The record-union., 1894-04-26

The amount of money, in gold coin,
paid to attaches of the Legislature at its
last session exceeded the aggregated sal
aries of all the members of the two
houses. One-fourth the number, with
correspondingly less pay per diem, would
have been all that was necessary. But,
then, 1.-The boys must have chance"
Has there existed, or does there exist,
any reason or even plausible excuse for
these eXtravagant expenditures and APP
preparations?
The State has five insane asylums,
when three, enlarged as necessity there
Tor might require, are ample for all our
insane. 1t is an open secret that the in
StltuuOnS at Uklah and San Bernardino
were the products of log-rolling COM
bination, regardless of the increased bur-
den thereby saddled upon the CALLED
backs Of the taxpayers who are obliged
10 foot the bills consequent upon the con-
struction and maintenance Of these
supernumerary institutions.
Our Legislature recently established
two additional retormatories for juvenile
otfenders-one at lone in Amador County
and the other at w hitler in Los Angeles
County-both OF which the well-informed
on the subject declare to be unnecessary.
To officer these institutions cost annually
large sum OF money, the last named OF
these about $4,000 a year; and the cost
appears.
from the bills presented TO the proper
State Board for allowance, to be fright
fully large.
The State has at Glen Ellen, in Sonoma
County, an institution for the support and
instruction of feeble-minded children.
the number of whom is about 300, with
additions as time goes on. 1t is believed
by some informed in relation to the mat
ter that there are many children in this
ic
reason to believe there are parents base
enough to cause their children to be cared
Tor by the State, in order TO save them
selves the expense Of supporting them at
home, thus publishing themselves the
parents OF feeble-minded children, and
thus disgracing their offspring by brand
ing them for life as weak -minded-as
naturally non compos mentis. This is a
subject worthy the attention of our socie-
ties for the prevention of cruelty to chill
0ren. II California, with population OF
only about l,600.00O, has within its bor-
derS sufficient numbe OF insane per-
sons to fill up five insane asylums, and il
the Glen Ellen institution cares for 300
or more feeble-minded children properly
there, then the sane people of the State
ought never again TO boast of our
GLORIOUS climate" If such be the in
fluence of our salubrious sunshine, the
State might rather be stunned than
sought as permanent home.
WHY NOT PRACTICE ECONOMY?
In many, and perhaps in most of the
States of the Union, prisons are so man
aged and prisoners SO employed as to
make such institutions self-supportine,
or nearly so. Why not make ours so :?
Here in California our taxpayers are
called upon and required to contribute
$4,000 a year for the maintenance OF
comfortable prison boarding houses for
the accommodation of class who, above
all others, should be compelled to sup
port themselves.
This State has military organization
consisting OF sixty-five companies, called
the National Guard-a name that would
seem to indicate it to be for the defense of
the nation, though it is in fact State in
stitution, costing the taxpayers SIG. $50 a
year. OF what use has this military body
of men ever been to the State or The neo-
pie thereof that would not have been as
well rendered by one-quarter the number
OF the companies of brave men now in