Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1888-10-19
GOV. LUCE ON STATE TAXES.
He Answers tho DE mocratic Candidate In
An Able Manner.


Burt, the democratic nominee for governor
Gov. Luce said: Mr.. Burt was going
around the state denouncing trusts
and monopo les, though he was him
self president of the salt trust
one of the greatest trusts in the country.
Seven months ago he had gone TO Washing
ton and argued against the reduction OF
the duty on salt, saying that 1t would re-
duce the wages of every man working in
the salt blocks fifty cents a day. Such was
the effect of training with the democracy.
Gov. Luce continuing spoke as follows:
am glad, IN the depth of my heart, that
the attention OF the people has been called
TO the administration Of state affairs in
Michigan. The whole record Of the repub-
lican party is one Of which we are proud,
and the more you will investigate and the
more you will compare, the more pride you
will have in the record made by this party
in the administration of these affairs. At
the capitol il is the wonder Of visitors from
New York, New England and the west,
that we built that capitol for million and
a half of money and paid for it; something
almost unparalleled that we constructed
building without flaw, built it without the
charge of stealing, 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
existence. But they say state taxes are high
and growing higher. Now / ask you To
give me careful attention because L am
going to deal somewhat in statistics, and
this may be dull, there Is no humor in 1t.
Thirty-four years ago when the republican
party took control of state affairs, we had
two institutions, state institutions, the uni
versity down at Ann Arbor and the state
prison at Jackson. These constituted the
state Institutions. Now we live in an age,
whatever else may distinguish il, that will
be in all history distinguished as a humani
tartan age. Thirty-four years ago our in
-.
languishing in cells and in the poorhouseS
These insane people were suffering the ag
onies of the most unfortunate of all Gods
afflicted. This humanitarian spirit dictated
that we must build the asylums for the de-
tention, care and treatment of these unfor
tunates. Twenty nine years ago, and that
is all, we opened the institution at Kalama-
mazoo. We erected one there, and finished
il, that we thought would do for thirty
wears. 1t would care for 500 patients, but
in few years that one was full, and we
erected one at Pontiac, with provisions for
200 of these unfortunates; in a few years
that was full. We erected one then on the
salubrious waters of Traverse bay, at Trav-
erse City. that will accommodate 800 pa
tients, 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
last session of the legislature l had con-
ceived ideas in relation TO the construc-
ton of additional asylums that would
be less expensive; the large asy-
lums cost us 81 600 for capacity for
each patient We had some of US con-
ceived the idea of erecting cottages that
would accommodate forty or fifty each in
connection with the penal institutions and
have farms upon which the patients should
work. In the message which i had
the honor TO present to the legislature and
recommend | was astonshed TO find the
hoo rIc M nd "a
generally were willing to try the expert
ment, and last year we provided for the
erection of five of these cottages, that would
accommodate 300 pa tents. Those cottages
are now completed, and we are taking care
of 200 patients in the cottages and have still
room for "a few more patients. 1t costs about
300 each for each patient in those cottages.
Now all this has cost money-inevitably cost
money-but they were constructed at the
dictates of this humanitarian spirit born of
the Christian civilization Of the day in
which we live.
Thirty four years ago-and that reminds
me how old ] am getting-I was elected a
member of your legislature. visited the
state prison at Jackson. The whole prison
system has been changed since then. Then
we saw chains and letters on the feet of the
prisoners and by the side Of those clanking
chains j saw boys IA, 10 and Ii years old,
and my heart went out in sympathy TO those
boys, and we passed bill providing for the
establishment of "a reform school for boys.
IL is located at Lansing. Almost four thou
sand boys have gone out from that institu
ton, eighty five per cent. OF them have be-
rome good citizens. They are bankers, rail
road men, mechanics, manufacturers. farm
ers and laborers, scattered over this state
and land of ours. The state sends them out
at Is, but still watches and guards over
them, looks to their welfare. This institu-
ton was built too, i'll harmony with the
Christian civilization of this grand age in
which we live There are $50 boys there
now. 1t Is pride to the state of Michigan,
and we refer TO il 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 this same humanitarian
spirit that stands out in the fornt rank in
this commonwealth, dictated we should
build an asylum and a school for them, and
we erected large one at Flint-here there
are three or four hundred of them-taught
them to read read the word Of God and
study arithmetic, and they go out broader,
stronger and happier than they were be-
fore. All these things cost money. We
saw again, and this humanitarian heart of
ours throbbed in sympathy with the little
waits that lay in the dry goods boxes, that
tramp the streets and were in the poor
houses without the shelterng care of q
mothers affection or "a fathers strcng arm
to support them, children without parents
and children with worse than no parents
that had some. This humanitarian spirit
riga or wrong dictated we should provide
homes for the little ones. Down at Cold
water we constructed one that has cared
for 2,400 Of these little waits, and sent them
into homes. The state took them into its
great, generous arms, looked after them
and educated them, and furnished them
homes where they have been sent, and
many of them are coming mp good men and
good women. But 1t cost money. We saw
sights Of young girls going down to degr a
dation, woe and death; this same humani-
tartan spirit came 10 the front and says, we
will make the effort to lift up these girls TO
virtue and womanhood, and we construct
ed a school down at Adrian, where we care
for from two hundred TO three hundred Of
these girls, and we hope we see, we be-
lieve we see, evidence that good Is being
done. But all this costs money Again we
looked abroad and saw the old soldier tremb-
ling. with dim eyes. We saw his bend
ed knees: we saw him bowed with rheu-
matism and paralysis, and this great
throbbng heart Of ours went out, and says
no soldier who donned the blue, severed
his connection with home and friends, bid
adieu TO wife and children, should ever die
in the poor house or tramp the country as
a professional tramp. This great throb-
l..