Omaha daily bee., 1900-01-29

am led. however. to remark that the com
mittoo could consider and recommend the
character. cost aud style of buildings which
would be most economical ana best adapted
to the purposes OF these several institutions.
have lonc entertained the opinion tnat uu-
less a public building is intended for orna-
ment as well as utility, or as q kind OF
memorial structure brick buildings, plain in
design and substantial in architecture,
should always be preferred TO stone. They
would be far cheaper. and, unless great care
is taken in the selection or stone. much
more enduring. ] have hintel at the pos
siblc advantages of this committee. Should
these suggestions be deemed worthy Of con-
sideration the details of its organization
must be mdturei by the general assembly,
Thus was made the first recommendation
toward a board which should have any sor;
OF supervision over all the institutions. The
plan haa already been tried in some Of the
other states. and Is believed to be yet 10
vogue wherever it has been adopted The
proposed board OF charities was, it
will b. noted, TO be only an
advisory body. which Il was eN
pected would not only make suitable sug-
gcstons to the governing boards. but would
so inform itself as to the needs Of the scy-
eral institutions as to be able TO make in
ltllktud Recommendations 10 inc BtNfl az
assembly such as that body would be likely
to heed. Senator'S Elias Jessup OF Hardin
and John : Woolson of Henry each intro
duced bills to carry out this recommends
tion. These bills were consolidated into
one which passed the senate 80 to IS but
no action was taken in the house.
Governor Newbold who acted as gov
ernor after the retirement of Governor Kirk
wood to enter the United States senate, made
like recommendation to the Seventeenth
general assembly, as follows
The visiting committee continues its
quiet but effective supervision. and during
the last year has had occasion to do impor
tant service in clearing one of the hos
pitfalls from some very unjust but widely
believed charges of the gravest character
involving If true the grossest turpitude on
the part of those connected with the inst
tuition. The good effect of this committees
labors, in rectfying improprietes, alay
ing unfounded suspicious and inspiring de-
served confidence in the management OF
our hospitals, induces me to recommend that
its jurisdiction be extended to all the be-
neyolent and reformatory institutions, or
that a board be created for that purpose. "
Radical Reforms Needed.
In January, 1875 Hon. John H. Gear be-
came governor. Ihat statesman lifetime
habit of acute observation led him, after
visiting some of the institutions, to believe
that something more radical was needed
than the creation of a new supervisory
board and it was not long before he in
terested the members of the general as
sembly in the project. Meantime, however
a special committee had been appointed to
consider Governor Newbolds recommended
tion, which committee, through it's chair
man, Hon. Gamaliel JaQua of Tama county
presented. February %, a bill "to create q
state board of charities" On the 2Oth Of
! March the bill was taken up and referred
! to a special committee, on which, besides
Hon. Thomas Updegraif of Clayton as chair>
man, and Mr.. Jaqua, were Hon Norman
B. Holbrook of Iowa, Hon. John H. King
of Hampton and Hon. Smith II. Mallory of
Lucas. This committee on the following
| day reported a substitute in which were
! embodied the ideas of Governor Gear on the
/ subject. 1t established a board of man
ayers, consisting of three persons, to be
appointed by the governor and the executive
| council which board were to have super
vision of all the states institutions, ex>
cept the university, the penitentiaries and
the reform school. Each manager was to
have a salary of $1,500 year, which amount
! the house repeatedly refused to change. al
though repeated attempts were made both
to raise and to lower it. The bill was
amended before it passed so as to place
board The bill passed the house the same
no party issue raised on the bill is seen