The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1895-01-12

The 5000 recommended increase in the ordi-
nary expenditures is due to the growth OF tho
institution. The items for which the extraor-
binary appropriation is recommended are Is
follows: New cottage for girls, $4,000; furnish
ing and heating same. $500, fruit trees. 500
The amount recommended would increase the
total appropriation over the last by $4,000
The new building Is absolutely and Immediate
~ necessary IL the work Is TO be continued and
the institution made adequate TO meet the de-
mands upon 1t. For some months past tho
home has been oyercrowded. the number now
reStrainedthere being sixty-three. There Is no
room for a single additional inmate. Girls en-
titled to the Dement'S and privileges Of tho
school are constantly being denied entrance
thereto because OF utter inability to accommo-
date them.
The school IS accomplishing q great work in
helping hayward and homeless children along
the rough paths they are obliged to tread. This
institution was also established by an act
passed IN 1887. II has been in active operation
about five years, and during that time fifteen
girls have been discharged therefrom. Two OF
these remained at the home only a few days.
and were then returned to their respective
counties aS wholly unfit subjects for admis-
sion OF the remaining thirteen who have been
dismissed, only one is known to have turned
out badly, although all trace has been lost OF
two others. They have disappeared and MOTH
ing is known of them. Nine out OF the remain
ing ten are doing well, and the other one is now
reported as doing moderately we'll Seven OF
thLSe discharged have since married. and tho
others are honestly employed.
PENITENTIARY.
The penitentiary is perhaps the most DIM
cult Of all the state institutions to manage,
and furnishes more PerplexinS problems for
solution than any other. Warden Pace has
been obliged to confront obstacles OF the most
harassing description. which have required the
greatest care and prudence and the most ex-
cumstanceS he has every reason TO congratu-
late himself upon what, In justice to him. I
ministration. The condition Of the prison
when he received IL was such that he was COM
peeled TO expend $4,000 in making repairs. the
necessity for which had existed for some time
and could not be longer delayed. For the first
half of 1898, the receipts of the prison for labor
employed under contract made the institution
came the panic, which has been so pro-
longed and disastrous The men working IN
der contract were employed by COM
panies engaged in different lines Of
manufacture. Each company doing business
NJ the prison is under contract TO employ a
minimum number. During the first six months
OF Warden PAGES administration the shops
were run at their full capacity. The contracts
then called for l,Wo men, but nearly every
contractor had n lumber of extra men ut work.
At one time during that period the number Of
men employed in the shops was 1902 which
was Ia in excess of the requirements Of the
contracts.
But the prison manufacturers were affected
by the panic IN the same wav as those on the
outside. They found 1t necessary to curtail
the limits of their operations. To such an ex-
tent did this go that the number Of men actual
IL worked by the contractors fell OF from I .e0a
to SIS during the fall of 1893. which was 3l4 m
less than the minimum covered by the con-
tracts. 1t often happened during August, and
subsequent months in 1898. and the earlier
months Of 1884, that scores OF men being paid for
by the contractors were lying idle in their cells.
When the men employed in excess OF the con-
tracts were laid OF, the loss fell upon the insti-
tuition: when men contracted for were left In
their cells, the loss fell upon the contractors.
The direct and palpable effect of the panic on
the penitentiary was to decrease the receipts
from s55 to 800 per day. In addition to that. as
il that were not enough, the inmates of the
prison increased with astonishing rapidity.
This increasing number OF admissions became
noticeable during the fall months OF 1898. and
has continued almost without intermission
ever since The number of convicts at the PEN
~itentiary on January !, 1898. was l.6S.. 1t had
grown to 1867 on January |, ! 1891. and to 2. i7S on
December 81 OF that year. In these two years
the number OF convtcts has increased % per
cent.
But in spite Of decrease on the one hand.
and increase in RESPONSIBILITIES on the other
both Of which % contingencies were
wholly beyond the control Of the warden-he
has managed the institution with such remark
ably good Judgment and skill as to make 1t al
most self-sustaining. During the last two
years the penitentiary has cost the taxpayers
S25, 10. - for maintenance, exclusive Of con-
struction and repairs But the warden reports
si6l66i that were paid for out Of this sum so
expended for maintenance Subtract the cost
Of these supplies from the s2o,We.2s drawn
from the treasury for maintenance. and the
actual expense to the tax payers for this pur-
pose during the last two years will be SCI
O2.6s. During the two previous years. 1912.
management of Warden Morrison. the
sum OF $3.50. also exclusive OF repairs. etc.
was drawn from the treasury for like support.
although the prison then contained nearly 500
fewer convicts than now; while for the first
two years of Mr.. Morrison's administration,
IsSo-90, the sum Of sD.3S, exclusive OF repairs,
was drawn from the treasury for the support az
the prison: that is. the expenses incurred for
clothing. food. salaries. etc. exoseded the
earnings by that amount. And these most
pratifying results have been Accomplished
without any diminution in the suficiency or
quality Of the food and clothing furnished the
conyicts. and without any detriment to the
sanitary conditions OF the prison: but. on the
contrary, the high standard OF the Institution
in these particulars has been not only upheld
but advanced.
During the last two years extensive and
valuable additions have been made to the
penitentiary. The most important OF these Is
the new power plant. The power-house is one
of the most complete establishments of the
kind in the state. The new boiler plant located
therein can supply sufficient power to operate
all the machinery in all the establishments OF
the penitentIary. A slaughter-house. COM
plete in its appointments and ample for the
uses Of the prison, has been erected. : third
story has been added to one of the buildings
thereby adding q new shop 6Ox1s0 fees in
dimensions. In addition thereto other extC=-
sive improvements and repairs have been made
to the buildings, machinery. etc. The ngVre-
gate actural cost in money for the improve
ments made amounts to S0,5S9.d. which were
expended for machinery, hardware. cement.
lumber, and the like. All other material used
and the labor employed were furnished by the
institution itself.
An appropriation of 5000 was made by the
last general assembly for the purpose OF pur-
chasing a body OF land adjoining the prison,
containing about forty acres, and known as
the Minor track The property was obtained
Pnd has been conveyed to the state at a cost OF
1900. This will be q valuable addition to the
penitentiary. anording opportunity to enlarge
the prison quarries, while the ground can be
used in producing vegetables for consumption.
thereby saving q large expense on that &C.
count.
CONCLUSION
The governor recommends IN increase OF
shop room at the penftentiary. q laundry,
storehouse and hospital. for which he recon-
mends an appropriation OF S0O.000 He also rec
ommends a board Of pardons. an electric light
plant for the penitentiary, which he believes
will cost 5000. He urges that a statue Of
Thomas H. Benton be placed in statuary hall.
in the national capitol. in the space reserved
for Missouri. He also says that he will doubt
less send other messages to the legislature IN
the near future pertaining to state Affairs.
Another big whaleback steamer for
ocean traffic is soon to be butt at
Everett, Wash, where the largest ves-
sci of the kind aioat was launched a