Arizona republican., 1919-07-30
Jail Breaks and Civic Betterment

There is ordinarily intimate relation be- . tween a jail break and the need of civic improve ment but think is shown in the deliver ies from the city jail within the two weeks. The jail breaker is not usually highly respected indi vidua His activities generally frowned upon and when he is recaptured he is apt to be punished by closer confinement with the full approval of society.
 Yet one who knows anything about the engagements of the city jail blame prisoners for trying to from what is at all seasons of the year extremely unpleasant place, and this a chamber of horrors
 The police doing all they do to make the place endurable They realize that though the prisoners have been convicted of petty offenses they should not be submitted to torture. The jail is unsanitary it is insecure and how improve ment is to be made in it's condition is easily
 There may others, but so far as we know it is the only underground jail in civilization. There may be dungeons somewhere else this country but do not know where.
 One and the prime purpose in putting man into jail is to keep him there for stated time The mere locking of him up that may through a back side exit is insufficient formality Yet that what must happen at the city jail unless the prisoner is put into of those horrible cells and then he might as well be in the Black Hole of Calcutta"
 It would be better let him escape, to end the matter with the formality of turning the key upon him at the jail entrance leaving the to his ingenuity We do not know how decent jail ever be made in the basement of the city hall; cer- tanly modern jail be made there. And the city hall itself ancient and patched up fire-trap be modernized Every attempt to i'm it only accentuates it's unsuitabity, it's in- adaptabiIty to improvement. We must recognize that these some things that cannot be improved carcasses for instance. We cannot even arrest the decay of the city hall.
 And there too is the court house which has long been outgrown Efforts have been made to make it meet growing needs. Here and there addition has been tackled increasing it's awkwardness and un- sightness and when other additions have been made to relieve the crowded offices will only of architectural and dangerous joke.
 Now that Maricopa has attained the distinction of owning the ugIiest ancient and most incon- venent court house in the state with the exception of those of three smaller counties it should seek worlds to conquer-should seek new compe- tftion and try have the best
 The city hall and the house have been costly luxuries to property in their vicnites There time when property their neghborhoods believed they were advantages to them. And they may have been advantages at one time but for years they have been much more serious handicaps than their neghbors realized They have been breaks in, and brakes on the development of the original business district They have been contrbutory to forcing a development northward, whereas if they had been half dozen years ago. they would be occupied by massive business blocks.
 Two groups of story business buildings the two plazas would of greater value to these neighborhoods than they The quicker they and the better it will be financially for the city and county. The values of other ground where a city hall and court house. what is still better joint administration building could located are rising at much rapid than these pazas are. In- deed it conceivable they allowed to stand much longer while the city is booming away in other directions, their values will cease increasing.
 Six years ago The Republican started agitation for the disposition of these buildings and the con- sruction of modern joint administration building. An election the first phase of that proposition favor. The city and county authorities declined to matter ended
 At the time among the arguments offered that the plazas retarding the growth and development of the city. That true then but it is not The city is growing and will grow mar veously in spite of the city hall house. It cannot be stopped, it be delayed but it will grow away from them.