Litchfield enquirer., 1872-05-09

deSEFuetl0n.
 U is now on . paying basis, but it con tracfed debt of about $7, 500 in its in- fanc9 before being under full headway. which the Trustees will ask the State Io pay oil. And ds reafi s@nssza= 4ls4s44f q ,h00 sIaaEe for. necessary improvements and working capital
 SCHOOL FOR IMBEcILEs.
 Your attention is particularly directed to the report of the Connecticut School for Imbeciles, at Lakeville
 More room is needed in this State for the accommodation of this unfortunate class. The State benedciaries now num- Der but 20, while there are many times that number in the State who need the advantages ot the School An appriation was made for the enlargement of the In- stitution last year, but it was so hamper cd by conditions that it has not been available. The School is one of the best of its class and is entitled to and needs still further the fostering care of the State.
 The Trustees of the State Reform School report the Institution to be as prosperous and successful as ever.
 There are at present three hundred and fourteen pupils in the school, one hun dred and ffty-two having been received and one hundred and thirty discharged during the year.
 There have been no deaths, and but little sickness.
 It needs no legislation. It is free from debt, with $500 in it's treasury. The boys have earned about $12,O during. the year.
 It's property is very valuable, and grow ing more so all the time. As an educa- tional and reformatory institution it has few equals and no superiors.
 AMERICAN ASYLUM.
 The American Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb, with its enlightened corps of off cers and teachers, is faithfully perform ing it's benevolent work. The number of pupils is two hundred and forty-six, of whom fifty-three are from this Stote..
 By the census of 1870 there are two hundred and twenty-one deaf mutes in the State, eighty-four of whom are be- tween the ages of five and twenty, which would leave thirty-one who are not re- ceiving instruction.
 The main building of the American Asylum is more than half century old, and is not up to the standard of the age In comfort and convenience. At no dis tant day it may, perhaps, be the duty o1 this state to assist this institution in the erection of a building, with such improve ments as the experience of fifty years may suggest.
 sTATR PRISON.
 By the report of the Directors of the State Prison it will be seen that it's affairs are going on about as usual I refer you to the report for details. Under an act of the last General Assembly the Cover nor appointed three Commissioners to examine into the entire subject of of oul prison matters, and to find out what chgnges Gf any) are necessary to bring us abreast of the age.
 l also directed the Surgeon General ot the State to visit the State Prison at diff ferent times, and unannounced. His re- port will be laid before you.
 l desire ln this connection to call youl attention to the remarkable fact that there are now in our State Prison three convicts who have been once pardoned out by the General Assembly while serving a previ- ous sentence, and that two of these are now applicants for legislative clemency.
 How many such there may be in other prisons 1t is impossible to state, but the above fact alone argues conclusively the necessity of 8 careful investigation into all claims, and further such hedging about of the pardoning power as shall render 1t less liable to imposition.
 The pardoning power, which is at pres ent Tn the Legislature, should, I think, be in the hands of the Governor, and lei him take the responsibility, but he should have an advisory board, which should recommend to him the proper subjects oi executive clemency.
 This duty might be left to the board o1 State Prison Directors, which should then be increased; or, perhaps to board cre- ated for this purpose, consisting of the Lleutenat- Governor, Treasurer, Secretary, and Comptroller; or, still better than all, to board of State Charities.
 More than thirty applications for re- lease from State Prison will come before yon, and, judging by former years, they will not all be deserving cases. I think no person who has in former years been on the State Prison Committee will fail to see the great embarrassment and difficult ty which surround this matter, and pre- vent an intelligent decision. This yearly excitement about pardons raises false hopes, creates disappointment, causes dis content, and renders order, system, and discipline more difficult to enforce.
 Our prison system has been much i'm proved, yet much remains to be done to make it what it should be. My attention has been called to the condition of ou1 County Jails, but had no authority ei- ther to look into them myself or to direct that it be done.
 The business of the Executive Office has so increased of late that no Governo, can properly attend to it, except by spend ing most of his time at one of the capi- tols.
 rthink the time has arrived to create a Board of State Charities, which shall have general supervision of the entire chari- table, reformatory, and penal affairs o1 the State, including jails and poor houses.
 invite your careful attention to the re- port of the Surgeon-G General, and to that of the Commissioners appointed last. year to investigate our prison matters.
 Some attempts have been made to col. lect our criminal statistics, in order tc make report to the United States Attor. ney General. As we have no law or sys. tenn in regard to it they were not very complete, though received reports from almost every town.
 There were between ten and clever thousand criminal prosecutions in the State ddring the year 1871, of which two thousand two hundred and seven were iI New Haven, one thousand five hundred and thirty three were in HaFtford, one thousand one hundred and twenty-four iu Bridgeport, three hundred and thirteen iE Norwich, and one hundred and eighty eight in New London.
 Eight towns report no prosecutions al all and in each case give as a reason thai no intoxicating liquors are allowed to .bt sold in the town. The report, so far as it goes, is only another proof of the we'll established fact, that criminal cases are il very close proportion due to the unre stricted sale of intoxicating liquors. l recommend that some plan be adopt ed for the more accurate collection oi statistics as to crime and it's causes in tht State. 5, e fs
 STATE BENEFfCIARIEs.
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