Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-12-14
its removal becomes a serious and diff
fcult problem.

its removal becomes a serious and diff
icult problem.
From an intimate personal knowl-
edge of the efforts made in the past by
more capable men than ourselves, to
bring about within this city the re-
forms sought by your association, and
at a time when the public sentiment
was more uniformly in favor of such
action, and remembering that the eff
forts then exerted, earnest though
they were, resulted in failure, we have
been led to one of two conclusions:
Either the present laws, which seem to
be ample and capable. are impotent; or
public sentiment, as expressed through
the jury box, is not in favor Of their
enforcement.
Being u~nacquainted with the fnan-
cial requirements and conditions of the
city government, and holding only a
superficial Or theoretical view gained
from a possible cursory, or for that
matter, studied examination of the city
ordinances, and without having per-
sonal knowledge or experience of the
evidence necessary to prove violations
of ordinances, we do not wonder that
your association has concluded
The Solution of the Question
an easy one.
The finances of the city are made up
of the estimated receipts from the sew
eral departments, based upon those of
the year previous. Each department is
expected to provide the amount estima-
ted. In this manner, the police depart
ment was last year required to produce
$1,000 from fines and fees in police
court, a requirement surely not calcu-
lated to improve the moral welfare OF
the city.
AS a means of arriving at an actual
proportion of the fines and fees derived
from the police court, We have gone
carefully over the records from Deem
Der l, 1898. to December I, 1899, and
find the total receipts to have been
$7.S71.6O. This we have subdivided
into three general heads: First, ordi-
ness, d~isorderly conduct and such other
violations as would be of natural occur
renee. Second, houses of i'll fame, and
third, gambling and saloon violations.
We find the result to be as follows:
First, ordinary fines and
Second. houses of iil-fame.. SSH GO a.SS0T
Third, gambling, etc........ Isis Is 19.2S6fo
1851 50 100
From the above statement it will be
seen that almost IS pr cent. of the to-
tai revenue derived from the police
court was of necessity drawn from fines
imposed upon offenders of the class Of
which you complain. This is
Not a New situation.
It has existed for years, and can only
be bettered by some means other than
now at hand. We are not TO be under
stood as defending the policy of raising
revenue by imposing fines at stated in
tervals on this class of offenders. But
to reform this policy is not within our
| power, as it involves the raising of rev.
enues from some other source, for in
stance, increased taxation.
The most profitable source CT income,
as shown above, is now almost beyond
its ability TO pay, those still in exist
! ence being hardly able to support life,
| and it would seem an absolute injustice
to impose any further burden upon
these u~nfortuuates.
Our effort to eradicate the worst evil
| having failed because the juries de.
ciGed against us, acting upon the adj
vice of competent counsel that the bet
ter means of procedure would be &c
| strike at the % of the condition, and
[ that the proper plan was to object tc
the issuance of licenses to persons who
! had not needed the citation of the or
dinance as expressed in section Is, OF
TIE ordinances In relation 10 coffee
| houses and ordinaries, we appeared
| before the committee on petitions and
| remonstrances, and entered objection
TO their recommendation of licenses to
| certain persons. At least one of these
applicants had in previous conferences
with US asserted his inability to con
duct his business in accordance with
! the provisions and intent of the ordi-
| nance. and pom our assurance that il
was our de1ire and purpose TO
Enforce to the Letter
| the requirements contained In the or
| dinance, he voluntarily stated thai
that he would not make application
| Notwithstanding this, he did apply
and despite our objections, all the
| licenses applied for were recommend
ed favorAbly to Council and granted
| by it, the point being made that If ap-
| plicants were refused, the OF
the city would be reduced.
We note that your appeal to us q
| especially directed toward the opera
| ton and maintenance of what are
| known as slot machines. We respect
| fully submit that in our opinion, these
are the least pernicuous of the evils
we have to contend with. Their toll
| Grafton IS only another instance OF
| the impotency and inefieiency of pres
ent ordinances, or. rather the ability
OF the groQes authorities to enfOrca