The record-union., 1891-02-05
A STATE BOARD OF CHARITIES AND
CORRECTION.

Mr.. Preston's bill to create State
Board of Charities and Correction, is one
that will commend itself to the consider
alton of every person who has given any
considerable thought to the subject of the
management of institutions in California,
to which the State renders assistance, or
that are under its direct control. and re-
late to the dispensation of aims, or the
correction of offenders.
The bill proposes the creation of
board of six persons, to serve without
compensation, but to have a salaried sec
rotary and clerk. The Governor is to
be ex-officio Chairman of the board. Its
duties are to gather all the statistics Of all
the institutions into the conduct of
which it is empowered to- examine; to
charities, their condition and manage
ment, especially of jails, prisons and re-
formatories, hospitals, infirmaries and
asylums, etc. 1t is to have power to ex-
anime witnesses, and to send for persons
and for papers, and to make inspections
of institutions and to examine the books
and papers thereof.
All plans for new institutions are to be
submitted to it for criticism. By direc-
ton of the Governor it is to make any
special examination he may specify. 1t
is to report frequently to the Governor,
and fully to the Legislature, with sug-
gestions. The members of the board are
to have their actual expenses paid when
on duty. The board is to examine all our
laws governing institutions referred to,
and to suggest to the Governor such re-
vision and amendment as may be neces-
sary. 1t is also to collect the statistics of
crime, State, municipal and county, and
public officers are to report to it any and
all facts demanded within the scope of
their administration. The Clerks of the
Counties of the States are to keep ac-
counts of crime cost, and report to the
board at stated periods. One member of
the board or its Secretary is to visit every
institution referred to, at least once a
year and oftener, if the board deems it
advisable, and inspect its condition anS
report upon it. The Secretary is to be
the States ex-Convict or Parole Agent,
under supervision of the board, to aid
discharged convicts to lead better lives,
to assist them to employment, and to
give them encouragement to reform their
methods of living. The maximum
allowance to any member of the board is
not to exceed So a day for expenses and
legal mileage, and that only when ac-
tually engaged in the service required.
Such il brief is the bill. Whoever I'M
dertakes the careful examination of it
will discover only this error: the board is
given no power to correct any evil it may
uncover. Perhaps this is best, after all,
since publicity is the great corrective for
all acknowledgement of public institu-
tons, and besides, there are State officers
whose duty it is to punish for the misuse
of public funds.
The Secretary of the proposed Board,
will, of course, be the most important
part of it. If he is the right man, he will
take upon him the great mass of the labor
of the board and should do so. The
proper person in such an office-if we can
secure such man as New York has-can,
we are positive, save to this State vast
sum of money, can bring about long,
needed reforms, add to the sum of human
happiness greatly, and much diminish
the aggregate of human misery. Our
present system of inspecting institutions
is absolutely farcial. 1t is really no in
spection whatever; indeed it is worse
than none, because it is means to deceit
and hypocrisy, and yet it costs us almost
as much as the proposed board will.
We have no hesitation in saying that in
the charitable dispensations of the State it
has been defrauded in the past of large
sum of money. Fort is as easy to swindle
the State in drawing from its treasury for
charity, as to draw the breath. We be-
ieve it to be capable of demonstration,
that great number of institutions are
run with small regard to economy, that
some are actually sources OF revenue to
the promoters, and that very many cost
more than they would. if under super
vision such as is suggested by the bill.
The very fact of the erection of the pro-
posed board, will in itself be an economic