The Press., 1895-05-09

Hartford COurant: Governor Coffin deserves the thanks of the state for his vigilance in stopping the bill for the Whip pie school and in uneartbing the discred- itable condition of things that is here- with described. This is one of numer- ous evidences of the watchfulness with which he scrutinizes all measures that call for his approval.
 The Whipple school seems to have found an exceedingly easy way to thrive. The names of pupils have been sent up year by year and the money for their education has been collected from the state, no one questioning or auditing the account, while all the while the pupils" themselves were on the p~y-rolls of mills earning their livelihood and taking care of them selves.
 It remains to be seen what will be done by the legislature or the state's attorney for New London county, but it Is safe to assume that there will be an investigation and an adjustment of accounts.
 ' About the first of March Governor Coffin received for his approval the schools bill for six months. The governor, following his established rule, decided to know what it was before he approved 1t. He found there was no record of any one having audited it's accounts for the G5Ite and no proof but the bill of the presence there of the scholars He sent careful man to the school and the visitor found 26 schol- ars present, against 37 on the payroll of the half-year just closed. Inquiry for the missing eleven drew out replies that | seemed satisfactory as to to four, but left seven to be accounted for. The managers of the school, however, insisted that these seven were only temporarily detained at home and would soon be back. They were sick, or there was sickness in the families. Singularly enough @ day or two after this official visit made by rep resentative of the governor, Governor Coffin began to receive letters from the parents of the missing children, extolling the Whipple school, explaining their own bitter need of education, and saying that the (missing) child, was now detained but would soon be sent back to complete the education so much needed. These seemed to fit in pretty close with the investiga- | tion. But they did not meet the situation sufficiently to satisfy the governor, so he had some of the children looked up. Among these was Rosanna Sarasin of | Danielsonville. Investigation of the bills on file showed that Rosanna had been in the school for many years and every six months the state had paid $97 for her education. Investigation at Danielson- vile, however, in the Quinebaug mill, shows by it's payroll that Rosanna Sara sin, they call her Rosanna Buckwheat there, has been at work since November, 1889, and in all that period, something like five and half years, she has only been absent ten weeks and two days, or say two weeks in each year. Still she was paid for by the state for each school year at Mystic for that period. The mon- ey paid out for her while she has been earning her own way has therefore been abont $962.50
 | Mabel Allen of Willimantic has worked in mill there since October 16, 1889. She has been absent not more than month in all, and is good worker. She has been nearly six years at steady em- ployment in the mill but has just moved with her family to Rhode Island. She has been on the school roll all this time, and Connecticut has paid out about $962.- 50 for her. It Is reported from Williman- tic that since Governor Coffin began mak- ing his searching inquiry, the manager of | the school, Mrs. Hammond, has been to Willimantic and urgently invited Mabel to come and .tvisit her" at the school in Mystic.
 Other cases are now in the works, but these two seem so complete and conclu- sive that they fully justified the governor in withholding all payments under the bill and in pushing the other inquiries along until he shall find whether the state owes the school or the school owes the state
 Already over payments of nearly $2,000 | appear