Los Angeles herald., 1892-01-18

The San Francisco Examiner of Sat-
urday contains the following editorial:
The report OF the expert of the Los
Angeles grand jury on the Doodle scan
dals that have decorated the opening of
the state reform school at Whittier
forms an interesting and instructive
document. No one who reads the full
text of it as published in the Examiner
yesterday, can wonder that it was de-
stroyed by the friends and associates of
the boodlers. 1t is circumstantial ac-
count of official thievery, mismanage-
ment and extravaganza that bears the
impress of truth on its face. That the
Los Angeles grand jury could exonerate
the trustees and others of wrong. doing
in the face of this report, with only two
dissenting voices, shows most plainly
the character of the men who made up
the majority of the Jury.
The figures presented by the expert
indicate that the appropriation for the
reform school was considered fair
mark for plunder. The beginning made
by the three trustees of the school was
indicative of what was to follow. Eight
| days spent in the selection of site for
the school cost the state 1892 25-nearly
500 day. Carriage hire for the time
actually taken in inspecting sites cost
SIS day.
Oneof the trustees, the superintend-
ent, an architect and legal adviser
were sent east to examine institutions
of the same type in other states. They
were absent forty-two days. and the
itemized bills of their trip show mar
J velous activity.
Hotel bills are put down at IS day
| for forty-two days--a total of s2l0.
Sleepers are put down at sos 80, which,
at 81 SO night, would have allowed
| them berths for thirtys six of the forty
; two nights they were absent.
Each of the four put in bill of $95
for carriage hire. an average of SO day,
including the time spent in travelling and
stopping at hotels. Incidental expenses
were Jumped at 500.
The furnishing of the building gave
opportunity for the trustees to show
discriminating spirit calculated to assist
the objects for which the school is estab-
lished. Among the first items is punch
bowl at "a SO; two dozen punch glasses,
IS; pair of salad knives and forks,
$3.50.
Another list with prices annexed ia
equally interesting, considering the pur-
pose for which the school is established.
The following specimens hardly need
comment: Antique sideboard, $225;
twelve leather seat armchairs, $3.50;
leather Turkish chair, $685. another
leather Turkish chair, sos; leather Span
ish chair, $45; leather Spanish rocker,
$45; antique folding bed, $l40; antique
oak folding bed, sl10; carving set, SIS;
carving set, $3.50; corkscrew, So; ork
screw, rs cents; lemonade shaker, 50 80;
two dozen glasses, $l5. The itemized
list contains a large number of items
equally appropriate.
This is not just the beginning that the
people Of the state expected for the in
stitution. From the number of articles
of each kind that have been bought the
trustees are relieved of any suspicion of
intending to train the boys up to luxuri-
ous habits. The list from which the
specimens are culled is accompanied
by another in which IL dozen tin tea
spoons, 81; IL dozen tin tablespoons,
Sl.25; 10 dozen tin plates, 81 80, are
sample items. There is little difficulty
in deciding which are for the boys.
The bills are a fine lesson to the in
mates on the advantages of honesty,
economy and justice that will doubtless
bear fruit. When it is added that the
trustees of the school are Josiah Sims,
an ex-assemblyman from Nevada
county; ;. R. Lowe, assemblyman from
Santa Clara, distinguished for his as
sault on Assemblyman Bledsoe over the
Bruner report, and Hervey Lindley of
Los Angeles, the kind of fruit that will
result is not hard to guess.
The Los Angeles grand jury that ig-
nored these facts must have been one
after Justice McFarland's own heart.