Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1890-01-08
The Criminal Expenses of the State.

The Criminal Expenses OF the STATE.
Iu the State Senate on Wednesday last
when the Auditors report relating to public
expenditures on account of criminal prose
curion was undor consideration Mr.. Moore,
of Fairfax, said:
The report of the Auditor shows that the
total revenue that came into the State
Treasury during the last fiscal year is 81
759 99l SO, and that for the same year the
criminal expenses returned to the counties
and cities amounted to S27S, 799 SO. Atten.
tion should be directed TO this enormous ex
penditure, for it Is not only largs but
constantly growing. And especially in
view of the fact that this burden
was unequal In different sections OF
the State does the subject deserve attention.
The Auditors report shows that for 1889 the
Total tax imposed on property and persons
and licenses in the Eighth congressional
district is 1894, 64S "a, and for the last fiscal
year the amount of criminal expenditure
was SIS 4O3 rs In the Ninth district the
total lax for 1889 is 1852, ISL 65, and in that
district during he year the criminal expen
dlture was $49, S53 IS. La the Eighth dis
triot the percentage of the expenditure to
the total tax is less than 6 per cent, and In
The Ninth the percentage Ia over 81 per cent.
The question arises in this connection: Why
the disparity in assessment in the Eighth
and Ninth districts T The Eighth district is
almost entirely agricultural IN its character.
Crops have been small for years and prices
low, and the people are poor. Ia the
Ninth great progress is being made
and capital is being constantly invest
ed in very large amount. The peo-
pie are certainly more prosperous Ia the lat
ter than in the former district. The exce5
slve crimiual expenditure in the Ninth is
rot to bs accounted for on the hypothesis
that the Nluth district is more lawless than
elsewhere, and it is not to be accounted for
on The plea that our criminal charges are
altogether or mainly due to the presence
of the colored people. IN the Ninth dis
trict the colored population under the
census of 1880 was II 545. and in
the Eighth district 81 PSI. The Fourth
district, the black belt, is taxed for 1889 the
sum of $1S5, 35S II, and the criminal expen
diture S25, 099 81; the percentage being less
than II per cent. THOUGH the colored popu'
lation in 1880 was 06,S6S. The criml-
nal expenditure is no doubt much
larger throughout the State than if
the entiTe pOpuinlIou Woio ""i'S, D"'
the main reason for its extravaganza Is that
all sorts of simple misdemeanors that ought
to be tried by justices are tried ia the courts
on Indictment by the grand jury, involving
the cost oil juries and witnesses, and fees to
COMMONWEALTH attorneys. This seems to
he the case notably in the Ninth. For in
stance, in Scott county the tax for 1889 is
ST., 1896 SIS. The criminal expenditure was
in the last fiscal wear IS 042 80 La Wise
county the tax is SIS .4S9 20, anu The criminal
expenditure So, 647 .S2. Papers 10 the audi
tors Office show that at the August term,
1889, of the Scott county Court the Com
mouwealth's Attorney was paid fefs out OF
the treasury to the amount of 500, and two
of the cases prosecuted in which ne got $40
were assaults, and four of the cases 10 which
be got $40 were prosecutions for "shooti, g
along tne road" and the other misdemeenor
cases were prosecutions for Carrying con
cealed Ia Wise COUNTY at the
July term, 1889. the Commemorative AT
torney got fass amounting to 500. and three
of the cases were on indictments for shoot
ing on the public road, eight were on lndlct
ments for carrying concealed weapons, and
the other cases, with few exceptions, we're
equally tr.hiDg.