The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-05-06
PaltOn-POpe Drug Co., Druggists, Birmingham, Ala
like they were cattle. Yet thus they 4
there in prison."
SYndicatlnq the Eat of Fees.

| like they were cattle. Yet "thus they are
| there In prison."
Syndicatlng the Fat of Fees.
| We have several offices in this state
which are rewarded by the fat they may
| fry out of forfeitures and fees. They are
| the sheriff, the clerk of the court, the pro-
! bate judge and justices of the peace. In
stead of the state paying these servants
a proper wage, they are allowed fran
chise to exploit those who have dealings
with them through fees and forfeitures
| So very profitable have become these
| franchises in a large county like this
| that there is a temptation at every recur-
| ring election to form a syndicate to pro-
cure and operate these grants to exploit
| the people for the profits in it.
| number of gentlemen form "a gentle
mems agreement" put forth candidate,
| finance the campaign through the demo-
cratic primary and regular election, make
| his bond, and then proceed to work the
| franchise of fees and forfeitures of the
| office for all that 1t will bear, and dis
| tribute the fat to the several members
! of the syndicate. Every four years we
| put up these valuable franchises for the
! frying of fees and forfeitures to the COM
I bination which can get the prize The
| competition is getting to be so severe,
| because the reward is so great, that 1t
| takes a fortune to finance such a cam
paign; and this must be recouped with
| profits during the four years tenure of
| the office by the holding syndicate. Many
! OF us are even now laying our plans to
J run these money changers out of the
1 temple of Justice that we may have our
| turn at the tables But I propose that
| we overturn the tables. And so 1t goes
| on from administration to administration
| frying the fat out of the franchise to ex-
| plot the poor unfortunates whom the
Il 1t % I.
| dictate. These holding companies soon
merge and you have your court house
| ring.
| So we farm out to a syndicate our
] guests in jail and each of the farmers
must have his pound of flesh. In the end
| poor unfortunates whom are put into jail
| must help to pay the expenses of the
| campaigns we have for these offices, and
| one may well tremble for the poor negro
after such campaign as that we ex-
| perienced a year ago. No wonder that
| pig Ford must work 104 days for the
| cost of being in jail for less than thirty
days. No wonder we want a skyscraper
| Jail for the exigencies for the enlarge
| ment of the business is great. You may
rest assured that the holding syndicates
! will keep full any Jail you may be will
ing to provide for them, for it is good
| business on their part Men who spend
| large money for the getting of office,
| must make large profits out of It, Re-
peal this iniquitous fee and forfeiture
business, and you already have a Jail
| twice as large as you will ever need;
continue this system and you will always
have one too small. I am safely within
the probabilities of the case when I say
that eighty per cent of the present in
| mates of that Jail could be released on
their own recognizance or on small bonds,
without the least injury to the public;
| and it would be done were 1t not profita-
BILE to the syndicates holding the fran
chise for feeding on fees and forfeitures.
| THUS they are there in prison.
Brutalzed Public Sentiment.
In making this plea I am not making
1t for the unfortunate in Jail alone, but
for the sake of your sons and daughters;
that thew may not have to live in COM
munity whose public sentiment is brutal
lied and degraded A Jail not fit for cat
tie not only brutalizes every person who
| must endure its vermin and vice through
"a period of confinement within its walls,
! but 1t brutalzes the public sentiment oil
the community which we all breathe. Ihat
old Jail stands yonder a monument that
| the people of Alabama have no feeling
for their unfortunates. monument OF
| mans inhumanity to man. monument
that the administration of justice is farm
| ed out for profit monument that the
| state of Alabama does not nave sacred
regard for the rights of her citizens as
human beings and all this is brutalizins
| TO the coming generation.
If the state of Alabama can beat Pig
Ford to DEATH by what right does it ex-
pect its citizens to keep its laws for the
protection of life and limb? The criminal
ity of the state is blazoned before the
ewes of it's citizens in the very location
structure and keep of its public institu-
tions, and such spectacle can but brutal
ize its people. 1t is practically impossi-