Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1893-12-07
STATE INSTITUTIONS.
WHAT GOVERNOR AIrceLo SAYS
o. THEIR MANAGEMENT.

eso4sees nd Purehsssag Agsets - Tie
vereees ChnritsbSs Installations UaAee
Cselssl - The ssats-Whas fsspls n.
pset 81 The O0clals.
Last Tuesday the trustees, superin-
tendents and purchasing agents of tho
various charitable institutions In the
state met at Springfield in compliance
with . request addressed to them BY the
governor, In order to confer with each
other and with Governor Altgeld in re-
gard to the best methods of conducting
the various establishments entrusted to
their care. The conference was opened
BY IN address of Governor Altgeld in
which he said:
"GENrIExEN: I have invited you to
meet here today in order to have gen.
eral conference relating to the manage
mene OF the great public institutions of
tins state, and to enable me to make q
few suggestions which I could not SO
well make by correspondence.
"While public sentiment in America
has been progressive and liberal, and
while almost countless sums have been
appropriated in the most generous man
ner for the building and maintaining of
great public institutions for almost every
purpose, these institutions have not vet
all reached the highest degree Of excell-
ence. Another fact to be dcplored is,
that the officials in charge of these insti.
tutions are not held in that high regard
by the public to which the great respon-
slbilities and Importance of their duties
should entitle them. In some European
countries to serve as a superintendent or
as q trustee Of great hospital or great
asylum is to hold q position of honor
AID distinction i'm the eye of the public,
and to consequently enjoy the confidence
and good opinion of tine public, while in
this country these places have in some
cases come to be regarded as political
spoils and the men who hold them have
come to be looked upon merely as poll
ticians who have been lucky enough to
get few plums for themselves and
their friends, and instead of being hon.
ored and regarded with still higher de-
gree of confidence. it often happens that
men who are appointed to these places
are looked upon with jealousy and even
distrust.
Now, want to say that all of these
great charitable institutions were found
ed for the most noble purpose that men
can conceive and in this state they have
become SO large that they require high
order OF business capacity and integrity
to manage. and there isno field in which
a man can do more good Cor the unfor-
tunate or in which he can render his
country more valuable service than he
can right here, and there is no work
that should give man more honor or
the confidence and esteem of the public
in higher degree than the work you
have in hand.
Gentlemen, those of you who are
trustees are serving without ccmpensa-
ton. You have agreed to give your
time, rs far as it may be necessary, to
these institutions free of charge, and let
me impress upon you strongly right
here that there is only one way in which
you can get anything out of it in the
way of satisfactory compensation, and
that is to manage these institutions bet
| ter than they have ever been managed,
to place them upon q higher plane than
they have ever been placed and to make
them do better work than they have
ever done. 1t IL not necessary to say a
word in disparagement of the past. No
matter how good it may have been, al.
most infinite improvement is yet posi-
BILE.
Those Of you who have passed middle
life have long since discovered that the
things which give us most pleasure are
those which we have done extraordinar.
lily well. II we have done one thing in
all our lives better than other people
could do it, that one thing will give us
pleasure as long as We live, while the
| ten thousand other things which We
have done only tolerably well are for.
gotten. II you will take hold of these
institutions in the right spirit you can in
q few years make more reputation, win
more honor for yourselves and your
families than you can in thirty years Of
| the ordicary management.
1.-THE people of Illinois have been ex.
ceptionally liberal. They have aimed to
make provision for almost every class Of
unfortunates and they want these to
have the best of care. There is no rea.
son in the world why the institutions of
this state should not be made the very
hest upon the earth. Everything is fur.
nished by the people that they could be
| asked to furnish. But notice that q
great source Of weakness in some Amer.
l lean institutions is the fact that the
management has no high conception Of
duty or principle, and. instead of looking
| only to the highest interests Of the insti.
tuition, spends its energy in seeing how
| Il can take care Of friends or how il can
make money out Of the public, and the
result Is poor discipline, inefficient serv.
ice, extravagant management and q
general lowering Of the tone Of the insti.
tuition. In this state have adopted the
policy Of requiring that all those
who I'll important places mus
b in personal sympathy with
ths administration and persoaslly inear.
ested in carrying out it policies, bul
this rule has mot been applied TO minor