The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1900-10-05
Commissioner Summer Says
That Is What the Secretary
of Charities is.
STATE BOARD Is IGNORED.
Infirmary Cottage Will Be Constructed
Despite Failure to Approve.
PROSECUTOR QUOTES THE LAW

In which 1t IL Shown Joint Board Has
q Right to Procsed-sscrstary Byers
Says He Can Do Nothing
Some of the Details of
the Plans.
The Stark county board Of commits
sioners and the Stark county infirmary
directors held joint session Wednes-
day and came to the conclusion that
they knew as much about the wants OF
Stark county as did the board Of char
ities, and concluded to ignore the state
board entirely. The plans drawn by
Architect Tilden, Of Canton, for the In
firmary cottage that 1t Is intended to
erect, were accepted by the board and
advertisements for bids for the foun-
daton will be ordered at an early date.
It will be recalled that the county
commissioners. in company with Archi-
tect Tilden, visited Columbus and sub
mitted their plans to Secretary Byers.
Later he rejected them. Now the board
has decided to go ahead anyhow.
Speaking Of the matter, Commissioner
J. B. Summer said to News-Demo-
crat man:
"At our meeting Wednesday, Mr..
Howenstine, Of the inirmary board,
presided and I was chosen secretary.
The members discussed all Of the fea-
lures Of the situation and called in
Prosecuting Attorney Day to give US
the law in the case. We were of the
opinion that the law read that when q
matter Of this kind was contemplated
the plans should be submitted to the
state board Of charities for CRITICISM
and suggestion We found that the
law had been revised-at whose in
stance we can readily surmise--so that
it read for suggestion and approval
But Prosecutor Day pointed out that
there was no penalty attached II such
were not done and 1t didn't say that we
should not go ahead whether the plan
was approved by the state board or not,
so we are going ahead with the work.
BYERs THE WHOLE THING.
"And want to say a word about that
state board. We wrote to the secretary
of the board and asked him when we
could meet with the board. He wrote
us and named date. We went to Co
lumbus, expecting to meet the entire
board, or at least quorum, but there
wasn't anybody there but Secretary
Byers. We told our story and submit
ted our plans to him. He offered no
explanation about the absence Of the
other members and left me, at least,
with the impression that he thought
he was the whole board. Some days
afterward, we got word that the
board had failed to approve the plans.
and this letter called for or 4 private
bedrooms and we wanted 12. His let
ter also called for three dormitories,
where we had six. That was all the
difference in the plans. Nothing that
was suggested would have diminished
the cost, and we think we know what
the county wants better than he does.
We have no evidence that he ever SUBJ
mitted the plans to the board at all.
ITO HOLD US UP"
1T guess we didn't approach this fell
low Byers properly. 1t looks to me as
II he was just trying to hold the COM
missioners of Stark county up, and you
may say that as coming from me.
"Our plan is to go ahead with the
construction Of the building we have
arranged to erect. 1t will be for the
exclusive use Of women. 1t is a well
known fact that the old wooden dormi-
tory out there isn't fit for the habita-
ton of human beings, and we propose
to rectify that condition and remove
that blot on the name Of Stark county.
1--WE are not going to sell any bonds.
or run the county into debt. We have
enough money on hand to construct the
foundation, and we will advertise for
bids for that at once. In December we
will have enough money to go ahead
with the building. We will complete
the foundation this fall and the build
ing proper next spring.
for the insane, and have q first class
boiler house. We will build the
women's building next year, the mems
building the following year and an ad-
ministration building the following year
That will complete one Of the best in
firmaries in the state, on the cottage
plan. which is approved everywhere,
and Stark county need no longer blush
with shame In contemplating her treat
ment OF the INDECENT poor.
''The people will hold us responsible
for what Is done, and we propose to
build the buildings to suit the needs Of
the county, whether the state board
likes It or not"
BYERS DOESN'T COMPLAIN.