The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-11-14
4HEFEESYSTHM MUST GO
Citizens Object to Pay
Bob" Davis $4,000 a
Year For Doing
Nothing.
A STRIKING COMPARISON.
Cost of Conducting the Penitentiary
Where Boss Davis Gels
His Supplies.

Many tax payers who read THE JERsEY
CITY NEWS yesterday were heard to saY
that they were very glad that bill was
being prepared to be presented to the
Legislature asking that body to abolish
the fee system in the County Jail. and to
make the office OF jailer salarisd one.
1T will be a saving TO the county ofas
least $4,000 a year." said one large
property owner. land in these hard times
every economic measure possible should
be put into effect for the benefit of the
over burdened taxpayers"
Another citizen who has been prom<
ineut in public affairs said:-"It costs the
county very much larger sum to sup
port the County jail thau it does to sup-
port the PenitenGiarv ut Snaks Hill,
Look at these figures? The county pays
Jsiler Davis about 5000 veac for his
services, and the only return for this
money the county gets is that the p.ison-
ers each day devote an hour TO sweeping
out the Court House. For the month OF
October it COST the county 81, ISL 81 to run
the Penite ntiary. This included the
salaries of twenty-seven employees at
at $3.50, aud the salary of iha
deputy warden at S125. The expendi-
lures for October wsr a little moro
than the average, but taking them as
the average monthly cost of main tanning
the Penitentiary, you will have a total
cost for the wear of S33, 13S 81, OF which
amount $22. 800 is paid for the sslar les Of
the wardens aud keepers, and :he actual
cost of maintenaucs of the prisoners, il-
Guiding the bnHrd of the warden and
keepers. is S10,SIS.S4
COMPARISON.
"Now, then, what does the county re-
ceive for this? During October there
were 172 prisoners at the Penitentiary.
Everyone of them must work, male or
female, unless sick. Some Of the men
are skilled mechanics, who, when at
liberty, readily make IS a day. while
others as laborers average 81 day. One
hundred aud seveuty-two prisoners az
work 300 days In The year at 50 per day
means that these prisone have ear ned
$103. 200 for the county. or $7006l. 16 more
than it cost to keep them. In other
words. the county has made profit out
of the prisoners of S70.06t. 16 for the
year. This money is mostly expended
on county reads. The prisoners havs
built the County Road from Tonuele
avenue to Snake Hill. They nave made
| a splendid macadam road of Ii, and SO,
| too, they have macadamizsd the Hack
| ensack and the Paterson Plank roa 8
clear to Hoboken. They dc all the labor-
/ u
| Pavilion, Asylum Almshouse, Smallpox
| Hospital and the Peaitentiary. besides
quarrying as great a quantity of stone
| MS the authorities can sell. The Penlten-
| tiary is paying Investment fer the
| county. How is It with the County
| JatlP
I'VE know, of course, that prisoners in
the County Jail cannot be compelled Co
| work. The law prevents this. We also
know that the prisoners are supposed to
| be kept under lock aud KEY all the time
| and not tu be permitted TO go cut OF
| doors. except the women who sweep the
| Court House. This being the case, one
or two assistants is all that Jailer res
| quires. and therefore he has no great
| salaries to pay such rs ths county Is
| forced to pay at the PenitenSiary. Jailer
! Davis has three assistants. That is hia
| only expense besides feeding his prI.
| soners, aud any man in this county would
| take the contract to do this r So .0o0.
THE COUNTY SUPPLIES TIE JAILER.
| by these figures 1t Is seen that every
dollar paid the jailer by the county over
and above what he pays his keepers and
The less thau S.. 900 year tba, it costs to
| feed the prisone rs, is clear profit TO JRiler
! Davis, and the county receives noJhing
| iu return. Everything that is used about
| the Ill except food is supplied the Jaiisr
| by the county. He makes a requisition
Oh the Freeholders for articles wanled
| aud the Freeholde direct that the goods
| be furnished. These reqnisitlons of Jail
.er Davis became SO frequsuG that recent
1 ly Freeholder Ellis a5 u meeting of tue
board denounced the extravagauce of
| Davis in no mild manner, aud at his re$
| quest committee was appointed o make
1 d thorough investigation into what De-
| came of all the supplies 10y requlsition for
| the jail. This committee has not made u
! report and | do not beieve ls ever will"
REPUBLICANS WON'T DEAL.
1 It was aid last night That the Repub-
| lican State Committee yesterday at
| Newark decided to mmend to the
| Legislature that the proposed change
| in the County Jail system be made q
| party and caucus measure and that the
| bill be passed as soon as possible after
| the Legislature conYenes. With the fee
system in the jails abolished. aud y
moderate salary paid the jailer for his
l services, Que of the worst elements that
| enters INTO county politics will Ds
eliminated, aud doubtless the Freeholt-
| ers as well as the tax payers will be
pleased with such change. It has for
years been openly cnafged that the
| jailers of this county secured the appoiRt-
ment to their very lucrative position by
corrupt means, aud certainly the morals
| of the county will be better if sueh
| temptations are removed.
I A gentleman said today that he heard
Bob Davis say that he expected TO De
| legislaLed out OF his position and was
making preparations to fight of such an
event If possible. That Davis will en-
deavor to make some sort of deal. which
will pc nit MIN to continue at the all
and 10 receive lis prlncelY fees Is not
doubted, but 1t Is not belleved thai the
Republican party managers will dare 20
listen to his Ovsrtures ami schemes.
TuR REGIONS, MASOUERAnE