Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1883-07-27

IiI"W luN new horh Iumofl
The 30 called investigation Of the state
almshouso Mt Towksbury, Mass, has been
from first to last an infamous buriesquo ON n
decent public inquiry. For years there had
been more or less vague reports Of abuses in
that institution II was said that tho supcrin-
tendent and his family lived Mt the expenso of
the state and disposed Of public supplies for
their own benefit Out of tho practice of
permitting unclaimed bodies to be sent for
dissection to tho Harvard medical school
ghastly stories were wrought Of an inhuman
traffic in oorpses. There were rumors that
infants born in the almshouso or taken there
to be cared for were permitted to die of neg.
lect or were done to death by poison and iii.
treatment. Disgusting recitals got abroad
regarding the relations Of the sexes in the
place and Of practices that were a scandal in
the public ear.
1t Is easy to understand how from certain
real abuses likely to spring up in such an in
stltutlon, and from occasional incidents that
are we'll nigh inevitable among the kind of
people there congregated, the tongue of ru.
NOR and malice could work up tale of hor.
ror that would have in it very little of the
substance OF truth. But the stories were in
themselves a scandal to tho state. and tho
foundation for them, however slight. su0i.
Gent ground for a careful investigation. This
should have been made without any effort TO
cast disgrace upon the public administration
OF the state or to shield any officer or depart
ment from morited reproach. The object
should have been simply to ascertain facts
and apply remedy to such OWLS and abuses
as might be found to exist
Gov. Buffers method of dealing with the
case was the reverse of wise or honest or de-
cent. He assumed that the worst that had
been told was true, and then he magniiied
that with repulsive and exaggerated details Of
his own imagining. lie put tho worst posi-
BILE construction on every scrip Of evidence.
however unworthy Of belief aud then treated
1t as an established fact. He bounded Super
intendent Marsh as a convicted criminal. when
he was simply public officer under CHARGES.
lie insulted the State Board of Charities in
diyiduaIy and collectively he snubb,d and
brow-beat the committee aud the witnesses
VINO dld not please Lin, and indugcd i'm Ian.
guage unworthy Of the lowest police courts.
The deepest disgrace for Massachusetts in the
matter lies in the fact that her people
are capable Of choosing for their chief mag
istrata man who could deal after this man.
ner with subject affecting the administra.
ton OF any Of her public interests
The manner in which the Governor made
his charges and tho method with which he
dealt with the inquiry throughout drove that
part OF the committee politically opposed to
him into an attitude Of defense and resistance.
lie made 1t well nigh impossible for them 10
conduct Il calm aud iudicous inquiry. The
outcome is that they have made a report de-
nouncing him and his charges and defending
the management of the alushousc. They do
not seem even to admit that there was any.
thing wrong in it, and are grcvously concern.
cd for the scandal that has been brought up
on the state. They make mistake ia trying
to cover up anything and in contending that
no publicity should be given to actual abuses.
The state can suffer from nothing that is not
true and 1t can save itself from no reproach
by covering up the truth. Tho facts should
be laid bare and evils that are revealed should
be acknowledged and remedod
The Democratic members of the committee
virtually sustain the Governors charges. but
their conclusions are so inanfestly affected
by par,isanship that they are worthless. The
investigation, however, has not been wholly
useless 1t Is not worthy of the name of an
investigation and its conduct has been alike
disgraceful to the Governor and the state.
but it has served the purpose Of exhibiting
before the people the real character Of Gen.
Butler as a chief magistrate. Moreover, it is
likely to lead to reform IN the management
OF the Rlmshouse. The committee may not
recognize the need Of II and the legislature
may take 10 action, but it is pretty certain
that care will be taken hereafter to cleanse
the Tewksbury institution and to keep it in
more seemly order We should not be sur
prised if the efforts in this direction were
even more energetic than they would have
been if Gov. Butler had avoided the blackinR
brush and the majority Of the committee had
not resorted to the white washbrush
From the Boston Herald
altogether it is u remarkable thing that an
institution like the state almshouso at Tewks.
bury containing a thousand paupers Of the
lowest grade, can have its management for a
quarter of century critically investigated
and SO few abuses found. Not single point
OF the formidable charges made by Gov. But
Ter in his inaugural address was established.
1t was shown that the charges were all based
on tho evidence OF cranks and culprits, while
the management has stood the most searching
examination and come out unsmirched ON
the whole, though the Governor is discomft.
ed the investigation has been good thing,
for it has shown that Massachusetts, provides