The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-11-13
JAILHR DAVIS SNAP
The PrinCe1Y Sum He Real
ICES Yearly From the
County Jail.
FIFTEEN HUNDRED DOLLARS A MONTH.
Effort Will Be Made To Have the
Next Legislature Make the
Position a SaIaried One.

Position a Salaried One.
A bill is being drafted by well known
lawyer in this city to abolish the present
system Of conducting the County jail.
This bill will be among the first that will
represented to the next Legislature, and
II the spirit of economy prevails then as
it was supposed to prevail on Election
Day, very radical change in the matter
of jails will be made. The bill is aimed
directly at Hudson and Essex Counties
where the Freeholders appoint a filler
With fabulous fees, ane with nothing to
do but to collect them from ths county.
Robert Davis is the JaIer of this county.
Bis active services to the county consist
OF his arriving at the Jail at halt past
eleven O'Clock in the morning and leav-
ing it at half past twelve TO go to race
tracks or other resorts for pleasure ami
profit. That generally is all the time
Jsiler Davis passes in the County Jail,
and for this service he receives faes that
aggregate from $4,000 tn 10000 year.
AND HE DOES NOTHING.
ut Is a shame said the lawyer who fs
drawing he bill referred to, That this or
any other county should pay any man
such an amount for doing absolutely
nothing. Judge Lippincott of the
Supreme Court works very hard eighteen
hours oUs of every twenty-four to earn
his salary, aud besides he brings with his
work Il vast store of knowledge gained
by many years of hard study. He is a
skilled laborer. and although filling one
of the highest and most responsible
positions in the Stale, yet his income from
ais un ceasing labor and VAST knowledge
of the law is but $4,000 q year, every-
thing counted. Robert Davis. an Hitter
ate man filing u position that only ra-
qulres the ability of turn ing key on q
prisoner, and which ability is turnishsa
by au uuderkeeper, receives from 5000
to $1,000 year more tnan Judge Lips
pincort.
Judge Hudspesh,' continued the law
yer. receives but s., $50. aud his work is
constant, and second only 30 that of
Judge Lippincott. Judge Hudspe tn re-
ceIVes but "a trit1e more than one-tnird of
the inc ONE Robert Davis de rives iailer
from The county.
FIGURES TELL.
You may think | am exaggerating,
but am not. Here are The figures tO
prove what say. quote from County
Collector Dugau's report for 1892 the last
one that has been issued. Davis. you
will remember. took his Office as jailer
IN April, 1892, and the sums, County Coll
lector Dugan says. the county has paid
him since then. are as follows
May Z, 1892 .............". S.. 52S 20
June l,e g IsSs ,sos iSa4 20
September II, 1882. so4s 90
October 10, 1892. .....................i, 1858 05
a.. .t Ss,653 Os
"Ihis ls all that Davis received untII
the next fiscal appro 1riatiou was avail
able, which was In December, and then
he was paid the balance of what ths
county owed him. sum DroDortionatelv
Ms great as the other payments. This
IS, ,s53.05, which Davis received for six
snontns1 services as jailer is an Nv 'rag9
| Of $l,475.50 a month, or S17.7O6 for Ghs
year.
THE PERQUIsITES.
III all OF the payneotS for year were
| at hand L have no doubt that this sum
would reach $4,000 year without count~
lug the iailer's perquisites. These per-
| quisites amount to a very considerable
| sum in year. Any prisoner who caa
afford to have food supplied from q res
| taurant may do so, but he is forced to
pay so per cent. more for it than the res
taurant proprietor charges, the profit
going to the Jail. The same rule applies
| to tobacco, stationery, postage stamps
and any other article not furnished on
| the prison bill of fare, of vile dish
| called soup and bread and cheap subs
stitute for coffee. AS a matter OF econ-
omy aud for the benefit of every tax
should be salaried one and am willing
| 10 guarantee that | can produce hun
dred men just as capable for the position
| as Davis is who would bs anxious to
| nave the position at. salary OF $1,000 d
| year; yes, and for less money.
DA Wis BoNDsMEN LIABLE.
"It is said Lhaea mau should be re-
sponsible citizen to fill the position, and
he must give bonds for the faithful per-
formauce of his duties. Do YOU know
how otteu the boudsmen of Davis have
| beeu made liable To suits at law to recov~
er the amount of the boods. l can tell
you. Since Davis has been jailer about
| one dozen prisoners have escaped from
| the institution. ID the case OF each es,
| cape the bondsmen OF Davis are respoasi-
| Ole TO the county. But Davis has been a
| political boss aud the F'reenolders who
| appointed him would not briug suit
| against his boudsmen because Davis had
| been negligent ana careless aud had per-
| mitted notorious criminals to flee from
| the jail In search of liberty. There has
| beeu no secret about these escapes aud
| The JERSEY CITY NEWS and otuer papers
have from time to time published a:-
counts of each escape.
DEPLoRABLE CONDITION OF AFFAIRS.
"rhis condition of affairs is manitestly
improper, aud it would not exist If the
| jaller received salary for his services,
and If his position depended entirely
upon The faithful performance OF these
services. Do you Know that one OF the
clever tricks of Davis 10 keep the Frees
holders friendly with niu is to supply
| them with good dinners? This is fact.
Every day the Freeholders have meet
in. they are invited to eat dinner at the
jail, and majority Of the board generally
accepts the invitation. 1t is q clever
dodge on the part of Davis, for what man
would care to leave the table of another
to vo g for measure that would tnjurs
his recent hostf tell you. Mr.. Reporter,
| the present sy stem OF appointing a jailer
aud en- erir into five years coutra ct
| with hin an outrage. and tue oaly
| person who derives benefit from such
| action is the iailer himself, who during
| his term of office acquires a fortune of
| 100000, which the taxpayers have
presented him with, not because they
wanted TO. but because they mad TO- You
may rest assured that the next Legls-
l,ture will make radical change in the
government of the County JAN. 1t Is
pos ible that the Sheriff may be given
the custody of tue Jail. as it was form
e ", and is still ina custom in some
counties in the State.
Weather Indications.
New YoRK. Nov. l3, 1898. 93.-Forecast for thir-
an6i