Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1921-09-02
O'NEIL SAYS WORK
PRISONERS ON STREETS
Mayor Shows Council How Big
Saving May Be Effected To
Taxpayers-Council Session


Election Of Mr.. Pleas Benton
as a councilman of the city OF
Richmond to fill the vacancy caus
ed by the resignation of William
O'Neil, who was elected Mayor,
a recommendation by Mayor
O'Neil that hereafter all prisoners
sentenced in the city to jail SEN
tenCes for drunkenness and other
offenses be worked on the streets
at hard labor and passage of an
ordinance changing the method
OF choosing a mayor for Rich
mond featured busy session of
the city council Thursday night.
Mayor O'Neil cited some illum-
mating figures as to what the
cost of board of prisoners at the
county Jail is costing the city in
his suggestions to the council. A
year or SO ago he cited one month
where the board bill was only $l4.
Last month it was $13O, as much
the Mayor said as when Rich
mond had a dozen saloons. May
or O'Neil declared that it was
manifestly unjust to the taxpay-
crs in every way to pay the board
repeatedly for husky young fel-
lows who get drunk and get fined
with Jail sentences and then the
city have to pay big pay rolls for
street workers. He asserted that
the Jail sentences should be work
ed out on the streets and the
street payroll thereby reduced.
He pointed out that many who
often appear in police court sneer
at the prospect of a jail sentence.
This is shown by the fact that the
same ones often appear in court
two or three times a month. They
will pay their fines and often just
to save the city big Jail bill their
sentences will be Suspended and
they will be released after day
or so in the bastile when perhaps
their sentences called for 10. II
or 80 days and they could have
done some real services for their
board and meals paid for by the
city by doing some needed work
ON the streets.
Members of the council agreed
with Mayor O'Neil who made
vigorous presentation of his opin-
ion about this matter and a reso-
luton was Immediately passed
directing Street Commissioner
Altman to immediately begin
working city prisoners on the
streets. They will be given brooms
shovels and picks and put to work
in gangs at once.
Perhaps nothing that the city
administration has done i'll recent
times seems to have made such
favorable impression upon the
people as this step by Mayor
O'Neil. and it is generally felt
that much good will result both
by saving Of the street workers
payroll to a large sum and fur
ther by inspiring dread i'll many
who frequent police court records
of having to do some real work tC
pay for their board.
All of the councilmcn were
present when Mayor ONeil call
ed the council to order. DR.. K.
l.. Telford, pastor of the First
Presbyterian church, was in the
Mayor O'Neil he offered prayer
at the opening of the session.
Chief of Police Claude Devore's
report had his check attached for
$245 for fines collected during
August.
City Tax Collector Dykes re-
ported $1,425.26 in tax collections
during August.
The report of City Treasurer
Turley showed the city's floating
indebtedness to be S33,165. 40.
which, Mr.. T,rley said. would
soon be liquidated by collection
of city taxes during September
and October.
Mayor ONe1l pointed out that
the city has been to big expense
on its streets but he felt that at
no time in its history were the
thoroughfares ever i'll such good
condition. He said that the l.. &
n had offered a car of ballast
and two of screenings for Estill
avenue from the ice plant on and
he thought this would about fin
ish the heavy work on the streets
for the winter. He urged that as