Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1898-12-15

they visited the penal or other institu-
tions the result was that the saperin-
tendents were not able to give the
committee any attention or informa-
ton, but had to spend his time in feed
ing and entertaining the big band of
guests. Also, the large committee had
the effect in the penal institutions of
doing away With discipline for some
weeks, and in the insane asylums of
disturbing the inmates and keep ing
them so for several DAYS. The plan
was unintentionally cruel. the effect,
toe. on the legislature was demoraliz-
ing, and many times the legislature
would have to adjourn on account of
not having quorum. The expense
of keeping the legislature thus in ses-
sion for six days or SO without doing
auy work for the state was to expend
uselessly ooout $l2, 900 of the
states money. TIE present plan
costs but about 81, 800. ali
told. and Is more effect
i've in ev, ~ wy. The consensus Of
orinion among the members of the
legisl .tures and among the superin-
tendents of fenal and other state in
stitutions is that no definite informa-
ton WAS carried away under the old
plan. and the present law was passed
without opposition. The new commit
tee is not to spend more than thirty
days in its investigation. It is to as
certain the needs of the Institutions,
together with the condition of each,
and the committee feel that if the
large financial interests can be safely
trusted to one man as bank examiner !,
surely the interests of the state in II Q
penal and other institutions can be
safely entrusted to the three men from
the state Legislature. The committee
is unit in believing that the fact that
representatives OF the institutions have
been compelled to lobby and trade off
in order to get through their appro-
priaticns, has given rise to suspicion
that the appropriations were too large
and extravagant. We wish to correct
any such idea. On the contrary, SO
far as we may be able to discover, the
methods of purchasing supplies (by
competitive bids, and of book-keep-
ing, which compare favorably with the
methods employed in the national
banking system, the institutions are
economically and wisely taken
care Of, and we are glad to say that
the ccliber and ability Of the men in
charge, superintendents. etc., so far
as we have visited, is far above the
average. We have discovered con-
siderable efforts on their parts to care
for the inmates and to discharge their
obligations to the state. The method
employed by the committee is to send
to the superintendent of each institu-
ton, several weeks in advance, set
of interrogatoTies SO that he will be
ready for the coming Of the commit
tee. <rsy kno wing what the. past ap-
rropfiation has been and by seeing in
itemized statements what disposition
had been made of that appropriation, 1,
there is little difficulty in concluding
that the institution will at least have
to have as large an appropriation as it
had before. The committee asks the
management of such institutions to
have ready for the inspection of the
committees. whenever possible, plans
and specifications together with bids for
any new building deemed by the man.
aAemenr to be necessary. Nearly
every superintendent visited so far
has been ready with his report
when the committee arrived. There
fore we are enabled to do in one day
what could not have done in week
before, under the system of coming