Daily Republican., 1889-11-02
The Prisoners, Feed EN-. .

Next to the tax collections the prison.
ers' feed bill upon which Chief Swiggett
had o good thing, comes In FOR large
share of public comment.
The general feeling is that the Chief
has placed himself in bad position
before the public and that 1t is great
pity be has done so.
The following are the bills allowed
for feed for prisoners since Mr.. Swiggelt
has held the Office of Chief OF Police:
July, 1888, S7905; August, S75; Sep
tember, sra. 90; October, $3.50; Novem-
ber, sci 80; December, S6675; January,
1859, S54; February, S36.15; March,
s66.i5; April, $50; May, $500; June,
s79.05; July, $50 IS; August, $s6.s5.
Total passed, 1887 65.
According to the admissions of Mayor
Harrington and Proprietor Pyle OF the
| Clayton House, Mr.. Swiggett received
| one-half OF this amount, which is $685.
S2H. Public opinion is almost unani.
nous In the verdict that tie chief should
return that amount into the city treasury.
Such action is made doubly incumbent
upon him from the high moral and re-
llgious position he has occupied before
the commuaity. 80 unanimous 10 pub
lie opinion upon this p Int that no expla-
nations from apologists for the chief will
avail anything. Ignorance of the law
has been plead In his behalf, but an in
telligent public replies, Law or no law,
did he not know that the handing back
to him by Mr.. Pyle oi onc-half the feed
bill In cash every month meant some
thing?" 10 say he did not is to impnte
ignorance TO the chief. and everybody
knows he is not an Ignorant maD.
City Solicitor Turner is very anxious
to serve Chief Swiggett, and 1t Is sin
eerely hoped he may lind fomething in
the hidden and forgotten ordinances OF
tbs city that will avail some solid excuse
for the chief.
Last evening Mr.. Turner in general
conversation Is understood to have said
that "the words actual cost used in Sec
tion 4S OF the city charter take to mean
the actual price paid by the municipal
corporation, that is to say, the contract
or stipulated price at which the city OBJ
tanned the meals. medicine, etc.
, In regard to the Old ordinance, which
1t Is believed lies ut the foundation OF the
existing usage, Mr.. Turner said:
"There is now no ordinance that car
be found In the ordinance book regulat
/ lug in any manner the price TO be paid
for meals, etc. l am informed and be-
: llcve that an ordinance was In existence
prior to 1888, which fixed the maximum
price to be paid at 10 cents per meal, but
| such an ordinance II it existed, appear'
to have been repealed. intend to have
! thorough search made before next
Wednesday evening for that ordinance
, and thus satisfy myself on that score"
, George NJ. D. Loper and john j.
: Dougherty, chiefs Of police under Mayor
Rhoads, did not get their feed for pris-
, oners at the Clayton House, but theii
, wives prepared the food and drew the
, money, 15 cents q meal There was
nothing wrong about that, except that
the price may have been exorbltant, but
the City Council interpreting no objection
} these ladies OF course would not object.
Never before did Mr. Pyle make an
, equal division of the funds. lie fur
nished the food for the prisoners to Chiei
OF Police Maxwell, when John p. ALL
mond was may or, and to James O'Toole
when he was chief Of police under Mayor
+ William q. Whlteley. He could not say
: how much they had paid for the food
: No account OF the food furnished them
I was ever kept because they did not buy
! food such as is purchased by Chief Swis
] get, but pnrcbaseu scraps the same al
r many poor persons come to the hotel ant
purchase. When prisoners were to b.
Q fed the turnkey woull come and buy q
or so cents worth of scraps, which dil
: not cost one-fourth as much as the fool
that Chief Swlggett bought, but thos
0 chiefs charged the city 10 cents meal al
: the same,