The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-04-03

tettA ~, AAree P4-asi1 AaaAsN ~ -PA trtSa
Before deciding. the committee heard
Sheriff taeiatas, in BEHALF o. the plan
10, bpaFdithe city Dtig0nefB 10 the Coltns
w ail. Ho stated his Views ~ follows:
no che committee on police Of the cours
oil Of the city Of Wheeling;
GEN .rLaAdEN;-In answer 70 your
invitation one week ago, / appeared be.
forO your committee, then cohgidering
the question OF taking care 0f persons
aentenced from your police court, and
I agreed 20 lay before you at q meGt-
ing IN the future, q proposal TO take
such prisoners % had heretofore been
sent 70 tho city work house
Since that time, from the information
galned from the newspapers OF .our
city 1 have concluded to mako you
such q proposition as can leave no
doubt IN the mind Of any one aB 10 the
actual saving OF money 10 che city OF
Wheeling and It's taxpayers by the
adoption OF the proposal that will
make. II 10 well TO keep in mind, in
the consideration Of this question, the
fact that In the adoption Of either plan,
sending prisoners to workh0use or
jan, that the number TO be taken care
OF u one OF the most Important factors
~ uuEGt hlullAb Tue GoAI VI GaGAl' ~
successfully establish and maintain a
workhouHe at cost that would suggest
the eSt0 blishment Of such an Institution
II Is absolutely necessary that the nun-
Der Of prisoners be large and the term
OF imprisonment long. No wogiShouBe
could be successfully conducted with
only o few short term prisoners 90 sup.
port Il, such as are generally committed
from your pollce court. Former police
committees have considered the adVlS-
ability Of employing city prlsoilerS on
public work, such IS would be Of beu'
6it to the community, but have always
met with strong opposition that IS
found In our city 0Ealnst the employ
ment Of prison labor In competition with
free labor.
The plan of sending city prisoners to
the jail would be most successful in
saving money to the taxpayers when
the number OF prisoners Is small and
the term Of imprisonment short. You
VIII all recall the manner OF dealing
with certain Offenders Rdopted hy one
OF our former mayors, OF giving them
short time In which to leave our city,
how well Il worked and how generally
that course was approved OF by the
citizens. The continuance OF that neth-
of dealing with Offenders, with the Rd-
ditiouRl one of giving short sentences
for trivial offences, would reduce the
cost OF taking care OF city prisoners, IN
my Judgment, to one-half the amount
expended last year. OF course the suc-
cess OF that system would largely de-
pend upon the view entertained ana the
practice OF the Judge who would try Of.
fenders against the city ordinances.
have written at this length for the rea-
sons that believe that your committee
wants information Mt this time on the
subject, and having had come eXperl-
enCa IN those matters, ana also having
read considerable OF late on the subject
that does NOT agree with either my OBJ
servatiou or experience. believed ref
erence to them might assist you 70 q
conclusion satisfactory TO yourselves
and the taxpayers that you represent.
As the proposed workhousc scheme Is
Intended 10 provide for the care OF fe-
male prisoners and the lecessary exc
pense OF providing. o. seDarate apart
inent and a natron, desire TO inform
the committee that the city viii be CALI
ed upon to pay but about $?5 for the
care OF female prisoners sentenced
from the police court for the months OF
January, February and March. or the
quarter ending April ], 1881, an average
Of about IS % per month, q sum much
less, think, than you could secure the
services of rhatTon unless you are
enabled under the new order of thlnGS
to employ labor as cheap as 1t y pro-
POSED TO feed the unfortunateS who are
expected TO be sentenced to long terms
Of imprisonment at hard labor for the
fracture OF certain city ordinances,
namely, being without employment, an
offence that a grea: many good people
have been guilty OF In the last few
yeara
/ propose to receive. all male prison
efs sentenced to jail Imprisonment from
your police court and feed them during
the term for which they may be sent,
for the sum of nifty cents per Gay to I
each prisoner, for every day thai he
may be confined In the Jail According
10 the average number OF prlsoners said
10 be confined In your workhouse last
year, fifteen per day, that rate would
entail cost TO the city OF 81 50 per day,
or S2742 90 ner year. According to the
report OF the city clerk for the last
year, you paid out on account OF the
city workhOuse. 1888 6S, a difference
OF 1854 Is, between the cost Of opera
ting the workhouse for the last year
and the cost Of keeping the average
number OF prisoners at the proposed
rate per day In jail for one year. To
convince your committee OF the faith
that l have in the adoption Of the plan
az Sending prisoners to jail TO save mo-
ueV annually to the city ofsWheelIng,
Will further agree that II the city OF
Wheeling will send all OF the prisoners
convicted and sentenced from tts po-
lice court to fall, will guarantee 10 the
city an annual saving of $500 per year
by contracting not to charge the city IN
any one year, for the term that may
contract for. a sum not more than
SJ,G96 IS for all male prisoners that may
Be sent to jail from police court during
any one year. My opinion that the city
can and will save very much larger
MIN BY the adoption OF the plan OF
sending the male prisoners to jail in-
stead OF establishing q new woskhouse;
Is justified by the facts set forth ana
the clty's experience with the old work.
house.
Chairman Dawson then mentioned
the Sact that Sheriff Richards did not
state anything about the keeping OF fe-
male prisoners.
Ssh sheriif Richards said that his price for
female prisoners would be the same Ns
''S cierk O'BrIen then read Communities
lions from other warehouses. Accord
ing 10 the Cincinnati superintendent
report, his boardeTs Jared sumptuopsly
nj seven and eiRht-ninth cents DAY.
His bin OF fare would have done credit
to a hotel.
Discussion followed on the expense
connected with the local worlEhOuse. II
was agreed that no average cost per day
could he secured owing to the system OF
dumping" the number of prisoners at
the end OF the month.
'Fbe proposition al Sherlf Richards
TO board the city prisoners was ordered
received and llled.
x motion then followed by Mr.. Chew
that the plans of FransheIm, Glesey y