Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1891-04-08
Evening Tohas;s-leai Chronicle
IS CENTS PER WEEK.
BRANDON Il BARKsDALE, PROPS.
THE WORK HOUSE LAW.
Full Text Of the Measure Passed by the
Last Legislature.
A BILL
TO BE ENTITLED

TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to establish County Worl
Houses to provide tor working mis-
demeanOr and other cOnVicts sen
stencpd to such work houses; tC
declare county jails work houses in
such counties as have no separate
work house to provide for commits
siOners ana uperintendent and
other subordinates for work houses
and to define their powers aud du
ties.
SECTION /. Be it enacted by the
General Assembly of the State Of
Tennessee That the County Court
of any county may through its Quar-
terly Court provide such lands, build.
ings and articles of any kind as may
be necessary for work-house for such
County
SEC. 2. BE it further enacted: That
any county not having provided a
separate work house may through its
Quarterly Court declare its jail to be q
work house, if such Jail be in the
opinion of the Magistrates Of sufficient
capacity and suitable for the purpose
and from and after such declaration
the Jail shall be known as, and shall
be the county work house and such
county shall have thereafter the bene.
fit of all laws in the State applying to
work houses.
SEC. 3. BE it further enacted That
when any county has established Il
separate work house, or the Jail IN any
county has been declared a work
house, the Quarterly Court thereof
shall elect four competent persons, whC
in conjunction with the judge or chair.
man of the said court shall be known
as the board Of work house commits
sioners, of which the said judge or
chairman shall be eX-officiO chairman
of the board, and the Criminal Court
Judge shall also be member of said
board. Two of said commissioners
shall serve for the term of one year,
an two for the term of two years, and
annually thereafter the said Quarterly
Court shall keep said commissioners
elected 10y electing two commissioners
for the term of two years, and all va
cancies shall be filled by like election
for the uncXpired term of the commits
siOner whose place il to be supplied.
Said commissioners shall have charge,
supervision and control of the work
house in all of its departments, the
convicts, the appointment or selection
Of u superintendent Of the work house,
all necessary guards and other EN-.
ployeesf the dscharging thereof, at
any lime, in the discretion of the
commissioners, and generally to regu-
late and to control that department OF
the cOunty's business.
SEC. 4. BE it further enacted: That
at the first regular meeting of said
County courts, after the passage of
this act, the Quarterly Court may elect
four commissioners, whose term of
service as such shall be until the first
Monday in January, 1892, aud the
Judge or chairman shall eX-oIliciO be a
member and chairman Of said board
of commissioners.
SEC. 5. BE it further enacted: That
the work house commissioners shall
take AN oath faithfully to discharge
and perform the duties Of their office
which oath shall be filed with the
County Court clerk, and a record of
the same made on the minutes of the
court, and they shall appoint one OF
their number secretary. They may
prescribe the kind of labor ut which
the prisoners shall be put provided
that when practicable they shall be
worked ON the county roads in prefer
encc to all other kinds of labor.
Section defines duties of commits
siOners as to meetings, Keeping ac-
counts, etc. Provides that COmmiss
toner's shall receive such compensation
as court may fix. That upelintendeLt
shall submit all accounts for supplies,
etc, which shall be approved by
commissioner and paid by county
Judge on warrant. That commission
ers shall visit prisoners while at work,
SEC. 7. BE it further enacted
That the board commissioners when
any county has established a separate
work house, or which has declared its
Jail to be work house, shall appoint
a superintendent o. said work house.
pointed shall hold his Office for the
remainder of the year; thereafter the
superintendent shalt be appointed ON
the first Monday in January and hold
his Office for two years unless sooner
suspended, or removed as provided
in section three. Provided, that
where any county now has superin-
tendent in charge Of its work house,
he shall hold over until the first Mon
day in January 1892. The supernten-
dent appointed under this act shall
take an oath and give bond for the
faithful discharge of its duty with two
or more approved snreties in the sum
of one thousand dollars, payable to the
State of Tennessee, for the use Of the
county before the County Judge or
chairman, which oath and bond shall