Daily national Democrat., 1861-01-31
State Reform school Again.

term the bad policy of the present Board IN
accepting plan for the building, requiring
so large an outlay of money to complete 1t;
although they acknowledge that the plan
itself is good one, and that the building, ii
finished, would bea credit to the State. After
all we think the mistake Of projecting so ex-
tensivea work, is not such very bad one,
for all the room it proposes to give will ulti
mately be required for the purposes of the
school. Besides, the plan is of such a char
acter that large portion of the interior need
not be finished until the exigencies of the
school, as it grows, shall require it, and the
Legislature can make its appropriations from
time 10 time for the purpose at just such in
tervals as it may see proper. 1t does not re
quire any immediate outlay of more than
$50, 900, in addition to the sum already ap-
propriated, to put the building in order for
the reception of the pupils ard to start the
school into operation, Thus, for the sum of
100000 the State Reform School will have
become an institution of the State, and may
be economically or extravagantly conducted,
according to the supervision which the Leg
islature or the Governor may exercise over
it. Now, 100000 is a very small sum of
money for an institution of this character,
and no one could reasonably complain that
the State was exhibiting extravaganza in the
expenditure The point which is overlooked
in the matter by those who seem TO think
! that the extensiveness of the plan is fatal,
because it contemplates more than the $780,
600 originally appropriated, is the one upon
which we have been insisting, and which W c
may as well state again, more fully, for the
sake of clearness. The whole building is to
be 2lS by 81 feet, with two wings. One OF
the wings is 43 by so feet, and the other is
80 by az feet. Mr.. Steele has contracted to
put up the main building and one of the
wings, although not to finish the whole in
terror. Very well, the entire thing will be
| under roof and protected from the weather
and the Legislature need be in no hurry
about making any more appropriations than
are Just necessary for finishing up the inte-
rior, as the number Of the scholars shall de-
mand more room. Thirty thousand dollars
we have said, in addition to the sum all eady
appropriated, will be sufficient to complete
enough of the building to start the school in
operation.
Now, is it not manifestly the policy of the
State to go on with the work The Cover
nor is dissatisfied with the manner in which
the Trustees have conducted the business in
their hands. Let the Board, then, be recon
strncted. In reconstructing it, we think it
would be well to have FIVE Trustees instead
Of three. There would be less likelihood OF
against arbitrary assumption of power on
the part of a ma jOrity to proceed according
to their own liking, regardless Of the mnori-
ty. The minority would be larger, and then
there would not be apt to be uniform ma
jority, constituted of the same persons, al
ways having their own way. right or wrong
Three men are apt to divide at once into a
majority of two, who happen to be good
personal or political friends, against one who
is thus made Complete cipher, and can do
nothing. The like has often been observed
in Boards of Supervisors thus constituted.
True, a similar thing might harpen with
three against two, or four against one, but it
is not so likely as in the other ease. We do
not say that any such arbitrary combination
baco yiafa IN ha
merely generalizing on the subject, and show
ing what can and may happen. We think
the people would have more confidence in a
Board of five than three. The expense TO
the State would not be a great deal more,
because the Office of Superintendent is al
together superfluous and could be easily dis
pensed with. The business of the Superin-
dent is really the business of the Board, and
can be attended to in the regular routine of
their duties The business of Secretary
might be attended to first by one and then
another of the Board or some one of the
Board might be entrusted with it, in con-
sderation of being released from other duties
which could be as we'll attended to by some
other member. The Office of Secretary, how
ever, is one of more real necessity by far
than that of Superintendent.
The Trustees, We think, should be appoint
ed by the Governor. Appointments by a
legislative body are so often made without
regard to merit, and on account of somebody
being "a very clever fellow" and because he
has had friends to work for him, and so forth
and so forth, that they are not so apt to be
good appointments as those made by the Ex-
ecutive. The responsibility of an appoint
ment by the Legislature is divided among so
many that the individual stress upon each is
but small In the case of the Governor, the
responsibility is direct, and he is apt to look
to the fitness of the man he appoints,
The State Reform School law, as it now
stands, is somewhat vague in many respects,
and it should be amended, in any event,
whether the Board of Trustees is increased
in number orreconstituted or in any other man
ner.
We have not seen the petition to the Leg
islature; in circulation, respecting the State
Reform School, but presume it sets forth
plan for renedying the defects and Difficult
ties in the working of the law as it now
stands.
An lRsH PAPER on SECESSION MOVEMENT.
Foreign papers sometimes exhibit unwar-
rantable ignorance in regard to American
affairs. The Argus, a paper published in