, 1873-03-06
CHARITY AND CORRECTION.
Second Biennial Report Of tho Illinois
, Board Of Commissioners Of Publir
Charities.
Thirteen Public Enstitutlons---Thelr Cost
Since 1039..-Estimates for 1873.
County Alrns.110nsos".-Pr Prtsor~R Rof0rm-..
Recommended Abolition Of tho
County Jail System.

Recommended Abolition Of tho
County Jail System.
Tho second bicnnlel report Of tho Board Of
Btnto Commissioners OF Public Charities OF
1llino1, prepared by tho sccrotary, tho Rov.
Frod II. Winos, llnB just boon publlahod. Liko
ita predecessor, 1t contains great amount Of
tlaoful information, but 1t is III many reBpeots
moro general. Tho report doals first with in
sanity, idiooy, budncaB, oto., which 1t olaasihes
undor the head OF misfortune" It rofors to
various eausos from Which thoy spring, ouch rs
conHangninoouu marriages, disonHo, soil md cli-
ato, social organization, oto. This Is followed
by chapter on the troatnlcnt Of these various
ailnlcnta.
Tho third chapter Ia 4 discussion of tho
STATISTICS IN TIE LAST uENsus-nEroRr
rclatiro to tho idiots, insano, blind, and deaf
mutos of the United States. It appears from
those Investigations, TINT tho foreign population
Ia much moro Liable to insanity, aud aomcwhat
moro Liable to blindnoHg. than tho native popu-
lation but much 1oss lablo toiltocy md doaf-mut-
igm The alo 10 loaa liable to insanity than tho
fctnalo but moro 1iab]o to blindness, oto. Old
porsons aro tho most liablo to insanity and
blindness, while idiooy is moro common in mid
die .llfo than in old ago. Tho tendency
to insanity iB greatest in tho North-
oastorn Btatca md On tho Pacific Coast, and
loast in tho extreme southorn and Western
gtatcs.. Tho tendency to idooy is groatost In
tho oxtromo Northeast and tho border Southern
statop. That to blludnoss is tho greatest In tho
Southern statos. Tho tablos in rotation to this
subject aro of much interest md yaluo.
After these preliminary chapters, tho report
proceeds to givo worry thorough history Of tho
~ol1An1rAB1E LEGISLATION. OF ILLINOIS,
bringing togethor in tho compass Of q fow
pneos, tho facts which aro scattered through tile
many volumes Of 1aws and Legislative
reports There aro now Is public
institutions in this Stnte, divided into tho heads
Of Correctional ~" Educational" and "Char-
itablo." Tho first includes tho Penitontiary and
tle Reform School; tho second, the Normal, In
dnstrial, and Southern Normal Uniyorsitios and
tile third, the Northern, Southern, and Jackson
villc 1nanno Asy1ums, tho Institutions for tho
Education Of tho Blind and tho Deaf and Dumb,
tho Soldiers orphans' Homo, tho School for
| Feoblo-Minded Children, md tho Eye and Ear
Intlrnlnry. Thoso Institutions, excluding tho
| Penitentiary;' have received from tho State
Treasury, since 1B9o-that being tho time when
! tho Doaf and Dumb School, tho oldest Of them
ali, was organizod,-tho sum Of 81, ,062, ,909.73.
OF this amount the Deaf and Dumb Institution
has received 81, OIL, 1896, and tho Jacksonville
Insane Hospital 1,e56, 1902.
Attention is called to tho heterogeneous md
contradictory nature Of the logislation concern
| ing State inBtitutionR, and it ia suggested that
tho whole Of it needs thorough and careful ro-
| vision.
Tho system Of public charity in Illinois has
grown to such proportions TINT tue State institu-
tions; in making VI. their ostimates for 1878,
| asked for
Of TINT part Of the royenuo of tho State set apart
| for what aro called rovonuo purposes aud tho
Board Of Charities, which has to consider tho
whole subject and mako its rocommonaation1 to
| ing situation it not being an easy taak
to decide upon tho re!atiyo necessity and impor-
rnuce Of tho uavoral applications. Tho eBtinlate8
| for the crrront expenses OF these Institutions
wore e463,7o por annum but, in addition,
there wcro requests for appropriations for ex-
traordinary Expenses, for now buildings Or Gu
largo1nent OF old onos, making an aggregate Of
to recommend tho appropriation Of 3447, 900
this yoar to complete buildings uow in procesB Of
erection. Thoro arc other appropriations, to tho
amount Of s725, 200, for new buildings, which
to % the amoant @ Of Of slso, ,d5o whIch TT tho % Board
consider Of doubtful oxpedioncy at prosent,-
southern Insane Asylum. Tho Eye aud Ear
Inarmary Of Chicago asks for 528,000 for now
building, and tho Board recommends tho appro-
priation Of that amount, t,--310 900 for 1873, and
|
application for an enlargement Of tho Doaf md
| Dumb School, tho Board objects to 1t, on tho
| ground that tho demand ton yoars hence would
| not DO met, and that 1t is unwiso to havo too
erection Of q new institution ut eomo other
| point.
MANAGEMENT.
| It is the opinion Of tue Bonrd tint all tho
public institutions arc managed with acrupulouB
| Integrity, but the system Of accounts and checla
In use ia not sufficient to prevent fraud. Excoy-
| tion ia taken to the drawing Of approximations
III advance. and depositing the money iii priynto
| banks, subject to private uBo, until tho end of
| tho quartor, when it IL paid out,-a system by
which tho State has been loaor before. There
| IL also found to bo local effort to compel tho
olaeors Of eaoh institution to manage it IN local
| homo ularliot, to deal with all, pay lib
eral pricea, and not aeek for good measuro
Tic law provides tint tho TrustoeH shall audit
| all accounts before payment, but TINT provision
| las boon ovadod In many ways, and the Board
| feels compelled to mako various recomlnenda-
tiona for the better securing tie ntorosts OF tho
| Htate.
| Willie tho aggregate
| COST OF THE CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS
iB heavy, yet tho Doard asserts that it is vcry
| light upon each taxpayer, aud giyea other argu-
monts in favor Of liborality i'll this direction.
8tato uid is more efficient than county or private
reliof--the Coolr County Hospital for tho lnoano,
| tile only county one il tho stato, ranking worry
| low. Tho position takon In tho previous report,
| thAt the pocunlAry RnylnB to tho community by
these hospitals Is above what they hayo cout, is
| still Insisted upon.
A few pages ARC devoted to tho subject OF
! COUNTY ALs1g-IoUsEs.
| Tho first fault In tho management Of county
FARMS is the excessive quantity OF land 40
largo a8 to mako 1t 1lnprofltablo to work t,-aud
| the second ig often observable in tic selection
Of keeper. and tho nature OF tho contract mat.o
with him. In many cases, men haye beon Select
| ed who were listle above tho grnlo of paupora,
| simply because they Were tho cheapest. Tho
roglbtrntion OF paupers, under the law puasod
| by tho last General Assembly, has been gonor-
ally complied with, though Homo County Clerks
hnve failed to obey it. Attention IL called to tho
| proprloty Of mnkilg some provision for ohildron
10 unfortunate ~ to DO born III tho alms-Aotsoa.
In several counties, It appears, thoro arc no
Bucll institutions, and the pnupera are sold out
| to the lowest bidder, af1er tho old fashion.
| pn1HoN-nEFOnM.
| Tho second part Of tho report conalRts Of q
IL 1ut.x.