The times., 1888-10-12
STATE AT AIRS.
HONEST FARMER LUCE AM
SWERS CANDIDATE BURT'S
CHARGES A0 TO HIGH
4 TAXATION.
Something Everybody Should Read.

Speech delivered at Grand Rapids Sept. 20, 1888.
am glad from the depths OF my bear
that the attention OF the people has beel
called to the administration of State affair
in Michigan. The whole record of th
Republican party is one of which we ar,
proud. and the more you will investigate
and the more you will compare, the NOR
pride you will have in the record made by
this party in the adminIstl alton Of thes,
affairs. At the Capitol ii is the wonder o.
visitors from New York, New England
and the West that we built that Capito
for million and half of money anC
paid for it; something almost unparalleled
that we constructed building without d
flaw. built it without the charge OF steal
ing, and have gone on proud of the record
we have made. We have just as much
reason to be proud today as we ever had
during the thirty-four years OF our exist
ence. But they say state taxes are high
and growing higher. Now ask you to
give me careful attention because | am
going TO deal some what in statistics; and
this may be dull, there is no humor in it.
Thirty four years ago when the Republi-
can party took control of state affairs, we
had two Institutions, state institutions. We
had the university down ut Ann Arbor
and the states prison at Jackson. Those
constituted the stale institutions. Now
we live in al age, whatever else may dis
tinguish il. that will be in all history
distinguished as Humanitarian age.
Thirty-iOur years ago our insane were
locked up, chained IN log pens, languish.
ing in C, lis and in the poor houses These
insane people were suffering agonies of
the most unfortunate OF all Gods afflicted
This humanitarian spirit dictated that we
must build the asylums for the detention,
c4re and treatment of these unfortunates
Weniy-nine years ago, and that is all. we
opened the institution at Kalamazoo. We
erected one there and finished il, that we
thought would do for thirty years. 1t
would care for 800 patients, but in few
years that one was full and we erected
one at Pontiac. with provisions for 700 of
these unforiunates. In few years that
was full We erected one then on the
salubrious waters of Traverse Bay, at
Traverse Cfy,,ihat will accommodate 500
patients and in little while that was full.
We erected one at Ionia TO care for the
criminal, or homicidal insane, that would
take care of 100, and that is full At the
'ho' oN SSiph VI ehC
ceived ideas in relation TO the construction
OF additit nal asylums that would be less
expensive; The large asylums cost us 81
600 for capacity for each patient We
had some of us conceived the idea Of erect.
lug cottages that would accommodate for
ty or fifty each; in connection with the
penal institutions have farms upon which
the paiienis should work In the message
x,I al, h..1 III, Al
legislature aud recommend, | was aston.
ished 10 find the several boards, superin-
tendents ard people generally were will
ing TO try The experiment. and last year
We provided for the erection of five OF
these cottages, that would accommodate
200 patients. These cottages are now
completed and we arc taking care of 900
patients in the cottages, and have still
room for few more patients. 1t costs
about $500 each for patients in those cot.
iages. Now all this has cost monev-but
they were constructed at the dictates of
this humanitarian spirit born of the chris.
tian civilization of the day in which we
live. [Applause
ThiriYfOur years agO-and that reminds
me how old am getling-I was elected a
member of your legislature. / visited the
state prison at Jackson The whole pris
en- system has been changed since then.
Then we saw chains and fetters on the
feet OF the prisoners, and by the side of
those clanking chains saw boys IA, 10
and 16 years old and my heart went out
in sympathy with those boys, and We
passed bill providing Tor the establish
men, Of a reform school for boys. 1t is
located at Lansing. Almost four thousand
boys have gone cut from that institution
eighty five per cent of them have bcome
good citizens They are bankers, railroad
men, mechanics, manufacturers, farmers
and aborers. scattered over this state OF
ours. Applause The state sends them
out al 1S, but still watches and guards
over them, looks TO their welfare This
institution was built too, in harmony with
the christian civilization of this grand age
in which we live. There are 450 boys
there now. 1t is pride 10 the state OF
Michigan, and We refer to it with honest
pride in the enterprise OF this unparalleled
state of ours We saw again The deaf and
dumb without places for education coming
up helpless and in ignorance, and tn {
same humanitarian spirit that stands ou,
in the front rank in this commonwealth, h,
dictated we should build an asylum and O
school for them and we erected large
one at Flint Here there are three or -four
hundred If them. taught 10 read, read the
Word of God and study arithmetic, and
they go out broader, stronger and happier
than they were before. All these things
cost money. We saw again. and this hu-
manitarian heart of ours throbbcd in sym.
pathy with the little waits that lay in the
dry goods boxes, that tramp the streets
and were in the poor houses without the
sheliering care of mothers affection or n
fathers strong arm To support them, chill
dren without parents aud children with
worse than no parents. This humanitar-
ian spirit, right or wrong. dictated VIC
should provide homes for the little ones.
Down at Coldwater we constructor one
that has cared for z, 400 of these little waits
and sent them into homes. The state took
them into its great generous ANS. looked
after them and educated them, and fur
nished them homes where they have beer