St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-06-08
ouRPuBL1C INSTITUTIONS.


ment of insanity. He was popular, had
an extensive acquaintance. and welded
a wide influence both in social and bust
ness circles. Yet the board of managers
deemed it necessary to remove him from
the SUPPLEMENTARY of the Rochester
institution, and popular opinion sus-
talnS their action.
There are two points suggested by
this unfortunate affair which we have
not yet alluded to, but which merit pub
lie consideration.
1t was with DR.. BOWERS as it is pos
Sibly with the chief of nearly every
other public institution who has been
long time in power. They come to look
upon the institution over which they
preside as a close corporation, and tnat
the public are not entitled to know all
the details of its operation. After so
long time of executive management
they come toregard the institution more
in the light of private enterprise than
a public affair, and become forget
full of the fact that they are
acting simply in the capacity OF
a trustee charged with the perform
ance of high public trust. The evil
dence goes to show that DR.. BOWERS
knew all about the killing of COMBS
the day after it occurred. Yet there is
no reason to suppose that he was in
sympathy with the crime or had de-
sire to shield the criminals. His sim
gular conduct in concealiug his knoWl-
edge of the crime can best be explained
upon the theory that we have hereto
fore advanced-that he regarded the
affairs at the asylum as matters OF
private concern, and that it was no
business of the outside public what oc-
cured there. Otherwise, he would
have been impressed with the neces-
sity of giving immediate publicity
to the whole matter; and, instead of
being content with quietly discharging
the brutal attendants, he would have
placed the case in the hands of the dis
trict attorney with the request that they
be prosecuted.
We are disposed to think that DR..
Bowers mistake is not an Isolated one.
His style of management is too uni
versal for the good of our public institu-
tions; nor is it confined to this state
alone. 1t is the same story everywhere;
and, as result, there happens to be
just at this time an epidemic of scan
dals, with the prospect that a good
many more will yet be developed. This
scandalous condition of affairs is the
logical result of running public institu-
tions OIL the close corporation idea.
The other suggestion in connection
with the Rochester affair is as to the
utter uselessness of directories or boards
of managers. What do they know about
the management of these institutions
except as they learn it from the reports
of the officers, and how do they know
that these reports are correct? Take
the Rochester case for Illustration.
Here was gross crime committed, and
for long time Irregularities and a
laxity of discipline prevailed, and yet
the members of the board were in just
as blissful ignorance of the condition of
affairs there as all the rest of the peO-
pie of the state were. And we dare say
that it is the case in the management of
every other public institution in this
state. These boards meet once year,
sometimes oftener, but how is it when
they do meet? The chief officer of the
institution has everything in apple
pie order for the occasion, because
he has been notified of their coming.
There is usually good dinner, a bottle
of champagne, box of Havanas, a
pleasant social gathering; few bills
are audited, possibly some suggestions
made that are not needed, the board adj
journs, and the impression conveyed to
the outside public that everything is in
tip-top shape at that institution. That
is what board meeting usually
amounts to. In nine cases out of ten, if
the board attempt any reform, they
know so little about what they are UNI
dertaking they usually make a botch
of it.
One thing that is needed in these in
situations is concentration of power
and responsibility.
Another thing is that everything
should be as open as the day, and every
citizen of the state have the right to act
Oh his own motion as an Investigating
committee.
With these reforms and the removal
of appointments from political influence,
we see no reason why these institutions
should not be made browning glory to
the state instead of being hotbeds of
corruption and the source of innumer-
able scandals,