The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-07-25
Members of Board of Reye- nue Give Their Views on Agitation to Remove
 County Jail CAMERON FAVORS BUILDING NEW JAIL AT ANOTHER PLACE Bivins k Noncommittal and Lawrence Pennington Is Out of the City. More Citizens Speak Out
 in Favor of Removing
 the Jail

tue Jdi1
 Four members of the board of revenue gave their personal views yesterday on the question of removing the county jail from its present location.
 Many prominent citizens have petitioned the board of revenue to remove the jail to another part of the city. For some time past Dr. Oates the state prison in spector has deniandec that new jail be built, and at a recent conference in- sisted that 1t be done at once. The mat ter is now pending before the board. Dr. Lovelady and MT. McGeever favor the building of a skycraper on the present site, Major Cameron favors new jail on a site removed from the present one. MT Bivlns was noncommittal, Mir. Pen nington is out of the city and his views on the subject could not be obtained.
 The statements were made informally and are as follows:
 Favors Skyscraper
 pr. R. F. Lovelady: '1 favor the erec- ton of an eight or 10-story building on the present site, with the top floors built for the jail purposes, with business houses on the lower floor. Having seen a num- Der of such buildings in other communi- ties that are to my mind ideal l believe 1t were best to do something of perma- nent nature rather than to spend the money of the county on makeshift. AS to the present jail there IS no question but that some changes will have to De made, but 1 do not think it advisable to buy another site and build new 1ali in another part of the city at this tune. The matter will shortly be taken up by the board, and am sure the other mem bers and myself will try to do what Is for the best interest of the county. l give the above as my personal opinion and from my personal viewpoint
 Remove Jail From Business Center
 w J. Cameron 'I am in favor of building new jail on site removed from the present one. l believe the peo- pie demand that the jail be taken from the center of the city. The question of patching up the old jail does not strike me at all.
 "Two questions: Financing the new jail, and carrying the prisoners back and forth from the jail to the courthouse.
 q believe all members of the board will admit that the financing can be ham dled without any serious inconvenience. The matter of taking prisoners back and forth from jail to the courthouse is sue cessfully handled in many cities and can be equally as well handled here. It Is only aHquestion of few extra guards and a suitable van.
 Jail and Courthouse Together
 NHugh MeGeever: ''The question of re- moving the county jail from its present site is a matter that calls for serious con- .fl of e thp county jail and courthouse should be in the same building or practically so. The transfer ing of prisoners through the city Is a natter that could be accomplished but W oud in my opinion be both expensive and dangerous For 20 years or over there has not been an attack on the county iail. although from time to time threats of dealing summary vengeancse on some of it's prisoners have been made. sup pose a prisoner accused of a nameless crime or atrocious murder was being transferred in a conveyance through the city, either for trial or being taken back to the county jail. might it not give mob the opportunity to do some rash actI Ihe deplorable part of the last riot in Bir- mingham was .he shooting down of citi- zens who were trying to uphold the law, and from my observation 1t Is generally this class of citizens that are the victims of mob violence.
 q have had the opportunity to Vlslt other communities where the county Jail and courthouse are combined In build ing of the skyscraper variety.t With the iail on the top of such building and the lower floor used for stores or other business purposes all lnsiShtliness would be removed It has been demonstrated in other cities that such a building removes entirely the appearance of jail, and with the light and air and sunshine made pos .tie r<.fC ar halter than when surrounded by high walls and barricades.
 However, I am a servant of the peo- pie of Jefferson county, and In the final solution of the present situation will try to do what the people of Jefferson county want"
 Will Try to Do Best
 Rufe Biyins: We nave been so busy with the hearing of the tax raises that I have not given the subject sufficient con sideraton at this time to express an opin- ion on the subject. However, l will try to do what is best for all the people of the county when the matter comes before the board for final settlement'
 Others who expressed opinions regarding the jail yesterday are
 A. w. B. Johnson; The jail should be moved, that's certain. It should be taken out of town, l think. In regard to details of the matter I am unin- formed and therefore don't like to dis cuss something I know so little about.
 'I think it is obvious to any man, however, that the jail is an eye-sore at its present location and should be moved just as soon as such a step can be taken by the county authorities"
 Col. Tom O. Smith: I'll leave the jail question for politicians and public of ficials to discuss. I'm too busy trying to run bank to talk about something which probably someone else knows more about than myself
 Civic Center Needed
 Sol Caheen: Move the jail and the courthouse and the city hall and few other things and then we'll be all right. All three are nuisances and are keep ing down property values. The jail, though of course is the worst.
 '1ne jail should be moved and it should be moved out of town. Don't move 1t some place where 1t will hurt someone elses property as much as 1t does at it's present location. Take it out of town like the city did with the southside jail.
 "A good piece of property is owned by the county out by the Vanderbilt furnaces on the other side of Norwood. I believe Why not move the jail there?
 "What we need is civic senter. You .I.f A.. fa Af..krt