The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1897-10-21
OUR State INSTITUTIONS
Henry ]. SniVely UpholdS the Course
Of the Board Of Control.
He TALKS OF NEWSPAPER INJUSTICE
A Returned kiondiker visits Yaki-
ma and Exhibits Dust and Mug
gets-Some Late News Regarding
she Local Hop situation.

| H. j. Snively, member of the state
board of control, was interviewed by a
reporter of this paper yesterday in rela.
ton to statements recently made by the
republican press in the matter of the
state institutions.
Mr.. Snively said that ct seemed hard
ly necessary for any statement to be
made In refutation of the articles lately
appearing in the republican papers, par
ticularly in the Tacoma Ledger, for the
reason that any sensible person upon
reading the articles would easily see that
they did not bear out the headlines and
imputstions contained in the editorials.
but on the contrary disproved them all.
"The board of control directed the dis
charge of some incompetents at the Med
ical Lake asylum. The old engineer, for
instance, last winter, through neglect,
allowed one OF the large boilers to ex-
plode. which caused great damage and
might have caused great loss of life a
female attendant had violently abused an
insane lady. A proper regard for the
welfare of the unfortunate inmates re-
quired the immediate discharge of such
people.
"When they were discharged coterie
Of the other employees quit instanter and
threatened to leave their posts at once
You can imagine what kind of people
they must have been to thus drop their
work, with no other help near to take
charge of the patients.
81 see that the Post Intelligencer, par
tisan as it is, editorially took sensible
view of this, and very promptly agreed
that these were not the right kind of peo-
pie to be in charge OF the insane. The
Ledger also assented to this edltorally a
few days after it had misstated the facts
under glazing head lines.
'ln relation to Mr.. Catron holding
out $40 1000. that is absolutely false. The
legislature a number of years ago pro-
vided permanent fund, which was to be
used to purchase jute and coal to run
the jute mill. This was done to protect
the farmers OF eastern Washington
against the jute bag trust. The law pro-
vides that any surplus from this fund
shall be paid into the state treasury, but
inasmuch as the republican warden of
the penitentiary and the republican di-
rectors put the price of the sacks at 81 60
q hundred and then had their friends
rush in and buy them all last winter be-
fore the board Of control took the insti-
tuition out of their hands, there has been
no surplus in this fund, as the sacks
were sold at less than the cost of the
raw material but it all has been needed
to replace the jute and coal used from
time to time, and there is now no sur.
plus in this fund.
GAS to the alleged resignation of Dr.
Shaver at Steilscoom asylum, published
under glazing head lines few days ago
by the Tacoma Ledger, there is not
word OF truth in it. DR.. Shaver desired
an increase in salary. At the present
time he is getting 800 a month and be
and his family furnished pleasant home
to live in and all the Injuries of life, at
he cost OF the state, which makes his po-
siton virtually worth 5000 month.
ave found that at the Stelacoom asyl-
um there were two physici ans exclusive
OF the superintendent, who is also re-
CURED by law to be a physician. We
found upon investigation that in many
other institutions throughout the United
States one physician was required to ev-
cry 400 patients. As we have not nearly
90 many as 800 at the Steilacoom asylum.
we felt that it was an extravaganza hand.
ed down to us from the extravagant re-
publican administration to continue three
physicians at that institution, so we dis.
charged one, and we have found that we
could get plenty of competent physicians
to do the service required for the compen-
sation given DR.. Shaver; and We feel in
duty bound by the promises OF economy
made by this administration, to paw no
more for this service than it can be OBJ
tanned for in the market. The fusion
party requires from its officers, from the
lowest to the highest, the performance
OF work; we therefore believe that the
superintendent should do the work of q
physician in the asylum, and that the
law contemplstes that he should, Just as
the county auditors and county treasur-
ers shall actually take a hand in the
practical discharge OF their duties and not
throw all the work upon expensive depu-
ties. DR.. Shaver is an excellent man,
and the board will feel sorry to lose him,
but it is mistake to think he cannot be
easily replaced. We have not cut down
the wages of our humble employees.
The republicans never show their ex-
travagances in the payment Of high sal
aries to subordinates. therefore we have
not found any complaint in the wages of
subordinates; but we have cut all OF the
superintendents, who in our opinion have
been paid exorbitsnt salaries. am sur
prised and pained To see az 0reat a nanar