Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-04-12
SENTIMENT FAvORS REFORM.


Much Comment Occasioned by the Ex-
posture of tho Scheme for Collecting Costs
on Account of Lodgers at the County Jail.
From Every Evening, April It'll. a
That public sentiment favors the
action of the Levy Court in holding up
the colossal bill Of Mayor Evan q. Boyd
Of New Castle is quite evident from .ex-
presslons Of opinion heard on the SUBJ
iect today. Every Evenings exhaustive
article Of yesterday told the people OF
the method whereby the county is
chared large sums for which IT receives
no equivalent return, and the people,
who pay the taxes, feel it to be an i'm
position that their burdens ale added
to by such charges
"1t's nothing but stab, and ] am
glad some one is showing it up," said
an attorney in speaking OF the bill of
about 81, 400 presented by Mayor Boyd
for the year ended March 3lst. 70.
The publication served to suggest
"reminiscences One sheriff, whose bills
| were turned down when he charged for
| commitments Of tramns, endeavored to
follow the plan of charging simply for
the board Of the tramps, and under the
law he was entitled to 20 cents day,
providing he gave q tramp two meals /;
and then the Levy Court was not salts
| fled because he had no commitment to
show for the presence Of the tramp.
but there really seems no reason for
such an ohieo tion If the law is properly
followed, for it provides that tramts or
Migrants applying for lodging must be
permitted to secure it by iai COM
missioner, and the latter's certificate
would serve as the authority for the
charge OF 20 cents.
| When a person is taken before the
mayor Of New Castle and charged
with an offence, and is properly sen.
fenced to do time in the Jail, there
could be no objection to the mayor S
receiving his lawful fees but when a
person voluntarily goes to the jail for a
nights lodging, and never passes under
the eye OF the mayor, 1T requires large
stretch of the imagination to see how
that official can issue a commitment
against him. The man may even have
left the Jail and gone on his way, un-
conscious that any charge has heen or
is to he preferred against him. The
only purpose of the commitment appears
to be to permit the mayor of New Castle
and the sheriff to get fees from the
county. But what does the county gel
for it?
That the same method has been pur-
sued for years Is matter of notoriety
among county officials, both the sheriff
and the mayor of New Castle realizing
from 1t. Tie public will BIZ very vel
pleased if the Levy Court even at thi:
late day will try to stop the abuse.
The exposure recalls the fact that the
county has found justices CT the peace
large element Of expense. Some u
those officials are prone to send IN large
! bills for complaints and commitment
and various are the schemes whereof.
J they run them up. Thus, an individual
enters a complaint and although tn
Justice sees nothing in the complaint
! he will allow a warrant to issue ant
then nothing will come of the case, bu
his fees. Or in the matter of commit
] ments, one method is. to Inultipl,
charges against prisoner and nnothe
to make separate commitments for eacl
prisoner even when more than one i
involved in exactly the same facts. Al
attorney in speaking on this subjec
this morning told of case where tire
men had broken into house. TIL
magistrate made up is commitments
alleging different offenses, and for tn
different men whereas one would hav
done for all. That particular case wa
drawn to the attention of the Lev
, Court at the time ~
In Sussex county some years age
this matter of Justices bills was handle
in a way that may prove a suggestio
to the New Castle county Levy Court
4 When a bill came up which had severs
/ commitments in one case, the cour
, would simply pare it down to VIVA
, appeared to be an equitable basis
Then the magistrate would object an
, threaten to sue for his money.
, He was invited TO 60 ahead and sue
but he never did.
Naturally such plan made grea
saving to the county.