Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-11-25

commenting on the bill now pending in
| the legislature to abolish the inferior
| criminal court and establish the Second
| division of the criminal court of Jefferson
| county. / also read in your issue of to-
day an article relative to the same bill
sby "Senex." | then looked up a copy of
lgthe bill, as it is a measure in which every
Iperson in Birmingham and Jefferson
county is interested. | find as stated by
Tax Payer that the new judge is to be
paid $500 by the city and 1,200 by the
county per annun. For this expenditure
the city gets the service of a judge and
clerk for $500, whereas now $2,400 is paid
out annually fer the same services Is
this a benefit or burden to "our already
tax-burdened people," as stated by
"Senex?" l venture to say that "Senex"
would like to have the mayor and alder
men elect the recorder or have the mayor
act in that capacity, but he may rest as
sured of one thing, that so long as Ala
bama goes democratic the administration
of the laws Of Birmingham, as well as the
management of the police department,
will be under the control of democrats.
The past city administrations have
demonstrated that the mayor can find
plenty of employment to engage his en-
tire time without holding court. So much
for the city's part. Now as to the state
and county "Senex" took the pains to
show what was being paid out for judges,
solicitors, ETC., but he failed to show or
give any ISpFeS SHOWING HOW 1uucu was
paid out for jail fees, feeding prisoners,
etc. Will any informed man undertake
to say that the services of any of the
judges or solicitors mentioned by ''Senex"
could be safely dispensed with? l say
not. The real thorn in the flesh with
"Senex' is that the bill proposed will
greatly cut Down jail fees, ETC., which
now go to the sheriff whether the prisoner
is convicted or not by giving speedy
trials to all prisoners. for then Judge
Greene could give more time to felonieS
and JAIL cases. Take the case of the
Frenchman, Rion Regis, who remained in
Jail for nearly a year and finally died
there without ever having trial. at an
expense all the time to the state and
county, whereas If he had been given a
speedy trial he would have been either
convicted or acquitted, and that enor-
nous expense saved And so with other
prisoners. II "Senex" would inform him
self he would find that the people are
not taxed to maintain the criminal court
and its prosecuting officers as represented
by him The fact is that the solicitors
fees against each defendant convicted,
which under the law is paid into the
county treasury, is largely more than
the amount of the pay OF the court ana
officers. In other words, the .administra-
ton of the criminal law, in all depart
ments in Jefferson county, Is more than
self sustaining. AS / understand 1t, the
proposed court would not increase taxa
ton but would decrease it in the way
above Indicated Doesn't "SeneX' know
that the larger number of prisoners to be
fed, the larger the expense, and the great
er the expense the greater the tax? Com
pare the expense of feeding eighty pris-
oners per day at so cents each with 81
200 cost of new court and "Senex" will
soon see that thousands of dollars are
saved in the way of speedy trials of pris-
oners. After paying off the judge OF the
criminal court and all the solicitors,
there was balance in the county treas
hry Of over SIS, 900 on the 31st day of Octo-
Der, 1896, arising from solicitors fees paid
into the treasury. Then where is any
taxation on the people? About the only
objection can see to the bill Is that the
Judge should be elected by the people in
stead of by the general assembly.
GEO. e. HARRISON.
Nov "a, 1896.