Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1880-12-29
STATE HOSPITAL INFESTIGA
TFON.


The committee appointed to investigate
the insane hospital at Madisormade their
report to the Governor last Wednesday.
The report is digniied and seemingly
impartial document, and will commend
itself to the people of the State. 1t IS no
whitewash affair; it probes to the bottom.'
The committee however, commended
things that We're worthy of praise and
tearlessly censured short comingswherever
they appeared The investigation covers
a period Of five years, the time which DR..
Boughton, the present Superintendent,
has been in charge. The report is of pc
culiar interest to this community, owing
to the fact that ex-senator Bennett took
a prominent part in the Legislature last
winter in urging the passage of the reso
luton authorizing the investigation.
A very unsatisfactory condition Of
things was found to exist A general
[ essences in the business management of
the institution was everywhere apparent.
Extravags nee in ana about the buildings
was such that it received the severest
censure from the committee. Several
items and their cost are given in the re-
port as illustrations Of the reckless use of
money: among them may be found fe-
male doc At $2450, seven chickens at
$50. Fancy blood not only courses
through the veins of the hospital dogs
and chickens, but the stock on the farm
is also of the blCoded order The taxpay-
ers of Wisconsin will, we apprehend, fail
to see the propriety of an insane hospital
going into the fancy stock business DR..
Boughton is shown to be visionary and
Impractical man, wholly unfit to be at
the head of an institution of the magni-
tude of our insane hospitals. The COM
mittee unqualifedly Recommend a
change i'll the managing officers. At this
DR.. Boughton cannot complain. He has
had as complete control over the hospital
since 1875 as if he owned it, and if he
were the right man in the right place NO
investigating committee would have been
appointed.
In answer to the committees report,
abstracts of which have been published,
DIR. Boughton does not deny any of the
charges made, but strives to shift the
blame, boy fashion, off on to the should
ers of the board of trustees, who, it ap-
pears knew very little of what was going
on il the institution, and cared less. He
also claims to have made a great many
valuable improvements, which is undoubt-
edly fact. A man of less adaptability
for the position ought to be able to lay
claim to the same thing, with the amount
of money at his command which DR..
Boughton has had at his disposed. It
does not appear that DR.. Boughton has
any love for his profession, as such. The
testimony shows that he had much rather
be out experimenting the laying of
stone for root cellar or making plans
for an artificial fish pond, than give his
personal attention to thorough exami-
nation of case of brain disease.
In money matters he was found profit
gate and careless. In very many cases
he could not account for specific sums Of
money. Even the money that was sent
to him by friends of patients to buy luxu-
ries which the hospital does not furnish,
he could give no satisfactory account of;
whether it was devoted to the purposes
for which the donors intended, or other
wise, the records do not show: An &c.
600 barn was built for the apparent sum
of 1925; at least thi. was all that it cost,
as shown from the books OF the institu-
ton. These are but a few instances of
the careless way in which the books
have been kept in the institution.
The report does not contain any charges
of transportation of money, but in
everything else as far as relates to man.
agement of finances it is very severe on
the head Of the institution, and shows
him to be an unfit man to be the dis