Letters From The People

El). OotTBIBB :- The immcusc nuiiiber of roving vagabonda - called tramps - wliich infest our eounty, making prop erty and lile unsafe, and tbe outrageou ftbuw f anprotacted vromen, a not un frequent occurrence, demanda consider: tion of the law abldlng, decent coinnii nily. It has bccn industriously circulatec tbat Hiere are no laws by whicli thec tramps can be niade to work, and that i: arrested they would only become aoharg iiml expense to the county, insured a sal home and living with Idleaata, Even i tliis were true, it ís a qucstion wlieth t would nnt afford the communlty a bette protcctlon tlian perniltting tliem to roai about the country endan;eriif life an( property and committlng namelesscrimc on the weak and dcfenceless. It is adniitted on all hands that justiee of the peace lia ve full uitliority to hoh court and lawfully try theso tramps nm f they aro convicted, sentence tlietn t Impiisonment in the cnunty jail. Sec tion 900 of Howell'l Aun. Statutes of th State of Michigan, reads as follows : Ski tion 1. Wlienever any prlsoner shal belawiully sentenced by auy court to lin priaonmentin tha iteta prUon, or nny cuunt Jall ltshall be competent for the court nward ing the senleuce, to lucorporale tlierelu provisión, that the persons so sentenced sha be kept ín solttary eontlnement, or at han. labor, or both, durlug the term of such lm prlsonment, or auy speolflc porttoa thereo Reinember the law says, " wheneve nny prlsoner sliall be lawfully sentenced by ny court to itnprisonment in th state prlson, or any county jail," the cour niay inrnri.orutc1 iu. the ovntonco a pro vlston that the prisoner shall be kept "n hard labor,1' "during tlie term of such im prisonment, or any peotflo portion thereof." It does not say any circuit court, o yiipreme court or recoider's court, but th uindsare general, that "any court" tha may lawfully try the offense and ]as sentence of Imprlgonment, may add the clause liarcl labor. Sections U034, 9642, B048 and 9044, of said Statutes read as folloWt : Section 1. Thecommon Jalla of the several oountlea In the charge of the respective sher!ir shall be nsed as prlsons: nnt. For the detentlon of persons chareed wllh offenses aud duly commltted for trial Second. For the conflnement of persons committed permtmeiilly to a sentence upon convlution of any offeuse, and of all otlier persona dnly oommlttaa for any cause authorized by law ; and the provlslons of ihtametloD simli extend to persona detalned or commltted by the authorlty of the eourts of the United .States as wcll as the eourts and maglKtrates of tbls Htate. ïioh 9. It shall be the duty of the Keepers of the sald several prlsons. wheneverany perxon shall be senteneed to hard labor thereln. and any mode of labor shall be kept coustantly employed durlnu every day, ezoept Bnndar, and annually to acrount wlth the lioard of .supervisors oí tbe county for the prooeeda if inoh labor. Hkctiou 1. The keepers Of sald prisoners shall respectlvely have power, wlth the consent of the supervisors of the county, from time to time, to cause such of the convids under their chnrKe as are capable of bard labor, to be employed upou any of the puhllc aveiiiu-s. atreeu or blghwaj'a, or otber vorka In the county where sucb prisoner is conIned, or in any of th aiijoining ooontlas, or Inotherwork whlob said keepen can procure for tbe mptoyment ofauoh i viola, npou auoh termaaa niay be iigreed upou between the sjiiil keepers and Ihr orneen or Itber persons under whose directlon such ¦iiiivicts shall be placed. PIOM 11. Vt'heHi'ver any oonvicts shall .¦ eitaployed onder the last sectlou, they shall 1. w.ll chalned and seeured ; and shall leNiibjt-ct tosueh regalatlons aa tho keeper, egally cliai-ged wlth tbelr onatody Khall from to 1 1 me preooribe. The proceedlngs of the Board of Supervisors show tbat the sheriff lias been irdered to carry luto effect tlis above