The record-union., 1897-01-07
NO STREET CHAIN GANG.
Inc supervisors Declared to That Effect
Yesterday.
kesoiutlons Asking Relief for the
Lands Along the Sacra-
mentO River.

Wnen the Supervisors assembled yes
toay morning Morrison said that he
"iSiieo TO promote harmony and eff
Siehcy In the board. He wished, there
lore, to retire from the Chairmanship
Oh the Committee on Roads and Bridges
Al haVor of Mr.. Curtis. He had accepted
1iie position of Chairman of the Judi
cidry Committee in order to relieve Mr.
Surtls of the burden, but he now wanted
~ shlft 1T upon the shoulders of one
no was fully competent to take charge
Vi IL and perform its duties satisfactory
~ and Well. AS for himself he would
pe glad at all times to assist any mem
Der OF the board in the discharge of his
outles, II desired. He would, therefore
ask Mr.. Mclaughlin to accept the
Craftsmanship of the Committee on Ju-
oiclary, and he would do all in his power
10 tighten the labor it entailed on him.
Mr. Mclaughlin said he was a new
member and did not wish to be burdened
with too many duties until he had be-
come more accustomed to the duties OF
his position He finally consented, how
ever, to accept the Craftsmanship, and
the Clerk was ordered to have the roll
calls printed with Curtis as Chairman
OF the Committee on Roads and Bridges
and Mclaughlin as Chairman of the
Committee on Judiciary
j. Bauer asked the board to allow his
claim as member of the Election
Board. One of the members appointed
was an hour late in the morning, and
objection had been made that he was
not a resident of the precinct Mr.
Bauer had, therefore, been sworn in and
acted as member of the board all day
The tardy member, however had been
sworn in by the board after his ar
rival, and when the claim for the board
was presented had received his pay and
Bauer was left out in the cold, the Board
of Supervisors not knowing anything OF
the circumstances.
The board felt that Mr.. Bauer was en-
titled to pay for his work, and the mat
ter was referred to the District Attor-
ney
The District Attorney afterwards
gave it as his opinion that Bauer, hav-
Ing been sworn in and acted as Clerk
was entitled to pay, and that the mem
Der whose place he had taken was not
The board then took a recess till 9
p. m.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
In the afternoon the Clerk opened the
bids for pump at the County Hospital
to be run by electricity.
The bidders were Frank Lyman, S529
and S629; Root, Nelson & Co., S656;
Warren F. Drew, S937. There was some
difference in the accessories offered in
the bids
The bid of Lyman for 5000 was ac-
cepted and the contract awarded him
Trustee Devine of the Board of Trus-
tees addressed the board in relation to
the use Of the chaingang in cleaning the
streets. He wished to know what eX-
pense was to be attached to the city if
they We're so used.
Morrison said that some years ago the
board had an understanding with the
city that it would bear half the expense
of feeding the chaingang and pay one
watchman. 1t paid the watchman, but
has never paid a dollar for feeding the
men.
Mclaughlin said he was City Trus-
tee at that time, and the city paid the
watchman, but did nothing more.
brennan said he favored making the
men work. He did so in 1855 and 1856
and made them work well, too, and the
city got a great deal of work out o1
them. If it were done, however, he
thought the labor unions would raise
the cry that they We're interfering with
free labor. He did not favor putting
men who had been sent to jail for be-
ing drunk in the chain gang, but only
those who had been convicted of crime
or vagrancy.
Morrison said he believed that Grim
mails should be made TO earn their owr
living. He recalled the time when the
chain gang was sent out to the vicinity
of the hospital, and it simply resulted
in taking them out for a ride into the
country every day and very little work
was done. When they We're put on tbs
rock pile, however, they struck and
said they had rather starve than work
there. He was unalterably opposed tC
working the men ON the streets, as
they liked nothing better than to get
out where they could beg tobacco and
get dope" from their friends, and
We're perfectly willing to commit new
offenses when their terms expired and