Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-05-03

OF inc meLnDQ DV WHICH new lastle
county has been mulcted to the extent
OF thousands OF dollars in illegal
charges for commitments and feed bills
for trainps at New Castle Jail, We doubt
II the people generally. appreciate the
txssnt of the outrage that has been
perpetrated upon them. They are in.
different, il not callous. They do not
seem to realize how they have been
robbed,
To begin with, the matter of charg-
ing commitment fees and feed bills on
account OF tramps who applied for lodg
ing at the New Castle iail was utterly
without warrant Of law. There is no
law IN the books, general or specific, |
which authorizes such charges. When
the system was started, the charges were |
for men who applied in person for LODI
ging at the Jail, and there was man
for each item of the fee bill. But who |
can say that for the last three years |
there has been a tramp lodger at New |
Castle jail to represent each name |
charged uron the sheriff's gbill for feed |
of prisoners or the bill of The mayor OF
New Castle county for commitments?
The bill now pending before the Levy
Court, presented by the mayor of Now
Castle, has been pared down from
q, 400 to 81, sol. 25, The latter charge
is for the commitment of COOS dodgers
to the New Castle Jail during the year
ended March 3lst, 1900. Now, does
any sensible man believe that 6,G05
tramps applied for lodging at the New
Castle Jail during last year, Bear in
mind the fact that even il they had so
applied, and been furnished with lodg-
ing, neither the sheriff or the mayor
Of New Castle would have been entitled
to dollar in the shape OF fees or
charges for board. The fact, therefore,
that there is very large doubt that
such a number of men applied for the
lodging at the Jail only accentuates the
imposition of attempting to collect
these fees
And again, the taxpayers should bear
in mind that the bill of the mayor of
New Castle, now pending, of 81, sol. %
for the commitment of COOS tramps tc
jail during last year, carries with il
fees to the sheriff for between So,
aod $1,000 for the alleged feeding Of
these alleged dodgers. The sheriff's bill
Z has already been allowed and the
mayors bill is now under consideration.
For the year 1898, the allowance to
the mayor of New Castle, for services
which largely included the commit
ment of alleged tramps to New Castle
jail, amounted to s2,O55.2 20. At least
$1,000 of this allowance was for dodgers
at the jail, and this charge carried
with it an allowance OF nearly &C, 900
to the then sheriff of the county.
These items for the past two years
alono foot up about $4,000, which
amounts to practically a robbery of the
taxpayers Of New Castle county to
this extent. How much was paid out
IN previous years for this purpose we
have not the figures at hand to show,
but there is no doubt that 1t amounted
to at least SIS, 600 more. Here we have
palpable steal of $50, 600 of the money
of the people.
To return to the matter of the
alleged commitment of tramps to New
Castle Jail, which forms the basis OF
the pending bill of the mayor of New
Castle, and the claim of the sheriff,
already allowed. Can any reasonable
man believe for an instant that G, OOs
men applied at the New Castle Jail fol
lodging during the year ended March
3lst, 1902 1t is simply not trus. Then,
where did the names come from, which
the sheriff placed upon his feed bill
and the mayor Of New Castle charged
in his bill for commitments and jude
ments? A city difectory-of Whining
ton, Philadelphia, or any other place
might furnish the answer to this cues
tion.
We lay these matters before tn,
people Of New Castle county, and asl
that they give them serious attention
We have shown to them how they hay
been robbed by illegal and extortionat
allowances These allowances hay
been made by the Levy Court, and a
the officials who made the charges ar
culpable, the members of the Lev
Court are even more so, for placing tn
seal OF official approval upon them. A
the next November election the peopl
will have an opportunity of electing
new Levy Court, and they should resc
lutely refuse TO re-elect the IN essen
body, or any member of it. -Four G
the present members are candidates "a
reelection, but the people should sur
press their inclinations, without regar
TO any political considerations tina
may be involved. They have prove
themselves enemies OF the people, il
stead of their protectors. They bay
allowed the county to be robbed by Q,
trayagant and Illegal allowances. The
stand before the public as incompeter
and untrustworthy officials, who d,
serve no renewed lease of power A
entirely new Levy Court might, it
true, do no better than the present s,
of ineompetents, but surely it could {
no worse.
The reasonable probability is thu
the people of New Castle county woul
profit in the way of better, mo
effective and less costly local gov err
ment by making radical change
the Levy Court at the Novembar ole
zion.
Tho Levy Court must po.