The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-02-03

tablishing q workhouse In New Castle
county. The Woman's Christian Temper
anco Union has sent tho following abb
stracts from n speech delivered by Chief
Justice before :he last General Assembly ::
"Tne vasteful extravaganza of our Jail
system compared with the work-house
system OF our sis'or states Is simply ap-
palling. Let us examine and compare
them On Friday, the 23d day Of the PRES
ent month, there were confined in tho jails
of the three counties OF this State, 2a7
prisoners; of this number 1888 were convicts
sentenced to imprisonment for u longer or
shorter term. The average number of
| prisoners is about 2ll These prisonert do
not con ribute one cent 10 their own sup
port, but are on absolute charge on the
taxpayers of the several counties, living
! as they do in enforced idleness.
I'm 1896 our prison systom by actual
| returns OF tho several clerks OF the pence,
for an average of $40 prisoners. "A ggreea'e cd
s3O5iZs1; each pri oner yearly cost sls3.-
SIS; each prisoner daily cost so 3 10 conts.
"Ts there any reason why the people of
Delaware should be taxed to keen In idle
DesT MI our prisoners. at daily cost of
so so cants each, when by putting them
to work. as shown from other states, he is
kept for So cons daily In excess of earn
ing,; or that we shoull pay yearly in the
aggregate s5S. 5!7S3 to keep 210 Idle con-
vic's when the above named states show
that that number can he kept under the
w"rkllonse svstoml at yearly agyregats
cost Of $5.G5i459 Shall we then continue
sys EN- that absolutely wastes the differ
e1re between the sum of s3S, 5lZ So and
s5,G4 45, viz: s322, 1913 IS every yenr? II Tho
latter sum CAP be saved 1t Is the l., .D'ra-
tive duty of the Legislature to do SO. This
saving can be made.
IL t ns look at ono of the leaks Mt the
present system. L, 1896 New Castle Coun-
ty pail fo" f'od for tho prisoners alone tho
sum Of sl3GJ1.26 Tho actual cost to the
sheriff was s4.27.O9 The county there
fore paid him s-,4H ~ in excess Of cost.
This single leak would pay the entire 5000,
0C0 cost nf workhou O in twenry years in u
sinking fund Such le,ks and waste arc
found along Tho line o. the present penal
system; it is simply king with -timo
political favor and corruption.
The secret of the success Of the work.
house system Is that it is not q political
machine, but business enterprise; con-
Quoted on strict business principles; every
prisoner Is made to work and earn
his own fool, clothing and expenses. 1t is
the dlffcrucr hetwron go idle drones on the
one hand, and alO working bread winners
OH the other.'
MAY TAX BICYCLES
A mnttcr in which every whnelmap in
Wilmington is interested was given notics
of In the n ,uss this afternoon -- 1t pro-
vilcs that each and every b,cvc'e or tri-
cycle usal in Wilmington shall be taxed
one dollar annually.
~Thc measure will causo furore in ovcl-
Ing circc', 1t will ba introduced by R,p-
resonta iv, Shailcrass Tomorrow.
The net Is 70 be introduced to provide
additional revenue TO" tho city of Will
mington. and is in the line of her mc"s-
urcs for that purpose, which have been in
troduced in tn, Lagislatura.
It is estimated tha. ther, are 1000
bicycles in uSc in Wilmington. and If the
act becomes n law they would provide M
increase OF ,00) annually in that city's |
revenues
TO MAKE INDEXES.
1twili.be recalled by residents OF Wil-
anincton tina. a few weeks ngo there was |
considerable comment over mn Expenditure !
by tho New Castle cnuntyIIavv Court to !
in The Office of R"cnrla" of Dec IL. C. C.
Montgomery. At tha time n vigorous pre-
tcst against the exorhitart charge was
male by the various newspapers OF VIII
min gton.
representative Shallcro's today gave
not &C Of All act the purport Of which is to
regulate the copying and indexing of !!
records in all county Offices OF this state 1t
provides that such t1dexing and in1Ic.ng
shall be dono By the county officers without
extra compensation. Mr.. Shallrross says
this work is now finished mp t. The present
time, aud thore will bo no difficulty in con-
tinuing the ,rk in tho future.
sRCRET SOCIETY BILL
The committee on miscellaneous hlsi.
ness this afternoon gave h,arnG TO q
delegation from Wilmington in tho inta--
est Of Senator Brasure's secret s,rioty bill.
AT first beforo tho provisions OF tho act
became known thoroughly, 1t was opposed
by many secret snciatios. but in The psst
few days there has bcen an uphcaval in its
favor.
Those who spoke in hehalf of the bill to.
lny were Edwin L. H"st. leading Rad
Man and Odd Fellow, George G. Gutrrie.
John T. Thomson of Georgetown, and
John Harris of Wilmington, all prami
ieut III sncrnt socinti'i. The committee
las been empowered to retain .h3 act i'll
III order tnat more delegations
nay bo heard.
CENTURY CLuLD MEETING
The New CeMi.y C.uD Of Dover,
through Speaker Clark and President SAL
non, to-day invi,cd III; membe of Tho
legislature To at.unl IL in1.uiil- on next
fhnis lay nj .sht in the interest, of tho act