Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-01-17

F! those actually Indispensable under careful and
| economical management. and divide the re-
| mining sum available among he other public
| institutions aud administrative departments SO
us to best serve tho public interests, in no dHsl3
| permitting deficiency to exceed the llnfl9UE
| 500, 900 permissible bv IT, constitution "s'
| Penal and Benevolent Institutions.
| The reports of the penitentiary AT Sioux
, Falls the reform school Mt Piankinton nnd the
insane asylum ut Yankton, are herewith sub
| nitted Tor your inspection Us to the manage
| nent of these institutions
| 1t is thought the labor of the prisonsfs ut
Sioux Falls can bc made moro re1nnnerative to
| the state and TINT decisive steps should be st
once tuken having i'll view this object. Inc
uunrres al the prison doors are believed to af-
| ford means for bringing about This result. From
observat ionof its practical operation the execu-
tive is strengthened in former conviction
| that the fixing OF the punishment of criminals
within the discretionary limits allowed b. the
statute should be left to the jury rather than to
the court. The freeman S right to trial by his
peers is beloved to its value as much to
| This principle az to the determination of the
| question of his guilt.
| 1t would seem the peculiar and fitting PROV
| nce of the jury to fix the term OF punishment
| upoii the sliding scale which must over modify
| judicial sentences 1t is believed such verdict
| is more readily acquiesced in by tue criminal,
| that punishment is thus rendered more uui-
| form and more in accord with the popular liv
| ing sentiment whose sanction is so necessary
| to the support OF criminal statutes.
ond wear OF oper ation. 1t is believed thai III some
! Instances It's inmates have been committed
| rather as to all orphan or founding asylum
| thun to Il penal refornatory.
| 1t may be proper subject ofinquiry whether
the management has not erred ill this direction,
| tending somewhat to divert tho institution
| from penal refornatory school, and whether
material reduction Of expenses may not be
| made without serious detrinent to its original
| design. The building was constructed ut a
| reckless expenditure and moro than ono-hnlf
| 0f CNtrQyaElNtlV
nished as home for the management. Upon
the advice OF the superintendent it is recon-
| mended that the building be rsmodeled so as to
| furnish shop room and necessary nceommo-
| dations for the inmates.
| Tho insane hospital at Yankton is being adj
| ,ninstered i'll tu accord with the purpose of
its creation. The wing of the building las
| been completed during the past year. and the
entire structure is but little beyond the needs
| Of its present occupancy. 1t Is n SAD duty 10
inform you that the past year has witnessed
| large increa.e in its unfortunate inmn. es.
| Thtre is subject fraught with more seri gus
| import than the proper management OF this in
| stituuon to meet the object desired. The inhil-
| man and numerous practices shawn to have
existed i'll similar institutions OF other states
| have called general attention TO this subject.
which deserves your special consideration;
The minds of 1t, inmates arc darkened, and
there - no ego TIC. detect or ear TO hear or
4 tongue to report the secrets of thosa somber
W,tlla and too much care cunnot be given this
| subject by you as the representatives OF those
| helpless people.
4
whether the expenses of the inmates OF The in
| sane asy unl, iefo!m school, and deaf ana dumb
ard blind pupils might not more justly be
| charged, either wholly OF in part to the county
| where they reside.
| Ii is earnestly recommended that the pres
| ent law be modified with reference to the trans.
| portation of prisoners and inmates these i'll
situations. 1t is believed if IN officer of such in
| stitution under regular salary, male or female
as required, should be sent to bring the in
| mates, that ut least one-half of the present
Z, this hphOf
curtailed.
The Soldiers Home.
The territorial legislature ut It's last session
passed IN act to establish at the famous Ho1
Springs, IN Fall River county u home for the
defenders of the nation who may be compelled
in their declining yeurs to accept the bounty o
the state SO richly merted The sum Of SAL, ooi
toral executive i'll accordance with the pro
visions of the act, and after the donation o
eighty acres OF land for it's location appointed
ter, who have served their country calamity il
the field, MS q board for the building and man
agement of tho home The board organized nnt
entered at once upon its duties, inspired with
J full sense OF the high responsibilities in
yolved and it is pleasing to inform 20,
} that the building is well advanced toward com
pletion. 1t will be IN ornament to tho state q:
well as monument tn the integrity and tidel
ity OF the board OF managers. 1t will be read,
Tor occupancy during the present year and il
} becom es your duty TO provide suitably for it,
, mainte nance. The healing qualities of thes,
medicinal waters will be utilized i'll the restor
alton to health OF those diseased and 1t i
} hoped that the institution so fnvoraby located
will become n home in Us true a sense as
home for the homeless is poss BILE to those j,
their declining years who have SO richly earned
, the gratitude OF a patriotic people. In view o
: its proper location for a national home ant
sanltarium and to increase its share of useful
ness in cause which should recognize TO stat
boundaries. it is suggested that it would b.
fitting to invite the United Sta es government
to take up the work so grandly begun by thu
young state, ss it is believed the health-givin:
waters here found will lengthen for man,
, years lives prematurely succumbing to TIL
special diseases originating in the hardship
and prlvations OF soldier life.
Educational Institutions.
The state university at Ncrmillion met wit
IL sad loss in the death OF its president DR. I'D
ward Olson
, DIR. Olson had strongly impressed himsel
upon the state. and his rugged honesty pur
morals and enthusiastic devotion to his pro
= fession have left an enduring monument to hi
fair name in the educational annals of til
late his example for all time.
Tho financial report Of this institution, tc
gether with those OF the state normal school
I lege ut Brookings, md the school of mines a
Rapid City, arc herewith submitted, oil Q
3 which are in prosperous condition.
| IL is is suggested us q matter of serious in
a quiry by the legislature whether those institu
tlons are not being maintained at cost beyon
t what 10. is Warranted by the resources and need
: u lue new sIdte Wnlle IL is impossible to OF
a innate too highly tho advantages to accru
from the higher departments of educntion,
must be remembered that tho child must wal
, before it can run. and that South Dakota, Will
) all her wondrous development, canno
hope to accomplish i'll decade wha
has been the work of a century to til
older states. In view of the fact that som
years must elapse before the state can realz
i 10 any great extent upon her lands set apart fo
+ | educational endowment purposes and that sh
: cannot afford to reduce the efficiency of til
. common schools, it is suggested that decide
reduction of expenditures for the institution
: devoted to higher education might be safel
a nlado for the relief of our oyerburdened tas
payers, and still preserve their substantial boz
etits to the state.
Board of Charities and Corrections.
5 The constitution, by article IA, sections an
l 2 places the penitentiary. the insane hospitn
the scnool for the deaf and dumb and the reforr
school under the control of state board q
charities and corrections, to consist of not les
than i've members, and makes it your duty t
. provide by law for their compensation togethe
with rules and restrictions for their government
The wisdom of this single system of manage
lnent for those institutions is apparent to a
| who have had experience in such service, m
! ought to result in the saving of many thousand
OF dollars annually to the state, besides marke
o benefits to the public service.
1t is based upon tho principle of definitely IL
: eating the responsibility for failure md tn
credit for success which is found to apply alik
q to the successful management of private an
O public affairs. dsregarding methods and de