The Cape Girardeau Democrat., 1895-02-09
MISSOURI INSTITUTIONS.
The Committee Appointed to
Investigate Them Reports.
With the Exception of the School or Mines
a Rolla Their Management Gem
orally Commended-SchooI
for the Blind.

The legislative committee appointed
| by the governor to examine the varl-
Gus state institutions, as required By
law, have made their report. The com
| mittcc consists of Senator Charles E.
Peers and Representative J. +. David
son (dems.i. and Maj. John l.. Bittin-
ger rep. IL organized November -,
1894. by electing Senator Peers chair
man and Robert VI. Yost. of st. Louis.
| secretary. and at once proceeded with
the investigation. The report deals
| exhaUstively with each institution eX-
anined and contains about $4,000
words.
.'Iour committee is Crat.aed." says :he re-
port. to be able 20 state that the public in
stitutionS Of Missouri are well managed.
economically conducted, and that their books
and accounts are in a satisfactory condition
From our Investigations we ind no species Of
reckleSsncsS. 40 very important in3ttention TO
duty and no miSmanagemeat anywhere.
The report says in part:
The destruction by fire of the chapel of the
state reform school for boys IT BoOnville, and
the burning Of the Southern Illinois insane
asylum at Anna. emphasizes the necessity for
some adequate protection from fire i'll all the
state institutions in Missouri. In the case OF
the reform school. your committee had tested
the tire apparatus in use and found il TO be abb
solutely iE>utiicIent for protection. and the
board OF managers was requested to strength
en- it. and We think that il made arrangements
TO do so. but IN the meantime the assembly and
dining room were burned.
At all The state institutions visited by your
committee special examinations were made
into the security or Sufticiency of the ire ap
paratuN. ana nearly all Of them were found to
DC Insufficient
Public attention is called to this matter in
this way III order that the boards having con-
troll Of the institutions may at once remedy the
evil. All of our Institutions carry AN amount
of insurance. but not une-haf of them are in
surcd for oHe-baif their actual value. and in
more Instances for not even onc-tOuTth. Boards
complain that the Insurance rates are now SO
high that Il requires an effort 10 insure for any
reasonable amount. and are discussing To what
extent they may go IL The matter This queS-
tlon is open one but i'll the meantime ade-
qUatc protection from lire would be the best
substitute lor insurance.
ST. LOUIS INSANE ASYLUM.
For many years the insane Of the city of st.
Louis have been cared for entirely by the city.
and for that purpose il maintains splendid
asylum. thoroughly equipped ami well-man-
aged. which together with the pOOrhouSe now
contain about LOO unforiunatcs. In 1877 an
appeal was made by citizens OF ST. Louis to
their representatives in the general assembly
for an appropriation b. the state to assist in
the maintenance Of state patients IN the city
asylum, An appropriation was made and the
sum o. $4,000 was vetoed by Gov. Phelps
upon the ground that the city asylum
was not q state Institution. and that
under the provisions OF the constitution
a ..n1ll1 no
peal was renewed after four years, and an ap-
preparation again made and the ASYLUM has
since been more or less regularly in receipt of
state aid. The legislature of two years ago
voted $4,000. but the question of applying the
sum to city institution again arose. and the
matter went from the auditors ONCE to the
supreme court. which court decided that the
appropriation should be paid, iuasmuch As
the distinct declaration appeared in the ap-
preparation bill taat the amount was for the
maintenance Of state patients in said institU-
tiOn.
The state of Missouri haS no proprietary in
tereSt whatever in thc city insane asylum. but
the fact OF its receiving state aid warranted
your committee in accepting = very cor
dial invitation received from Dr. George
HOman. health commissioner Of st. Louis.
TO visit and investigate the asylum in
the same manner il had visited
and investigated the other state institutions
The committee was received BY DIR. Muller. the
Observation-Disclosures through the building,
and given access to all the books and papers
Your committee was well pleased with the
management. and believe that the money of
the state has been economically expended.
The chief inquiry TO which We directed our at
tention WAS the entertainment Uf the number
Of state patients residence unknown, now con-
tined in the city insane asylum.
Together with DR.. Muller we examined the
last 20 patients. and Of Lnat number II we're
found to have been nOn-reSldentS of the city;
and the homes Of 10 OF these are known to the
city authorities.
Adjoining the asylum is the city poOrhouSe.
in which from go TO 100 insane patients are con-
fined In company with the superintendent
your committee investigated the history of 3S9
OF the patients last received. from June -,
1891, to December 20 1874, and ind that Of
them were nOn-residcuts ana that the homes
OF 3 Of these are known.
Your committee does not deem it within its
province to do more than report the facts to
the legislature, leaving the matter entirely
with this body for consideration.
SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND.
Your committee are convinced that the Mis-
souri, school for the blind should dispose of its
present property and remove TO 4 more eligible
location. During the forty years of its exist
GuCt 1T NlHcltGulu anu Morgan streets the city
has grown around and beyond it so rapidly that
il is now in the midst of trade and traffic. of
noise, and hustle and confusion. and is sur
rounded on three sides by lines Of electric !
while the fourth side street SuStains
the heavy traffic driven from the other streets !
by the electric roads. Moreover. the neigh |
borhood is undesirable, ineligible and alto
gether unsuited to the purpose of public in |
Stitution OF this character. Two efforts have !
been previously made by trustees to procure |
from the general assembly for a |
change of location, but for some unaccounia able 1
reason they failed The present effort Should |
not be permitted to fail-at least from lack Of I
attention-becauSe the necessity is somewhat |
urgent, and it is good business policy on the |
part of the state to look after its property with
the same aSsiduity that a private citizen does. /
The board OF trustees are OF the opinion that !
in the present depressed condition Of the real 1
estate market the property would bring about 1
sI20, 900. but the prospects are that with the 1
opening OF spring there will come an activity /
and demand which will develOpa sale 1T proba- 4
bly, $4,000 In the meantime an option should .
be secured upon some eligible site in the sub /
urbs, where values are rapidly advancing and .
will continue to advance for some years TO .
come, in order that the state Inay not eventu- 1
ally be compelled to pay GXtravagant price
for real estate. which can now be bought at 1
reasonable figure. II is the opinion of the /
board OF trustees ~ at an eligible site of about
four acres can be h,,1 and -uitable building (
erected thereon fol $4,000, which would be /
covered by the sum expected to be obtained by .
the sale of the preSenl holdings
Iror these reasons and for these facts YOUR