The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1878-11-20

ton to the reduced cost of the Supplies and to
economy which the people have been COM
PEELED to adopt In their private expenditures
These institutions SHOULD be maintained in the
spirit OF the constitutional requirement, and
with no abatement of care and expenditure
that would impair their usefulness or lessen
the substantial comforts Of the unfortunate
classes for whom they are provided. The hos
pital for the insane and the schools for the
blind and the deaf mutes the three great
benevolent institutions of the state. The pro-
per management of the insane requires the
constant care OF large number OF faithful
attendants and the supervision OF physicians
OF good professional attachments, The Inmates
are to be cared for as diseased persons under
treatment for their recovery, and the food
must not only be nutritious, but suited to each
particular case. A hospital for the cure of the
insane Is N. cessar1ly an expensive institution,
and am not prepared to say that DIR. Evarts'
estimate OF $3.50 each week for each patient Is
too high. But II will be the duty of your APP
propriate committees to make a thorough ex-
animation, and ascertain whether any proper
reduction can be made, any superfuous ex-
penditure struck of. This is now the more
important because of the fact that before the
building will have been completed, and, prob
ably, six or eight hundred added to the num-
Der OF patients, and increasing the annual ex-
The institutions for the blind and for deaf
mutes are schools for their education and for
teaching them some useful trade or business
that may make them independent of the char
tiles of society in future life. The education of
the blind and the deaf is difficult, because they
are each lacking In an important sense. They
require greater care, because they are less able
otake care of themselves than any other
children, and more teachers are required than
in ordinary schools. / take these facts into
consideration, and yet the expenditures APP
pear extravaganza.
The children are at the institute but forty
weeks each year. During the twelve weeks of
vacation in the summer they are at home. The
state Is at no charge for clothing or transport
tatfon. For these expenses, provision is made
by the parents or the counties. BY reference
to the report of the superintendent of the in
stitute for the blind you VIII see that the cost
of the care and education of blind children,
for the forty weeks of attendance, is alb ut
81 80 per week-about So per person more than
the expenses OF the insane, and three times
of the soldiers children at the soldiers or
phans' home. 1t Is proper to suggest that the
number OF pupils Is much less than that of
those provided for in other institutes, being
busa average of lG3, and that the expense,
per capita, must necessarily be somewhat
greater. Mr.. MscIntire, the superintendent of
the institution for the education OF deaf mutes,
estimates that your appropriation should b
s2l5 for each pupil-thst is, at the rate of s5.S7
That is largely above the estimate for the In.
sane hospital, and more than two and a half
times greater than the per capita expenses at
the soldiers orphans home.
The boards of trustees In charge of the bene-
VIOLENT institutions do not give that protec-
ton to the state which was intended. They
make stated visits, hastily examine the
vouchers and accounts, and look through the
wards and rooms, but generally receive their
There is not that thorough Investigation and
rigid control which should prevail.
had thought of recommending that the in
StitutionS In the immediate neighbOrhoOd of
this city should be placed in charge of the state
Officers, but IL has been suggested that such a
control might Introduce party politics into
their management, which l would regard as
an lntolerable vice. By some change more
direct control and responsibility for the eco
nomical and proper management of these in
situations should be placed upon the governor
and state officers. They are state institutions,
supported directly from the state treasury, and
should be under state control. Perhaps IL will
be sufficient to place them under one board to
be appointed by the governor, with the APP
prevail of the senate, torbidding any partisan
of the board.
1t has been and is the practice for the super
intendentS and assistants to maintsm their
families in the institutions; L suppose it may
be necessary in the hospital FOR the insane, but
not in the other institutions. The expenses of
private establishments should not be mingled
with the public expenditures. Like other pub
lie officers, the superintendent and ssistants
should provide their homes and expenses en-
tirely separate from and outside the public ex-
penditures. That would result in a large re:
would also allow large increase Of the mum.
Der of children to be educated, by converting
the apartments used for family purposes into
rooms for the inmates. 1t can not be necessary
that IL shall cost $4,000 more TO take care of
and educate 299 children in the institution for
any charge for clothing, than to ciothe. edu.
cate and take care of 29i children in the SOL
diers' orphans home for fifty-two weeks. II is
due the commissioners and u ustees to say that
their expenditures have not been in excess of
the appropriations.
Language can not be more forcible than
this. Governor Hendricks pointed out
plainly to the members of the Fiftieth Leg
islature the extravaganza in which the Off
GERS OF these institutions were INDUCING
Each member besides had printed copy of
the message on his desk. But what regard
was paid to this wholesome advice? A COM
mittee was appointed, who visited these diff
and and wIned; everything looked neat
and clean. The hospital for the insane is
always clean; they spent S1,S7620 for soap
last year--the committee took the superIn-
tendent's word for everything and regarded
them as ''jolly good fellows after their own
likin;'" they returned and reported every
thing in apple pie order TO the legislature.
missioners appointed by the state.
Their visits are those of pleasure
they scan the accounts at long range, and
come away feeling happy over an excellent
dinner and plenty of good wine at the ex-
pense OF the state. This hiss been going on
for years, and what is
THE RESULT?
That thousands of dollars are wasted on
these benevolent institutions. The peo-
PIE are none the wiser, for moth
ing can be made from the annual
report of the superintendent. This is
es specially the case with the report Of the
of the hospital for the In
sane. 1t seems as IL it was gotten up with
the intention OF F
MISLEADING.
There are no monthly statements OF re-
ceipts and expenditures, no balance sheet
no alphabetical arrangement of ar
ticles bought or sold. 1t does
con tain complete tables giving the
occupation, religion, nativity, sex
of the insane, but the money statement,
which interests the overburdened taxpayer,
is a mere tumble, mess of figures, given
without the date of week, month or year.
In order to find the amount expended for
clothing and dry goods, eight pages of closely
written figures must be waded through and
40 rows added up before 1t is found
that S12,2S4.67 was expended last year for
clothing and dry goods. There being an av
erage in the asylum of 600, the state has to
esln4 to lot ma