The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1875-08-20
STATE ASYLUM FOR THE BLIND.
BATON ROUGE, August >, 1878.

tive man, and as AN honOrcd and
deservedly influential citizen, in full
sympathy with all the real interests of
the State this communication is res
pectfully addressed. Louisiana, in
common with most civilizations from
Canada to Brazil, from Russia to Aus
tralia, and from Syria to Egypt, has
made some provision for educating the
blind. In the one hundred and forty
declared that institutions for the c,tuca-
ton Of the blind and of nlutcS shall be
fostered in this State. BY Legislative
enactment, this provision of the funda-
mental law has been expressed with
distinctncss and emphasis in the cstab-
lishment of institutions for the educa-
ton of these classes. The testimony
of Il valid experience, long ago wrought
in the minds of many the conviction
that in spite of their intirmity, the
victims of blindness could be trained
to sclf-hclp; could be, and ought to be,
raised from the rank of droncs and
paupers to that of productive doors,
and selt-sustaining workers. Civilian
ton has formulated this conviction
into Legislative enactmcnts, and has
sought to make it Il real energy by
embOdying it in institutions for the
education of the blind. In this State
blind the spirit of bcnevolencc, and
have pressed this bcncvolcncc in the
establishment of an institution for
educating the blind, which they
designed should be Il bcncficicnt utility.
Had not tho dannation of plundcring
Radicalism overwhelmed the State,
the generous purpose of the people
would have been fulfilled, and the hope
of brotherIy men would have been
realized.
The institution for tho blind in COM
mon with other public interests, has
been made the victim of partisan greed
and dcsccT,tcd to the vile uses of
Ignorance and depravity. During the
Warmoth administration, the institu-
ton was placed in the hands of Il Board
of Trustees, consisting of local partisans
who were deemed useful as ward poll
ticians, as bar-room dcclaincrs, n
r0pcrs-in OF votes and as mnnipulators
of ballot-boXcs. They were hungry
and needy, and must be rewarded by
the opportunity to steal from the
appropriation to an educational nsti-
tuition. They prevented the full organ
izttion of the institutions, prevented
caused the appropriation to disappear,
thereby fastening upon the institution
Il debt, which yet remains unpaid
This debt consists Of various sums due
to persons who supplied the institution
with provisions, &c., and to others who
rendered service rs teachers and Lomrs-
ties. Several Of these persons are now
i'll real need consequent upon fraud
thus pcrpctratCd. At the beginning
OF the present State administration,
II strong effort was made by those
interested in the institution to secure
the appointment of the right men rs
Trustees. This effort was in some
degree successful. a board was
appointed consisting Of fair men, two
or three of whom were men Of high
intelligence. For two years they were
permitted to serve. They honestly
and .ju,liciously administered its affairs
and developed the institution az fully
as means would permit. In March
last Il member of the Legislature from
East Baton Rouge had the Trustees
mentioned displaced and had others
appointed. The men last appointed
are totally unfit for the trust with
which they arc charged. They are
ignorant, dcpravcd, and wholly incapa-
bic Of sympathy with the interest they
are empowered to control. Their first
act was to displacr from the position of
principal Of the institution, Il man
known to be qualified for the work
and to appoint to that post Il man
without education, and whom common
report declares to be exceedingly bad.
These Trustees, and their appointed
to the place of principal, ar" hcnchmcn
of the mcrnbcr Of the Legislature