The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-08-29
TALK OF THE CITY COURT
CAN JURY VISITS TO CONVICT
CAMPS BE DISPENSED wITHP

on the City Court.
The question has recently been raised and
is now being somewhat discussed as TO the
necessity that exists, il any, for an in-
specNon Of the convict camps by grand
juries Of two courts-why, in other words,
a committee representing one court should
follow, perhaps almost Immediately, in the
footsteps OF another committee representing
the other court and do over the same work
it has done and double the taxpayers ex-
pense in this respect.
While this expense may not be q heavy
one, 1t is still an expense, and 1t is held by
some who consider the present system bad
one that il should be dispensed with and
start made toward a retrenchment all
along the line Of county expenses. These
people, OF whom there are many, maintain
that 1t is necessary for the city court grand
| jury to appoint committees to inspect the
| and to do other work that
the superior court grand jury also does.
They recognize the fact that the cost is
| comparatively Insignificant, but maintain
that If IL and other useless expenses, also
trihing when taken separately, are wiped
out, the total saving may be considerable.
| WHAT JUDGE MAC DoNELL SAYS.
| A MORNING NEWS reporter interviewed
Judge MacDonell on this matter. He stated
! that while there may be no absolute neces-
sity for such Inspections he, and all other
persons who are interested in the questions
arising out Of the punishment of misde-
meanors by placing convicted prisoners on
the chain-gang, must consider them
both advisable and beneficial Citizens,
IL anything, should be brought
more frequently In contact with the chain
- A..
| ner in which they are conducted the treat
ment accorded the prisoners-how they are
worked, fed, housed and situated In regard
| to morals and health-and exactly what
service they ars performing for the county
| Inasmuoh as 1t is difficult matter for the
average man to find time to personally
visit the camps the information sought must
be obtained through committees of cItizens
| in whom the public has confidence and
whose statements can be accepted
as at once accurate and unbiased. These
| inspections, Judge MacDonell has no doubt,
| serve to reduce to a minimum abuses that
would otherwise undoubtedly creep into the
| management of the county prisoners. As
result of them and the careful supervis-
| ion OF the county commissioners Chatham
| to-day has chain-gang system which has
all OF the advantages and benefits and less
Of the evils attendant upon such methods Of
using and providing for prisoners than any
other county in Georgia.
THE COMMITTEES SERVE GOOD ENDS.
The city court has a grand jury for each
| term, November February, April and July
and each one appoints the proper commit
| tee on chatn-gang inspection. Sometimes
these committees, which never announce
the time OF their visits, 60 to the camps in
| their own vehicles, sometimes in carriages
provided for them by the commissioners.
| The expense is slight, even for year per
haps hardly passing 800, and Judge Mac
| Donel holds that the money is well ex-
pended. Ths city court, be pointed out,
furnishes the great majority of the pris-
oners on the chain-gangs and the court should
have soma means OF knowing whether its
sentences ere being properly administered.
At the same time these committees by their
| reports sa ,isfy citizens generally that the
camps are not, as is charged sometimes Of
suoh places lsewhere, nests of immortality
and brutality. No matter how much all
may commend the disposition Chatham
makes of her prisoners, there are extremely
few who would not bitterly oppose brutality
to them. The committees, as the repre-
sentatives of the public, satisfy the public
mind on this and other points. Judge
MnoDonell says that their influence is
accordingly all for good and that they are
an agency that it would be Unwise to dis
pense with for the saving of few dollars.
| JUDGE HARDENb VIEW OF 1T.
Ex-Judge Harden takes exactly the same
view Of it. He maintains that is a matter
OF duty as we'll as sentiment TO inves; igate
the condition of the prisoners sufficiently
often to prevent fragrant abuses or to cor
rect them at their inception. 4 community
has no moral right, he holds, TO relieve
itself Of those guilty Of offenses
against its laws by placing them at a dis.
tance from 1t, under the control of num-
l hnv- - sd
concern about their lives and persons than
if they did not exist. Chain-gang prisoners
have certain rights just as much as the
citizens who are law-abidirg and it is O
public duty TO see that those rights are not
trampled upon. He is inclined to be-
lieve that some of those who, from what
he considers false ideas Of economy. would
do away with inspections by the city court
grand jury, would be the very first ones tc
protest vigorously in case abuses should be
discovered and demand removals or prose-
cutions Of those responsible for them. Judge
Harden is inclined to agree with Judge Mac
Donell IN bis idea that more visitations of
this character, instead Of less, is what is
needed.
| PRAISE FOR THE CITY COURT.
There Is one point about the city court
| would like to call your attention to-" said
Judge Harden, land that is the fact that il
is the court that does the greatest service tc
the city aud county at the least expense
Its expenses are about $1,000 per annum
and the work it does could not be attended
to by the superior court within hardly les,
than three times that amount. Ny eX
perience Oh the bench OF the city court, and
my observation before and since
then, have convinced me thai
1t more nearly meets all the needs OF Sa-
vannah and Chatham than anything else
you could suggest to take its place. Once
IN while some man, who does not know
really what he is talking about, suggests
abolishing the city court entirely on the
score of economy. One OF this class spoke
to ms about it one day and l showed him
exactly the error he was in. IL would be
an expensive thing for this county, indeed
II the city court were wiped out. l would
like to see the name changed, though, for it
Is gross MISSIONER. AS for the grand jury
the city court has one four times year. II
could have sixteen year instead OF four, il
the judge SO desired-one for every month
as well as one for every quarterly term.
Look up the code and you viii
see that this is fact. The
city court Is Of the utmost value
at the least possible expense. If it could
only be compared with other courts elss-
where that do the same amount and same
character Of work, am sure the result
would be at once surprising and CRAFTY
ing
WANT EXPENSES CURTAILED.