The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-06-28
THE GOVERNOR AND THE STATE
INSTITUTIONS.

Governor Mounts recent shaking up of
the state institutions-if judicious scru-
tiny of administrative expenses and meth
DDS can be so called-has had some good
results. and will have more. Unfortunately,
owing to the distorted and exaggerated
statements of some newspapers and to the
reprehensible conduct of some correspond
ents in attributing to the Governor views
which he never expressed and language he
did not use, the scope and nature of his ac-
ton has been misunderstood. These erro-
neous statements have created the impress
sion that the Governor had discovered, or
thought he had discovered, or that he be-
lieved there existed in the management OF
the institutions general system of extrav-
agance, abuses and looseness of administra-
ton verging on corruption, and that he was
going to adopt herioc measures to break it
up Nothing could be further from the
truth than this. The Governor has never
said nor intimated that he believed such
condition existed. He has never expressed
nor intimated a doubt of the strict integrity
of the managers of the institutions. He has
never uttered nor authorized the publica-
ton of a word that would imply belief or
suspicion that there was the slightest cor
ruption or crookedness in the management
of a single one of the institutions. All that
he has said or done has been for the pur-
pose of promoting an investigation of the
administrative methods and expenses of the
institutions with view of bringing about
such improvements in methods or such re-
duction of expenses as could be made with
out impairing their efficiency or usefulness.
AS the chief executive of the State this is
the duty of every Governor. Each new in
cumbent of the office should make It an
early duty to investigate the organization,
administration, business methods and ac
counts of the state institutions in order to
satisfy himself if there is any room for the
retrenchment of expenses or for improve
ment or reform in any respect. Once in
four years is not too often to put such an
inquiry on foot. There is a natural ten
dency on the part of those charged with
the MANAGEMENT of public institutions and
the disbursing of public money to be more
free and lavish than they would be in the
conduct of private affairs, and little abuses
in administration are apt to develop into
chronic evils These tendencies should be
guarded against, and every Governor should
make it his business to ascertain whether
they are operating or not, and, if they are,
to check them. This was the purpose of
Governor Mounts action, and it was the
more timely because no other Governor in
recent years has given any particular at
tention to the administrative methods or
expenses of the institutions. The state
ment which has been widely disseminated
that the Governor had discovered or that
he suspected the existence of gross extrav-
agance or corruption in the management of
the institutions put him in false position,
and was unjust to the management of the
institutions and injurious to the State He
did not claim to have actually discovered
any extravaganza, nor to have the slightest
ground for suspecting corruption. He sim
ply wished to emphasize the necessity for
rigid economy in the management of the
state Institutions and to have joint in
vestigation by the managers and himself
with a view of ascertaining if expenses
could be reduced or administrative methods
improved.
AS already stated. the Governors action
has had some good results and will have
more The managers of two or three of