Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1875-08-05

Unborn to blight where others heal,
The fond hearts to it turning.
And so say the sweetest word
Our speech may know or borrow,
Is saddest that was ever heard!
Index of JOY and sorrow.
More Leaves from the Demo.
cratic Record.
Especial Correspondence of the Cincin
natl Gazette
CoLUMBUs, o., July "a.
1t will be just as well to look a lit
tie further at the economy and re
form of the late Democratic General
Assembly.
THE CENTRAL ASYLUM FRAUD.
Under Republican management, as
is we'll known, the benevolent and re-
formatory institutions of Ohio have
been managed by Boards of Trus-
tees, who served without pay or any
compensation whatever, except their
actual expenses while in session.
As soon as the Democracy could
bring the thing abont, they turned
out the old Board of Trustees of the
Central Lunatic Asylum, and re
placed them with a Board of Com
missioners, at a salary of $1,000
each.
THE PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS MADE Po-
LITICAL.
If any thing in the State should be
kept clear of the sinister and cor
rupting influence of partisan politics,
it is those institutions which the
State has provided for the beneft OF
the criminal, the Incorporate, or the
afflicted; yet this Democratic Legis-
lature laid its hand on six of them,
besides the Central Lunatic Asylum,
namely: the Southern, Northern, and
Athens Lunatic Asylums, the Blind
Asylum, the Soldiers Orphans Home,
and the Penitentiary, reorganized
them that the Steward of each is
made political officer, appointed by
the Govef'nof-Allen-and holding
his place at the Governors good will
and pleasure.
WORKING OF PENITENTIARY REoRGANI-
ZATIoN.
How has Democratic economy
worked in the Penitentiary? The
Board of Directors, in their late an
nual report, endeavored to make out
a case in favor of the new admins
tration, by comparing the receipts
and expenses during the seven
months the Democrats had control of
it with the preceding seven months
of Republican management, and pre-
tended out a saving of some $4,000 in
their own favor. But it so happens
that when the Republican officials
went out, they turned over to the
new officials 1898 6S worth of sup
plies of all kinds, which were count
ed in as expenses under the Repub-
lican rule, and not counted as re-
ceipts under the Democratic regime.
BY this contemplate trick the Di-
rectors sought to make out o balance
in their own favor, when it was eX-
actly the other way.
AS if to confound these jugglers
with each others testimony, there
was printed in the same pamphlet
with the Directors report, a separate
report by Warden Innis, in which he
differs with the Directors as to the eX-
cess of receipts over disbursements
by $5,795 81. When his attention
was called to that, he said he had for
gotten to include in his report the
cost of gas, $3,706 SO, and when
pressed to account for the other
$2,0S9 04, the discrepancy still re-
naming, he was silent, and has never
accounted for it since.
The receipts of the penitentiary
form no criterion from which to
Judge of the economy of the manage
ment, for those receipts continually
vary with, and depend upon, the de-
mand for, and the price of the con-
victs' labor. But the current ex-
pense account shows the thing ex-
actly. These expenses for the cur
rent year ending in 1874, under Re
publican rule, were $79,S37 80;
while for the next year, ending in
1875, under Democratic rule, they
increased to $9S,057 9s, or nearly q
per cent, an increase only very par
TALLY accounted for by some augmen-
tation in the number Of convicts.
This increase of SIS, ,220 SO for cur
rent expenses is not all. The salary
account under the last year of Re
publican management, was $67,
042 90, which rose during the first
year of the Democratic regime, to
$74, l49 13, being an increase OF
$,l06 81, or more than 10 per cent.
Adding this increase for salaries to
the increase of the current expense
account, and there is shown total in
crease of $25, ,227 So for the first
Democratic year, as compared with
the last Republican year. Verify
the people should thank the Demo
cratic Legislature and Gov. Allen for
their wise and economical arrange
ments. Surely the Warden, who
mourns over the prevalence of "St
James translation of the Bible" and
forthwith consoles himself by ex
pending nearly $40 of the public
money in ''books for the Catholic
Church." is worth $4,000 year.
ATTEMPTED BACK PAY GRAB.
The reformatory and economical
snirit of the late General Assembly