St. Paul daily globe., 1895-03-16
ditions of the specifications, which re-
quired bond in the penal sum of sl5,-
900 to accompany each bid
WILL HAVE TO CLOSE.
Gov. AIIin, of North Dakota, Talks
of State Institutions.

Gov. AIIin, of North Dakota, Talks
of State Institutions.
Gov. Allin. of North Dakota, will
doubtless veto the majority of appro-
priations embraced in the general bill
passed by the last session of the legis-
lature. This action upon the part of
the governor will necessitate some
thing which is almost without prece-
dent in the history of Western COM
monwealths-thec closing Of most Of the
state institutions. The information
that Gov. Allin will veto these ap-
propriations comes through George b.
Winship, proprietor of the Grand
Forks Herald Mr.. Winship arrived in
Minneapolis yesterday morning and
registered at the Nicollet. He is Ell
route to Grand Forks, after a weeks
visit to Bismarck. Mr.. Winship is a
personal friend of Gov. Allin, and he
spent good deal of time in the gov
ernor's presence, discussing the situa-
ton. The condition of affairs so far as
the states finances are concerned, is
an exceedingly unpleasant one, but his
eXcellency proposes to take the bull by
the horns, with the hope of getting his
state out of the dilemma. One of the
many things which were the outcome
of the constitutional convention of 1881
was the limit placed on the states in
debtedness. The bonded Indebtedness
of the state is about S550,000. The limit
placed on the state debt was inde-
pendent of this bonded Indebtedness, of
course. The income of the state from
taxation, railroads, etc, when every
thing is paid amounts to $3.50, coo. TO
run the state-the legislature courts,
etc.-takes about $160,000. This would
leave $188,000 for appropriations. To
run the penitentiary at jamestown the
next two years it will require $50, 900,
while the insane asylum will require
$13S,O00. This, it will be seen, is suffi-
cient to take the balance left in the
treasury after the expenses of the leg
islature, courts, etc., have been paid.
Not a dollar is left for the state uni
verSity, normal schools and other in
stitutions. The institutions which will
have to close their doors if Gov. Aliin
Vetoes the appropriations, will be as
follows:
State university at Grand Forks, nor
NAL schools at Valley City and May
vile, soldiers home at Bismarck, insti-
tute for deaf and dumb at Devils
Lake, reform school at Mandan, school
for weak-minded at Grafton and asy-
lum for the blind a Bathgate.
Mr.. Winship talks interestingly of
the peculiar condition of things in his
state. He says:
I'VE are in sad financial plight, I
agree, but the only way out of it is to
cut off the appropriations. This, 1 am
sure, the governor will do. We have
SO many institutions that they are i'm
poverishing the state. This multi
plicity if institutions is one of the
legacies from the constitutional con-
vention Of four years ago. Gov. Allin
has ten days more in which to con-
slider the bills now In his hands. This
state of affairs is the outgrowth of a
miserable political deal. The Popu-
lists turned over the state last fall,
with deficit of $150,000. The governor
will probably knock out all items in
the appropriation bill so far as state
penitentiary and insane asylum. The
governor is good, safe man,
and in his proposition to straighten out
our great trouble, he is backed by the
property owners of the state. ire
spective of political faith. To protect
the good name of the state this ap-
parently extreme action has to be
taken. When the state was divided,
the constitutional convention for North
Dakota was held. Every locality
wanted something, and there was an
army of politicians who wanted favors
for themselves, friends and localities.
The result was that many uncalled for
nd n oeyiy, liy,o
made. We got more state institutions
han there was any excuse for, and
good, fat jobs were created. It is
proposed to hold another constitution
al convention. The idea is to consol1>
date the institutions and do away with
superfiuous officers. Gov. Allin will
make a good record. He handled the
state legislature in good shape. The
closing of these institutions is not as
disastrous as might be expected. The
discontinuance Of the state university,
with its average attendance of 160, will
be somewhat unpleasant, but it would
be Impossible to discriminate under the
circumstances. The closing of the tive
normal schools will not be a hardship,
excepting on the faculty. The attend
ance at these schools is limited. 1t is
made up mainly of people from the
Minnesota vicinity of the schools, and
they can therefore very properly be
called local schools. The attendance
in some of the institutions which will
be closed is so small, comparatively,
that the state would save money by
sending the inmates to some other
state for care and treatment. The
proposition for new constitutional
convention will be submitted to the
people a year from next fall. The
legislature just adjourned has been
an exceptionally good one-the best,
think, in the history of the state. 1t
was a truly representative body, care
full and cautious, and kept back vicious
legislation. North Dakota is all right.
We are poor, the same as they are all
over the country now, but things will
be in good shape in few years. And
Gov. Allin is helping out very nicely"