Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-01-15

VISITING COMMITTEE TO THE INSANE HOSPITALS
Your attention is called to the report Of the
Visiting Committee to the Hospitals for the In
sane and their recommendation in regard to an
asylum for sincurables"
Returns from ninety six counties show that
there are in jails, poor-houses, and county
asylums 36S insane persons, who are main
tanned at county expense. 1t is presumable
that the larger portion of these are Aincura-
bles;" yet the care they receive cannot, in the
nature Of things, be so good as 1t would be in q
well-ordered asylum. 1t is therefore evident
that the time is not far distant when it will be
incumbent on the State to provide additional
accommodations for this class Of unfortunates.
The cost of the Mt Pleasant Hospital has been
a little over 81 600 patient, and the cost of
the Independence Hospital will be about 81, 400
patient While these buildings have been
erected with strict economy, vet the conviction
must naturally force itself on the minds of tax
payers that our public buildings Of this charac-
ter are too expensive and that structures that
would cost much less per patient would answer
the ends demanded. Some of our Eastern
States are erecting asylums for sincurables' at
a cost of about $3.50 to $500 per patient; an
example worthy of your consideration.
INSANE CoNvICTs.
have the honor to renew my recomn enda-
ton made to the Seventeenth General Assembly
regarding the convict insane. There are now
in the two asylums eighteen insane convicts.
For reasons which seem to me coeent think
it bad policy to send insane convicts TO the
hospitals A suitable building can be erected
by oonvict-labor at Anamosa at merely nomi-
nal cost, which will be ample for this purpose
for many years to como.
REFORM SCHOOL.
OF the special appropriations made by the
Seventeenth General Assembly for the Reform
School for different purposes, there has been
drawn from the State treasury $685., of
which 81, SO has been expended, leaving
J.. E Al @k..,p
stituton. The receipts of support fund, ex-
ceptng from the farm, which is shown in the
report of the Superintendent have been 49,
1923 So There has been disbursed, for the sup
port anG maintenance Of the inmates, sA,-
354 o. leaving balance Of support fund on
hand Of 81 1924 and balance OF all funds,
in the hands of the Treasurer of the institution,
of 81, C6664. or the receipts Of the institution
81, O6S 50 were collected from former Treas
urer, the remainder being from the State and
incidental sources.
When the present Superintendent Prot.
Winans, assumed charge of the institution, he
found it incumbered VITA debt of $4,000,
which the Trustees, by their negligence had
permitted the former Superintendent to incur.
By strict economy on the part of the present
Board of Trustees, aided by the efficient help OF
the present Superintendent, this debt has all
been paid, except s25l.l Is, out Of the savings
of the support fund of the institution. can
not commend 100 highly the economical manage
ment OF this institution
The discipline of the school is excellent and
carried on in q reformatory spirit. Du ing the
fall / appointed Hon. r. S. Finkbine and W. F.
Hayden special committee to inspect the new
build ng, which was erected some years ago,
and still remains in an unfnishe condi-
ton. Their report will be found in connec-
ton with the report of the Trustees. To meet
the growing wants Of the State, it will be nee
essary to complete this building at an carly
Iofa o1o IN building b1a for q
chapel and dining room.
The girls department is now located tempo
rarily at Mt Pleasant, in a property belonging
to Col. Timothy Whiting, under lease Of two
years. the State having the oDtion to extend the
same three years longer. The State should take
steps at an early date to procure a permanent
location for this department of the School, as il
is increa sing in numbers rapidly, and the ne
cessity for more commodious quarters than 1t
now occupies is imperative In view Of the ex-
perience and bad results shown in other States
from placing both department in the same vi
cinity, it would not, in my opinion, be desirable
to locate the girls' department on the farm
owned by the State at Eld)ra.
The discipline and educ tional advantages of
the girls" department of the School are ex-
cellent and of q beneficial character, the stats
tics of the institution showing that over 10
per cent of the girls sent to the School have
been reclaimed, and are following useful and
honest avocations. This fact should be most
cogent reason for increasing, as far az possible,
its usefulness.
Estimates for completing the new building
and a wing are submitted by the Trustees.
PENITENTIARY OF THE STATE AT FORT MADISON.
The report of the financial affairs of the PM
Tertiary includes portion Of the time when
Seth 81. Craig was Warden, to wit: from o :.
/, 1877, to March s, 1873, when the present i'll
cumbent, Eli G. Mcmillan, took charge of tho
prison. The portion of the report pertaining
70 aity'a NO r6onahin for that a n
script of the books, no vouchers for the dis
bursemens being on file in the executive Office.
When Warden Mcmillan entered upon his du-
ties he received in cash from his p1c?e cessor
only sec. 70. For the purpose of enabling him
to purchase supplies for the prison advanced
to him, as provided by Gee ion 49, of the
code, s6,Oa234 Since that date the proceeds
of the labor Of the convicts have been more
than ample t. defray all the expenses chsrSea-
BILE to the support fund OF the 1850 sPpro-
teenth General Assembly there has been drawn
and expended SIS, 1850, leaving s2,69.3l nm
drawn from the State treasury.
The receipts from all sources for general
support from March s, 1878, to Sept. 30, 1879,
including the s6,092.34 advanced q love al
luded to, have been s73, VI. The disburse-
ments from this fund have been as follows:
For general support. ....... SAT Az -
On account of sewer. SEQ
Paid into State treasury. 15.cOl 80
Leaving in the hands of the Warden q balance
of support fund of LBS IS in cash, aud
$9,S31.6 81 in notes. In addition the Warden
has on hand, as due to coavcts, S29727. and
due to visitors fund $4,000, making ca h
balance of all funds in his hands of 81, 16S ~.
Including in his available assets are 80, Sil.sl
in contractors notes, alluded to above, fal jig
due in short time, and 81, o39.05 due iron
contractors on open account, making an aggic
gate, with the cash on hand, Of available asset,
belonging to the support fund Of the prison, of
81, 026.62.
The amour allowed by law for the supper,
Of the convics is S7per month. During the time
Of Warden McMillan's incumbency, he has, by
rigid economy and faithful attention to the
interest Of the State, supported the convicts,
exclusive Of ea'aries of officers and guards, a.
a cost Of about Sc. 40 per month; quite a con
trast with the monthly expenditure of his pro
decessor, which was, as is shown by the report
Of the Investigating Committee Of the seven
tenth General Assembly, during his first term,
exclusive Of salaries of officers and guards,
81 3515, during his second term $l7.4 16
and during his third term s15 26, being an aver
age, during his six years term of Office, Of
over S14 per convict per month
The convicts are well fed and clothed; the
disciplinary ard sanitary conditions of the
prison are good; and the books are plainly and
correctly kept. The Seventeenth General Assem-
bly, reduced the pay Of both the clerk and chap
lain. The salary now allowed these officers is
entirely too low in view Of the constant and
arduous services they are called ON TO perform.
The salaries should be made respectively 81 eco
q year.
Finding that the surplus Of convicts' earnings,
over and above the cost of support, was ac-
cumulating in the Warden's hands, 1 directed
him to pay such surplus into the State treas
ury, which he has done from time to time M
to Sept 80, 1879 to the amount of sl5,OOl.5a,
as is shown in his report, and the same has
been increased at this date to SIT, 14476
The number of guards allowed by law is one
for each ten convicts. This is beyond the
needs Of the prison. One guard for every ff-
teen convicts is, in my opinion, ample to main
tain discipline. II this reduction in the num-
Der Of qua rds xere made the current cost Of