Of Common
Pleas, and every Mayor and Justice Of the Peace
| in the county, upon sentence OF ofimprisOnment to
| commit the party sentenced to such work house,
and for which such city is entitled TO forty cents
| per day for every prisoner committed from out
side OF such city, 1t seems to me then such
work house might be made Belfsustaining, or at
all events that 1t would not cost the city any
more than II has heretofore cost 1t for maintain
| ing Its prisoners. The matter is certainly worthy
| Of consideration by the Council, as our present
city prison is far from being a credit to the city,
PLAT COMMISSION.
| reoccurreuce Of the recent experience of the
| Council in Strengthening High, Prospect and
Chestnut streets, as well as the unseemly want OF
uniformity and harmony In the streets and al.
leys In some portions OF the city, should be well
provided against In the future, The powers Of
the city is ample In this respect; The law pro.
vides for the appointment by the Council OF a
commission Of five members to be known as the
| "Plat Commission" whose duty 1t shall be 70
plat and adopt system or plan OF streets and al
leys In all the territory In the city In which the
| streets and alleys are not yet accepted by the
| Council After the adoption Of such plan or
system Of streets aud alleys, every person laying
I out an addition sOcalled Is obliged 70 conform
thereto. By such means the Council can save
| the appearance OF our city from being maEred
and dishgured by unseemly narrow, Irregular,
| and ill.arTanged streets, and adopt system OF
harmonious and uniform streets and alleys, that
would be credit to the city; and also In the fu.
| tuTe save heavy expense In Strengthening and
otherwise changing streets and alleys.
BOARD OF HEALTH.
In regard to the Board of Health think 1t
| probably best TO appoint new Board. But |
would recommend the repeal Of section five OF
the ordinance relating to said Board. with the
| repeal OF this section though divested OF arbi.
trary and extraordinary powers, the Board OF
Health would still, under the State laws and Or
| dinanCes have ample power to accomplish the
| objects Of It's institution.
THEATER LICENSES,
The ordinance relating to licenses for theatres,
exhibitions and other entertainments is not salts
| factory. In these prosperous times such enter
| tainments are well patIonzed, and the proprie.
| tors thereof carry out Of the city large suma OF
| money SO think the present SUM Of S required
| OF them for a license is inadequate and that the
| Council should make 1t discretionary with the
Mayor to exact license in such cases Of not less
| than IS nor more than S25.
WARDS AND ELECTION PRECINCTS.
1 would also call attention to section sixteen
| hundred and eighty.nine Q6S9) OF the Revised
| Statutes. This section makes 1t the duty Of the
| Council to divide any ward containing eight
| hundred voters into two or more election pre-
cincts Two Of our wards exceed that number,
viz: the First and Fourth, and in this connection
1 might say that Canton is probably the only city
| Of its size and Importance In the state that has
| ouly four wards and that the Council has power
at any time to increase the number OF wards or