Mexico weekly ledger., 1877-01-18

OuTbl VI Tic tImc IOT WHICH BuC0 PERSON Wdb
sentenced. shall write and sign a testimony to
that effect, and present the same to the Governor
Of Missouri. With. 2 augmentation that such.
have been Issued. Where the conduct has been
good. this law is mandatory on the Inspectors to
furnish the Executive the information, but it is
rule has a ~reformatory tendency and ought to be
strictly observed, and i myself have not failed
TODD so. INSTRUMENTATION. escaping and willful
assaults upon fellow convicts are deemed infrac-
according to the character of the .Offense. Very
few are retained till their full sentences expire.
None have been pardoned under the section next
following the above quoted section. In
no capital case have I granted a par
don, but have two cases-one a
man ana M ,h the ps other 2 wom nan life E. im 1pI9aao a.
attended with little expense, comparatively, and
perhaps nearly pays its way during the. year.
About one-half of the females find employment
as mental servants in the city. From January
IL, 1875. to November %, 1875, the prison being
under the leasing system, the escapes numbered
ferty-six; and from November %. 1875, to this
date, being under State management, they were
fifteen. Should the prison continue under the
management of the Warden, as since it's surren-
der to the State, that officer should give a penal
bond OF some $40, 900 or more for a faithful dis
charge of duty. The prison has been conducted
upon the closest business principles and the most
economical expenditure, and it is gratifying to
be able to state that on this day it has ample as
sets on hand to more than pay it's outstanding in
debtedness.
ELEEMOSYNARY
These, as Tar as known to me, have been sue
cessfully and progressively conducted and man.
aged during the past two years. AS they are the
home Of the orphan, the sick and the afflicted,
our sympathles are necessarily elected in their
behalf, and we hesitate, as we should, to lessen
the blessings which philosophy and Christian duty
have heretofore provided for them through legis-
latien. Wherever it may properly be done they
must share to some extent in that economy and
reduction of expenditure which the present con-
dition of the revenue so firmly demands. Re
ynnrfn chluInp fhnir m ms poDnant condition a
sources, expenditures and future wants will be
laid before you. From these and observations
of visiting committees You will have no difficulty
in arriving at their true condition and real neces-
sites, and in granting proper and needful ap-
preparations and. legislation for the coming bien-
NAL period. Under the law the counties are re-
Quired to pay, from time to time. certain
charges and expenses of their insane poor at the
State Lunatic Asylums. l am credibly inform
ed that from these sources large sums are due the
institutions, which, if paid. would afford them
great relief; that such debts are very tardily
paid, and in a large number of cases very diff
cult and expensive to collect; and that frequent
ly, from necessity, the warrants have to be sold
at such prices as they will bring. AS these debts
are a part of the income and support of the insti-
buttons. the Legislature should make such
changes in the law AS to enable them to collect
such dues promptly; otherwise the State may
have to make up the deficiencies.
CAUSE OF EDUCATION.
Our schools and colleges, public and private,
are generally prosperous and fulfilling very sat
isfactorily the high purposes of their establish
ment. The people are devoted to the cause of
education, and are making noble struggles to
perfect, widen and extend it. They can not
spend their lives and resources in a nObler one.
1t is the only hope of the moral and Intellectual
elevation and refinement of society. Directly
and indirectly, more than S5,00l,' 100 are spent
yearly in education by people of the State. about
three -fifths of which are derived from appropri-
atlons by law, taxation, and incomes from the
various State and local school funds; most of the
residue is expended on private schools, and a
large portion by their sons and daughters on ed
IlPaflNn3l nnIrEnE abroad This latter n4tr0n-
age, if applied at home institutions, would add
largely to their strength. vRor ard usefulness
They are now so admirably conducted, regulated
and ~systemtiZed that IL would seem that q gen.
erOus State pride, as well as the policy of retain
ing at home all material resources, should in
duce our youths to patronize and content them
selves with these institutions. With the pres
ent appliances and advanced modes of %instruc-
ton, they could he made as thorough
and as accomplished as in the schools and col
Lees of other States. The main defect in the
practical workings of the common school system
is the neglected and unskillful financial manage
ment and the failure to make faithful enumera-
tons of the school children and 10 report the
same. The penalties for many of the derelictions
of duty in these respects are so severe that Grand
Jurors will not, or do not, take cOgnlZanCe OF
them, and TIE sufferers from them. feeling that
the same thing is true. do not insist on the en-
fsrcement of such penalties. They should be
graded according to the seriousness of the neg
lect or effense. The larger o1enses might be
prosecuted by Indictment, as now provided by
law; the smaller ones by fines before magistrates
and a civil action forthe recovery of a limited
sum for damages ought to be allowed the father
or guardian in case of loss to a child against the
official occasiOning the, same, as in case of failure
to enumerate the child, or to report it If enumer-
ated Under such a classification of penalties,
the people would have the enforcement of the
laws in their own hands. The system is weak
in the severity of its penalties, and the impracti-
stability of their enforcement; changes softening
the punishment of offenses either of commission
or omission. and afforijHg a convenient or Sim
pier mode of its inf1ictIon, will undoubtedly add
CIQAP md pnpFCV tn the QV pcntInn of the a w e.
STATE SCHOOL AND SEMINARY FUNDS.
On the LIST day of January 1873 the permanent
principal of the state school fund was 8 ,624.
35l. 81, of which amount 81, 67I 800 were repre-
sented in United States $50 bonds, and at this
date it is So, a09. 974. 81. There has been, there
fore, an increase during the past two years OF
: IS $50 81, of which account SIS, GOO we're de
rived from the Executors and Administrator
fund by act of the Twenty eighth General AS
sembly; the residue, SPAS ,2SJ.9 from the con-
version of the United States stocks into our own
State securities. This increase does. of Itself
produce an annual income for distribution to the
schools of the State of $l7, II6.S and the income
on the whole amount is STA 1854. On the Isl
day OF January, 1915, the permanent principal OF
the State seminary fund was 81 s, 100, in United
states securities. and atthis date 1T is $122. 900
an increase of ) l3, 800 within the last biennial
period. This large increase in these seyera
funds, as well as the favorable purchase of valu-
able securities. in which the proceeds of the
United States bonds were invested, is argumen
enough to prove the wisdom of the State Board
of Education in making these conversions. The
w~ithdrawalfrom the market of such large amounts
of our stocks, and for the benefit of such trusts
coupled with the asserted confidence implied
from the act that these authorities had in the
credit of the State, and OF its good faith to pay
them, had, no doubt. the effect of aiding in tht
appr, citation of our State stocks. The proceeds
of the sale of the United States bonds
were invested in 6 per cent. bonds of this
State, ray able to bearer, and deposited in the
vaults of the State Treasury. They are
not considered secure, and / therefore advise the
Legislature either TO direct by concurrent reso-
luton that the State Board of Education cause tC
be written across the face of each bond and cou-
pom to be signed 10y the President, and a suitable
record of the facts made in their journal, to the
effect that the bond or coupon belongs to the par
ticular fund, as the case may be; OF, if registeree
as the more preferable form Of security, to enacl
a law directing the substitution of consolidated
bonds for those owned by the respective funds,
and transfer of interest from the State Interest
fund as hereinafter recommended in case of Ger
~tificates of Indebtedness, or that the State Audi
tor issue and deposit with the Treasurer certif-
Gates of Indebtedness for the proper amounts be
longing to the respective funds. and on the frs
days OF January and July of each year transfer
the amount of interest then due from the STATE
interest fund to the respective funds. \ prece
dent for this latter course was established by thu
act of March 80, 1872. One of the three alterna
tives should be adopted. If either of the tive