Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1896-07-10
SATURDAY, JULY II, 1896.

WORKING IHE JAIL WV 1910.
Now that the new council has struck one
popular chord by its action in the interest
Of economy. we wish to congratulate it and
suggest another. 1t has been SAID before,
Int it cannot be said too often, that 1t is
simply an outrage on the tax PAYERS that
the iail inmates are not made to work an
are permitted to lounge away months tneE'
= to people of their ciass-aosoiufe - -
Pr o+iliaZ 20 do agds Qls5sss ss.ss. ;
ss1ssFaasssss ssss. SIM 70 tat anu
8es.r. There is plenty Of street Work II
sfaaaton to employ q chain gang, ana oy
tl.at means % get at least some return for
or.e. Fl ent for the comfort Of crjIal-
nals.
This is ne new proposition. About nine
ssvears ago the Grand Jury made report~to
Grattan of the Hastings Court, urg-
ii,e the necessity of such a mode OF pun
iqS2qent. TIE Judge promptly directed
+ba seuncii to establish chain gang, the
cornc;i IS promptly gave an order to Stock
dom to make the balls and chains, which
was done. BGt after was ready, the
eorncjl TOO. .-.e back track and the matter
u.q7 % drop. Everybody who
.. vote lat in that day played
a l.--..- It u he municipal cleo
.aal that he plan died because
Il gut tense to the Negro vote
~ 5cL ais 90. the bsllot boxes and the
10 ,,i-a IS NJ, such reason to affect
the actlo.! vt present city council OF
staunton. MOI are hey the men to he al
fected by such reason.
A member Of the rand Jury OF nine
wears ago, who made hat recommendation
TO the Judge. was In lie VINDICAToR office
last week speaking about its fate, and gave
?, good Illustration of the need OF some
arrapgasneut by which the jail convlcts
could be worked. He said that IN January
OF February last, negro was committed 10
jaii for some misdeneanor, and is Still
there. He mad delightful winter, pleas
ant $spri,,g and is now Summering there al
The expense CT the STATE. He is fat and
hearty. and his wife, who often works al
the home Of the gentleman named, draws
her money ard buys delicacies to convey to
the Jail for him, he Icing above the ordlna-
nv jail care We suppose that if staun-
tonian went TO some other community and
told them that il his town when a scamp
commits q crime in the winter, he Is taken
in out OF The cold, plt in comfortably
heated room, given GOOD food and plenty OF
it, clothing When he needed it, and was
permitted to receive delicacies from his
friends, The Staunt0nian would be thought
q IunatiG. AMI yet sat is just what Staun
ton does for her criminal class, all the year
round. every year and any year that they
may feel like breahig the laws.
1t is the fact tlat ley wont work and
tha5 they regard work as burden, that
Carries Jnls o5tlalaai class to Jail. Now
that there is no law tor thrashing them,
the only punishment left is work. They
can be worked 0n the streets with ball and
chain OF the city could erect high fenced
enclosure and put them to work breaking
rock. They could pe superintendent by
member Of he police force detailed for that
purpose, and thus there would be no addi-
tlonal expense: or be put under the Super
intendsnt Of tile street hands. We hope
the gentlemen Of the council will act On
these suggestions The present system
certainly breeds crminals, for every black
and white scamp tnd5 gets into Jail and
rehearses 10 his com Danions when he gets
sstss sss..s ,so4l.fortaaIe time he has had, just
makes more scaetp6 and more jail birds by
the recital
Since the above IS written, we see that
Councilman Stewart on Tuesday night
offered an ordinance in line with the above,
except that it provides for guards for
the prisoners while working, which is an
extra expense. 81 detailed policeman OF
two, OF three of mem can easily do the
work and saye tn <penditure.