The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-09-25
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INSANE ASYLUM ABUSES.

4
effect, that he has entire charge of the APP
| pointment of attendants, and that no private
| family in moderate circumstances has so good
a table as is provided for the insane. TIE
report of the civil-service committee did not
| impeach DR.. Fletcher's medical management
of the institution; it properly and carefully
excluded the Doctor from the censure it Wis
tied upon the partisanship which it held re-
sponsible for whatever was wrong, and which
partisanship "Dr" Harrison so unblushingly
avows and maintains. But if it be true that
! DR.. Fletcher has sole control of the
matter of attendants, and he now has
| no complaint to make Of that feat
ure of the hospital service, what will
| he do with his official report to the board, in
| which he discusses the system of these APP
for attendants SO appointed to be either COM
| petent, or careful, or humane9 What will he
| do with his letter to Mr.. Albert Thayer, in
| which he acknowledges that the abuses exist
| which Mr. Thayer recited, and that there was
| need of reform9 What will he do with the
| repeated statements made to various people
| respecting the methods and system pursued
| by the board in their relation to the in
| stitution over which he holds nominal
| control? The testimony of the character
of food furnished is one of the Off
cial reports made to DIR. Fletcher. 1t shows
| for period of a few days only such items as
these: "Meat tainted" Coffee not good"
''Tea very weak" Clutter not good"
| Butter not fit to use.' Clutter not good"
''Not enough meat for breakfast" ''Not
milk for supper" Butter in south dining
room reported very bad" Butter strong"
Bread sour" Does DIR. Fletcher pretend to
say that within any like period the subsist-
ence of any family Sin ordinary circum-
stances would show such record2 And, as
we said the record is an official one Of the
institution.
AS to the reduction in expenses shown by
"Dr" Harrison, in his "defense:" For six
| years the expenses of the Democratic admin
istration have been higher than for the last
year of Republican control, and only for one
year, 1885, is the expense less than for the last
year of Republican management. There is not
a man or woman in Indiana but knows that
during the last few years the price of every
thing entering into the subsistence of the be-
| nevolent institutions, as into the maintenance
of family, has been greatly reduced. A fair
estimate would not be less than 33 per cent
while the exact truth, probably, would put it
not much below 30 per cent. This reduction
in prices has been in favor Of the Democratic
administration; yet the economy" they so
boastfully claim is much less than this. AS
matter of fact, the expenditures of the Demo
cratic administration, prices considered, have
been extravagant and wasteful
| But if the economy" actually existed as
claimed, that would be no excuse
or palliation for corruption and gross
Encouragement. Mr.. J. E. Sullivan was
given the contract for extra creamery butter
for one month, at 3S cents pound. The
price of that grade went up to 40 cents and
over during that month. He arranged with
a Chicago firm for butterine at IS cents, de-
livered it to the hospital and took pay for it at
the rate to be paid for the best creamery It
was not at first detected, the cheat was so
good; but when it was, the old Democratic
board deducted from Mr.. Sullivans bill sever
al hundred dollars, allowing him fair profit
on his cheap 18-cent butterine. This amount
Or Harrison's board repaid him. Is that
honest9 Is not that as fraudulent and corrupt
as was Mr.. Sullivan's act in furnish
ing 1S-cent butterine for 49, cent
creamery butterF Does economy" make
such a fraud and cheat as that decent
or commendable? Will the people of Indiana
who have friends or relatives in the Insane
Asylum submit to tke continuance of such
food and abuses in the care of their loved
ones, while it is openly avowed that the insti-
tuition is to be carried on as a distinctiyely
Democratic one, for the benefit of the Demo
cratic party? Is it true that Mr.. J. E. Sulli-
van, who furnished this cheap butterine, and
who is CDR" Harrison's pet contractor, sent a
certain sum of money to Captain Stansbury,
while the latter was steward, and that the
money was at once and Indignantly returned
to the contractor? Is it true that DR.. STAINS
bury was removed, possibly that Mr.. Sullivan
might be able to grease" his contracts
through the institution with greater ease and
certainty These, and others, are pertinent
questions, and the people of Indiana will pay