The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-09-05
GENERAL DEMAND
FOR A NEW JAIL
People Think One Should
be Built.
TIME HAS ARRIVED.
City Cannot Afford TO Delay This I'm
portant Matter Any Longer.
WHERE MONEY is TO COME FROM
Although the Bonded Limit has Al
most Been Reached, 1t is Believed
That the Sum Necessary
Can be Secured With
ont Issuing
WHERE MONEY is TO COME FROM

The escape OF Topeka Joe,' has revived
the agitation of the need Richmond has
for a new city jail. The resolution offered
in the Common Council by Mr.. Mark
Gunst Monday night, providing special
committee to devise ways and means 10
construct new prison, and report the
same along with the estimate of the cost
was d topic of general discussion on the
stree1s OF richmond and in public places
yesterday. The concenslLs of or4n;on seems
to be that the old jail is inadequate and
unhs as place for the Incarceration of
human beings, and that new prison
snouiu De buiit as soon as possible. There
IS great diversity of opinion. however IS to
what the character of the proposed str,,c-
ture should be. Some persons think the
CITY oughs to build jail capable of an
SWerlng the purposes for which /. Is de-
signed for the next fifty or sixty years,
and that provision in the building should
be made for the Police Court and one po-
lice station in the building. II is also con-
tended that members of the police force
are often subjected to danger in having
to take prisoners up long tight of steps
IN getting them to the station houses, aS
must be done at both The First and Second
Police Stations. \ number of instances
have been cited in which officers, while
getting vicious characters up these stairs,
have been seriously injured by being vio-
lently kicked or otherwise assaulted on
these stairways 1t is said. therefore. to
be desirable to have all ths station houses
on the ground floor. as IS the case with
the Third Police Station
THE REAL ISSUE.
The real issue is new Jail.
Many conservative citizens agree that
the city must have more modern quarters
for its criminals. but they are opposed to
the outlay of 100000 or more in such an
enterprise at this time. They say they
believe the city can build, for S35 ,eOos or
$fo.6Oo, jaif according TO niodern isle1s
that will do Richmond for thirty or forty
years, and that can then be added to.
But there are others who. while they
say they want a Eew Jail, declare that
there is a serious phase of this new jail
question TO be considered. That IS: Where
is the money to pay for 1t to come
from?"
1T is pointed out that as the report of
the city assessors shows falling off OF
So. .1sn.0sO in the valuation of the city real
estate. as compared with the assessment
OF 1885. and as the bonded limit is but Is
rer cent of the value of the property,
lie bonded limit is almost reached and the
" cannot at this time issue any more
.s.zlsfs except in case OF pestilence or some
! great calamity demanding an immediate
expenditure of money. The situation SO
far as the bonded debt IS concerned. is
this: The real estate of the city IS valued
by the assessors at Si0.9S0,5l2, and the
bonded debt is something over S.21e.6Go
Eighteen ser cent of the assessment,
which is the maximum amount OF bonds
the city may issue, IS S,S67 49,. 10. IL can
| be seen that Richmond has q margin OF
considerably less than 100000. and IL can
also be seen that the 50, l6o,Goo reduction
in the assessment means a large decrease
in her annual revenues.
The city fathers propose, besides new
city fail, the expenditure Of S'50, Coo IN O
hiterer for the Water Works; the Henlth
Department demands more money Tor
cleaning the streets, and other demands
ape made upon the city treasury But is
Is not proposed to issue bonds TO construct
a iail Tbs is 70 be accomplished py the
sale of some of the eity's property, prop
ably what is known the Clarke Spring
property which is ituated near the oid
Reservoir. Several years ago this tract OF
land could have been sold, IL is said. for
a sum adequate TO build a jail that would
accommodate the criminal element oil TINS
city for many yerrs 10 come. but the deSti
was not consuulmateti. The most popular
idea now is to sell this properly iet aii
It viii! bring and il this IS not enough %
build the right kind of jail % oors9"
enough money as floating debt 70 ti'1ne
up the balance. But few OF the GouHeii-
men and aldermen are in favor OF tiiss -