The Russellville Democrat., 1893-02-23
TweNTY-NlNTH SESSION.

IWEN ' Y-NiNl F1 SESoiON'
 tContinued from First Page.) blind have not yet begun About it's con. dition. therefore, cannot yet speak ad- visedly.
 DEAF MUTE ASYLUM
 Investigation shows that large share of the funds appropriated for the benefit of the Deaf Mate Asylum has been going to the credit, not of charity, but of extrava- gant luxury of others then the objects of charity.
 While large sums of money have been loosely paid out for provisions and delics- cies of the table for entertainments and ornamentation and comfort of that part of the building occupied by the employees, all that part distinctly set apart for the pupils has been painfully wanting in the common est comforts A member of the board in- forms me that he dropped in one evening while the pupils were at their sup per, and their were noother food upon their table other than bread and butter Hnd tea. Another member informs me that he was called upon by the present superin- tendent to visit this part of the building the basement-for the purpose of calling his attention to the need of greater com forts for the pupils, and he found one tin oasin for the boys, one tin basin for the girls, and only two bath tubs for one hun dred and thirty eight pupils The present superintendent admits that three or four girls would be compelled to bathe in the same tub and the same water, in order to get through in time.
 The gentlemen who compose the board of trustees of this institution are men whose integrity and honor no man who knows them will question.
 Why, then, could such condition exist under such boardf And how is it to be avoided in futuref
 LUNATIc ASYLUM.
 Investigation of the affairs of the lunatie asylum dise.oses an exceedingly loose management.
 In their recent biennial report the board declared the shortage of $. H. Buchanan to be five thousand and eighty. three ($5, ,0S3 40) dollars and forty cents, but in the second and revised report just sent in since this investigation begun, they de clare his shortage to be nine thousand six hundred and thirty six ($9, ,636. 10) dollars and ten cents But to this the expert who got up this revised report admits that there must be added according to Buchanan . books, nine hundred and twenty five ($925.10) dollars and ten cents, and possi- bly, siA hundred ($600) dollars in addition for moneys received by Buchanan from pay patients, and which he has simply embez zled, thus bringing his shortage up tc about twelve thousand {$l2, ,000) dollars How much more on account of pay patients ]. if seems diffieult to asceItain The investigation shows that s. H. Buchanan began six or seven years since 6 ! systematic plan of embedding the charity funds intrusted to his care, and that hs was enabled to hide his embezzlemeni partly because of the implicit conf enc. the board had in his honor and partly be cause having been both secretary and treasurer of the institution, he was en abled to make his books show a falsehood upon their face, but chiefly because the board failed to properly audit his transac. tions.
 But the most disagreeable feature of the ! affair is the fact that the board failed te take bond, as required by law, from him during his last term, and that it is pre-. cisely during this term that his shortage ! was upwards of six thousand ($6000) dol
 
 security, unless, indeed, the board has, by their neglect of duty, rendered themselves personally liable.
 Then there are other irregularities, bu, they are not pertinent to the purposes of this message.
 The gentlemen who constitute the board of trustees of this institution are men whose characters for honor and integrity no man will for a moment doubt. The question then arises, how or why, under such board, could such systematic em. bezzlement be so long continued and to such an extent, without detectionf And how is it to be prevented in the futurei In my judgment there are three reasons for this state of things.
 1. These boards are composed of citi- zens of Little Rock who have so much bus mess of their own, and whose time is go valuable, that they can give the affairs of these institutions but cursory attention, they accordingly rely too implicitly upon the honor of such men as Buchanan.
 ?. Buchanan having been both treas urer and secretary, and the board beinS too busy with their own affairs to audit his accounts properly, was enabled to make his books put on an honest face. ,. IT the same men had consti tituted. the board for all these institutions compari. son of the conduct of them all would have led, by their contrast of methods, to de- tection of the defects as well as of the ex- cellence of each.
 Accordingly, would respectfully recom- mend, by way of remedy, that the boards of all these institutions be consolidated, not only on he interest of efficiency, but of economy. This would give five trustees, instead of fifteen, one secretary instead et three, and one purchasing agent, instead of three, who, by purchasing at wholesale, can buy more cheaply. A majority of this board should be composed of citizens re- siding outside of the city of Little Rock, so that when they come to attend meeting of the board they will have no other busi- ness but this to engage their attention, and who coming, too, from those regions of the state where the tax crops are produced, will be more keenly alive to the interest of the tax payer.
 would suggest as 8 further precaution against a recurrence of the present eondi- ton that the state treasurer be treasurer for all the institutions and that expenses, and five ($5) dollars per day, be paid the members of the board while in attendance upon their meetings, to the end that it be made their interest to do their work thor oughly.
 CURsoRY WORK OF THE GOVERNOR.
 I cannot refrain from adding that there have been imposed upon the governor so many merely clerical duties which could be better performed by any expert accountant that he can necessarily give many of his more important duties merely cursory at tention, and if is just from just such cur sorry attention tha. there have originated, and win continue to originate, 80 many ir- regularities, which shock the taxpayer and disgrace our state. Indeed. sections 6094 aud 6I00 of Mansfeld's s Digest impose upon the governor duties of looking after the details of t
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