The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-10-11
THE LEGISLATURE,
THE MESSAGES.
! Gov. orm.boe's valodictOry.

InelT luuus, anu urges SUNNI "leS ~
striction. The public schools, he be-
lieves, are 10 a state that is far from sat
isfactory, particularly in the country
/ towns, and he points out the fact that
wise legislation looking to careful IN
>spection is necessary. The Normal
School should not be over looked in Civ
ing attention to the other public schools.
He repeats the recommendations of his
inaugural as to suppressng the illegal
sale of liquor, approves of giving the
Railroad Commission more extended
powers, urges the enlargement of the
militia as recommended by the Adju
tant General, and hopes that the treas
ury of the Soldiers Home will never be
left empty as long as a single beneficial
ry needs its aid. He calls attention to
the over-crowded condition of the In
sane Asylum at Brattleboro, and recon-
mends legislation to relieve that institu
ton of the criminal and convict insane.
He finds the penal and refOrmatory in
situations in a satisfactory condition.
He has granted three pardons and twelve
conditional discharges. He sees no
cause for alarm in the delay in settling
the claims between Vermont and the
United States, and believes that salts
factory settlement will be made when
Congress looks into the matter. He be-
leves in aiding agriculture by wise leg
islation and urges an appreci alton OF the
true value of the University OF Vermont
and the State Agricultural College to
the State. In conclusion, he exte
his congratulations upon the peace, har-
mony and general contsntment that
prevails throughout the State.
The two houses met in joint assembly
to hear the report of the committee to
canvass the vote for State officers. The
Canvassing Committee reported through
Secretary of, state Porter as follows:
For Governor-Whole number of votes
cast, 60, 1926; necessary for choice, "a.
TIA. VIM. P. Dillingham; had 4S,522
Stephen G. Shurtleff had 1887; Henry
NJ. Seely had 1879; scattering, 8. Dill
lingham's majority, 2761S; billing
hams plurality, 29,095, The majorities
for the other State officers were as fol
lows: For Lieutenant Governor, Wood
bury, 27,4S8; for Treasurer, Dubois, 81,
4S1; for Secretary of State, Porter, q,
5l4; for State Auditor Powell, 81 543.
After the announcement of the result
Senator Smith and Messrs. Palmer OF
Waterbury and Ballard of Burlington
were appointed a committee to wait en-
Hon. William P. Dillingham; and in
form him of his election as Governor.
They performed that duty and present
ed him to the Bar, when he took the
oath of office, administered by Hon.
James NJ. Tyler, Judge of the Supreme
Court. The Governor-elect then deliv.
cred his message, of which an abstract
follows:
Message of Governor Dillingham;.
In opening his address, the Governor
spoke of the embarrassment caused by
his inability to find access to the bien-
NAL reports of the several State officers
in season to become familiar with the
public business, owing to the provisions
of the law concerning such reports.
The Liabilities aud resources of the State
are given as follows:
LIABILITIES.
Due towns, United States SUI.
plus iund .....,;.,...... sI5' sl1 S a.,
Due soldiers, unpaid balances 6,3o9 w
Due Agricultural College fund
Represented by State bonds,
falling due June, l, 1890, in
terest payable to the college
semi-annually. ...........l3J,5 OO w
Due on appreciation for Get
tysburg monument and
$50 "a
RESOURCES.
Cash on hand and in banks. $sS,962 80
Estimated amount of tax from
corporations for 1888 ...... 23OUOO W
Estimated proceeds from bal
ance of Huntington fund Sc
---S33l, 90! 80
1t will be noticed that the resources
now provided for exceed present liabili-
ties in the sam of $l67, 405 96. This re-
suit is more satisfactory when consider
ed in connection with the other fact,
that during the last biennial term the
amount of State expenses has been
greater by $166, $50. 70 than that of the
last preceding term. The Governor sug-
gests legislation to enforce the rule re-
quiring court officials to account for
fines, costs and other funds belonging to
the State.
PENAL AND REFoRMAToRY INSTITUTIONS.
The Governor says he is not aware
that the State Prison, House of Correc-
ton or Vermont Reform School has any
special need to be provided for. The
reports of the Directors and Trustees in
dictate commendable state of affairs at
each of these institutions. 1t appears,
however, that the House of Correction
has at times been overcrowded with in
mates, while the State Prison has not
been full, This has been caused by
sending those convicted of high crimes
and sentenced to long terms of Impris-
onment to the House of Correction rath-
er than to the prison, where they more
properly belong. In regard to the In
sane Asylum the message says;
THE INSANE.
An examination of the report of the
Trustees of the Vermont Asylum dis
closes the fact that for many years past
it has been filled to its greatest capaci-
ty, and has, in fact, been overcrowded.
The institution ls not capable of proper
~ accommodating more than four hun
dred patients, and yet the average num-
Der OF inmates during the last ten years
has been four hundred and forty five.
To add to the embarrassment caused by |
this excess in numbers, the discharges |
since 1878, under the direction of the |
State Board of Supervisors, have been
from among that class of patients whose |
insanity had become chronic and were
considered harmless, and the places va
Gated by these quiet and easily managed
persons have been taken by like mum.
Der of noisy, destructive and violent pa
tients. "Where the former class could
be safely associated and provided for in
dormltorles, the latter requires for the
most part single apartments" so that in
the shifting of patients from one loca.
ton to another it frequently happens
that inmates are brought 10 contact
with each other who would not be for
any other reason, hence, as the Trustees
state. "(he Ovprcrnwdino subyarts n |
proper classification, as well as inter
feres with the feeling of contentment
which depends so largely upon the sur
roundings of the patient" Added to
the troubles already enumeI ated is the
further fact that during the two past
years the average number of inmates
mas been 46l, or 81 more than the Asy-
ium can properly accommodate. This
increase has, to large extent, beeu
caused by the operation of the so-called
roland Pauper law, under which, as the
superintendent states, about twenty
have been committed to the Asylum,
chiefly to relieve the towns from which
they came OF the burden of supporting
them.
1t is claimed by the Trustees, consid
erlng the relation OF the institution to
the state, that they ''are not legally
holden to care for the transient, nor un-
der obligation to receive the convict and
criminal insane, and that at the rate of
increase OF admissions which has been
going on, some process of exclusion
may De forced upon them before anoth-
er biennial period has elapsed. The
Trustees make no suggestion as to the
course the State should adopt, nor as to