Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1891-09-28
THAT BLIND SCHOOL.
The State Board Of Charities Still In
vestigating-SOme OF the Facts
Before Them.

The state Board Of Charities Still In
vestigating-Some OF the Facts
Before Them.
There is accumulating. in the
hands of the Oregon state board O
charities a mass of testimony and
facts that will tend, if laid before
the public, to show the necessity ot
reform in at least one state iustitu.
ton under control of the Oregon
state board of education. The gen.
tlemen comprising this board will
find some very interesting reading
In some of the evidence submitted.
TIE JOURNAL has seen enough 10
justify it in giving considerable
space to the revelations of official
neglect, not to use a harsher term,
that has been praticed on these
wards of the state, that are neither
paupers nor convicts.
THE BIENNIAL REPORTS
are full of facts that Will be very
troublesome to get over by those
interested in maintaining the pres
ent personal regime over the blind
school. These reports are full of
facts that go to show expensive
management since years for personal
profit.
COSTLY NEPOTISM,
Nepotism has not only been fla
gravity employed in the manage.
ment of the institute for the blind,
but salaries have been increased
directly upon employment of rela
tives who had still to learn all they
were supposed to know at time OF
being employed. These assertions
are easily sustained from the ben-
nial reports. A few illustrations
will suffice: The salary of Miss NJ
j. McFadden was raised to $50 a
month when she succeeded Miss
Julia Burleigh whose salary was $50
a month. Miss Alice McFadden as
matron received $3.50 a month,
succeeding Mrs. Gray at SIS II
month. Reports 1SS7s 1891.
AT the same time the state board
refused to increase the salary of
Miss Pearl Scott, tho she had to do
three times the work she engaged to
do when she was first hired. While
the others have all their living at
the institute Miss Scott lives at
home. The Misses McFadden are
sisters-in.law of one of the state
hoard of education.
1t will be recalled that the board
just prior to this effected the resig-
nation of Mr.. and Mrs. Gray upon
plea of economy, and the incoming
superintendent's salary was cut. Mr..
Gray received the usual salary. The
salaries paid the relatives of a
member of the board are found to
be higher than those paid for SINH
lar services in older states and much
larger institutes. F0r~instance in
Indiana the reports show matron's
salary to be $40 month, in Iowa
$25, in Washington $25. The aver
age salaries of teachers in Iowa is
S35, in Indiana S33. Besides in
creasing salaries of relatives, the
family treasury of one member of
the board was replenished by vouch-
ers for milk, canned goods and
greens. The secondhand furniture
dealers were knocked out of good
lot Of trade hy transfers of old sets to
the state on account of the blind.
These facts are too ridiculous 20 be
upon, but they appear
from the biennial reports.
Reports from other states show
great uniformity in one thing-rela-
tives Of the state boards or officials
who are responsible to the people,
are NOT employed. Another fact
that has been laid before the board
Of charities is that in the past atten.
dance has been kept down to a min
imum, as low as five or six pupils
this summer that a blind person
over thirty could not come and learn
A trade in the industria! department.
At low estimate there are nearly
blind i'm the state who
should be in this institute, where
hey can be made self supporting
81 citizens at a small cost.