South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-01-28
COMMISSIONERS
MUST GIVE ORDER
Sheriff Bailey Denies He Kept
Records "SeCret" and Quotes
Law to Justify Action RevOk-
ing Work Sentences.

Sheriff Bailey gave the lie TO re-
cent newspaper articles which stated
that he was holding mp county records
In regard 20 the action of the county
in refusing 10 let county prisoners
work on the streets Of South Bend, in
an interview last night in which he
explained the workings of those who
think that the county should help out
the city in keeping the streets clean.
AS / am not holding the office of
cOun a iitor. +" said Mr. Bailey when
questioned as 10 the secret reports"
mentioned in the article, Il do not
have charge of the records Of the
proceedings of the county commits
siOners. hence the assertion that I was
concealing anything which should De
known by the taxpayers is false.
1T is plainly stated in the law COW
ering the case that the county com
missioners took the right action at
their meeting last Monday, when they
ordered me 90 stop the practice of
working the county prisoners on the
streets. According to this law, the
city's policy of using county prisoners
for their own purposes has been il
legal.
Bailey Quotes Law.
The law reads: All able bodied
male prisoners, sentenced TO any
for punishment, or the nOn-payment
OF fine or costs may be put at hard
la0or upon the public wharves,
streets, alleys or other thOrOughfares
or public grounds in any city or town
in the county where convicted, or
upon any public road or highway
therein or upon any other public
work under such rules and regula-
tions as the board of commissioners
h. oh
tOdian Of such prisoners shall obey all
such rules and regulations.
Legal advice on the passage eX-
plains that the power of the judge
committing a man TO jail terminates
with his rendition Of a judgment.
After the man has been delivered to a
representative of the sheriff at the
Jail his actions are controlled by the
sheriff acting under the orders of
the county commissioners.
In regard to the petition. which
the sO-called taxpayer wanted me To
show him. there is nothing to con
Ceal. my only reason for not showing
IL 10 him was that 1 knew that he was
misrepresenting himself when he
called himself a taxpayer of st. Jo-
seph county as an examination Of the
TAX books show that he has not paid
a cent OF taxes of any kind to the
county.
Petition il Shown.
The petition, which was signed by
A. citizens of South Bend. reads:
We. the undersigned, residents and
citizens and taxpayers of the city of
South Bend. protest against the sys-
tenn now employed by the city admin
istration OF South Bend in working its
prisoners on the streets thereof
BY the use of these men so en-
gagged, taxpayers who. in the past,
have been employed 60 do this work.
have lost their employment and they
are thus unjustly deprived of a privi-
leee which belongs to them.
= We beg your honorable body to
notify the city administration that
YOU will not longer permit its prison
ers to do the work properly belonging
To its citizens and taxpayers.
IF the sOcalled taxpayer" con-
tinued the sheriff. has ever paid any
taxes in st. Joseph county it is an
other case where the records have
been kept secret
From present indications it is prob
able that no more work will be done
bv county prisoners on the city
streets According To Sheriff Bailey
only an order from the county COM
missioners can put the men back TO
work