Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-02-17
GALL JAIL GUARDS
LITTLE BETTER OFF
THAN PRISONERS
Trio of Amateur Pr0bers Make
Charges to Sheriff
Harrigan Denies Them.
NAMES OF ACCUSERS
WITHHELD BY OFFICIAL
"Pris0n-Made Keepers De.
cIared to Be 0verwOrked
and Underpaid.

That the guards in the county jail
are little better off than the prisoners
in the institution is the charge made
by three laboring men who have made
an investigation of the place on their
own hook. To the sheriff they have
written a report in which they protest
against the conditions under which the
guards work.
Sheriff Harrigan will not divulge the
names of the three complainants, but
replies to the charges made by them.
That the keepers work twelve hours
day. he admits, but he blames the
statements made as emanating from
trouble-making politicians.
The letter to the sheriff and his reply
follow.
Letter to sheriff.
During visit to the county Jail,
made recently in the course of an in
vestigation of certain conditions OF
mankind, myself and colleagues of
conducting, we founo in that institu-
tion prison made prisoners-guilty of
no crime yet made to suffer with the
guilty These men are deprived of sun
shine, light and pure air all the dag
long seven days in the week and re-
quired to make other sacrifices that
you or the county have no right to
expect They are employees of the
county. the keepers of the law-break-
ers or accused. Twelve in number.
each man must work twelve hours
daily. Figuring in time consumed in
going to and from his home to reach
the Jail, a keeper may be said to spend
almost fourteen of the twenty-four
hours to hold his job, and for what?
Seventy five dollars a month. Is IL
fair?
1.-THE wages, however, is not the sub
ject of our complaint. 1t Is the num-
ber of hours put in by the keepers that
we wish to cali your attention to. AT
present the man who stands between
the wrongdoer and liberty is little bet
! ter off than the incarcerated. Why
should this condition be allowed to
exist? Walled in twelve hours daily,
the keeper, like the prisoner under pun
! ishment. breathes vitiated air. hears
only the walls of the despairing and
the curses of the wicked sees but
| bleak bare walls, monotonous cell
rows and depressing sights coincident
with Jail life Surely these men are,
the real fellow sufferers of the -incar-
cerated. although there are no Jaw that
it. If a prisoner We're to rebel against
his enforced confinement an extension
of sentence would be meted out to him.
If keeper complains he is threatened.
too. with severe punishment-the chop
ping block, and his head may go in
the basket
Duties Unattractive.
"In the iail environment the keepers
duties are unenviable, more trying,
more wearisome. more energy -sapping,
more discouraging, than the labors of Il
| hod carrier If their task was meas
ured by the business world standard of
today, which fixes salary according to
! the amount of nervous energy ex-
pended by the employee at his work,
then the keeper should receive double
the salary now paid him. But pass
the wage question up.
"Give them eight hours and let them
live as men should. Thus allow them
the enjoyment of home comforts, an op-
portunity to join their family council.
and a chance to obtain some diversion
from the thoughts of the doings OF
jaildom The city's guardian of the
peace has these opportunities because
his hours of duty are eight Why are
they denied the guardian of the peace
breakers? The county recently made
the hours of the bridgemen eight
Breathing pure air in the open and
basking in the sunshine, are his labors
more arduous than the keeper? We
think not. If the keeper is not satisfied
with conditions let him resign; other
men can be found to fill his place, you
say No, you will not find any man
who can fill the place of keeper in any
other way To live, man must have
light, sunshine and pure air. Man
must get time for rest and play, ana
man forced to work where nervous en-
ergy is largely used needs more diver
sion than the man following pursuits
that tax him otherwise. SO the ques-
ton is not one of getting a man to fit
the Job. but that of making the job
fit the man. You can bring about the
change. You have the power That
you did not act before now on this
ma tier IS as much a surprise to us as
the discovery
For Humauity's Sake.
Sheriff, you have always been an
advocate of labor improvements; as an
assemblyman you had the bill passed
that resulted in the prohibition of the
making of hats in State prison. In the
! interests of humanity you hau slhs
measure made a law which compelled
all the railroads to place gates on
crossings, and you We're also fatner
of the legislation that compels the
stamping of convict-made goods State
prison made; yet you permit the prison.
made prisoner to exist. This is not
consistent with your often expressed
love of the working man and interest
shown time and again in his behalf.
"a comparison of pay and hours OF
other county employees is not neces-
sary. Suffice it to mention~the bridge
tender The jail-keeper has greater re-
sponsibility. We expect much from
him and in return give him long hours
and help make life more miserable for
him, than does the obstreperous crimi-
nal who daily tries his patience
MAKE the keepers hours eight. 1t
you do this we dare say, the act viii
| rocaiva fha annrohe tiOn not only of