The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-09-12

| tendent OF State Prisons directly under
| his thumb, the Governor-C Chairman pro
ceeded to carry out the next step In his
| plan, which, as has been said was to secure
the: abolition OF the boards OF managers
OF the insane hospitals and the State chart
table and reformatory institutions and TO
impose their powers and duties upon CEN
trail officials directly under his control
the Lunaoy. Commission to have the man
agement OF the State hospitals, while a
manage the State charitable and reforma-
tory institutions
With the aid OF the Lunacy Commission
the. Governor Chairman succeeded IN ms
designs upon the State insane hospitals,
but with respect to the charities the best
he could do was to wiring from RELUCTANT
Legislature authority to appoint .nsoai
supervisor" to control their expenditures,
transferring to this officer the powers previ-
ously exercised by the State Comptroller,
The salary first named in the bill creating
this Office was a 600 a year, but this was
increased to $1,000 year on the plea that
superior person was to be selected 10
the great surprise OF every one the Gov
ernor chose for this important place Harry
H; Bender, cheap politician OF Albany
who was absolutely without experience N
the work committed to his care, but is well
adapted to the Odell purposes.
The managers of the insane hospitals
were, however, not abolished without a
severe struggle, during which, with the
AID OF Goodwin Brown, former Commis-
sioner In Lunacy and a professed Demo.
crat, the Governor Chairman prepared and
circulated slanderous statements with re-
lation to the Managers for the most part,
however couched in such general terms as
to make 1t impossible to answer and refute
them. 1t is also fact that he later APP
tors to one OF the hospitals the man against
whom the most serious charges were di-
rected thus indicating very clearly how
little importance he really attached to
them.
The net result Of all these changes had
simply been to give more power and patron
age to the Odell machine. Not single
public interest has been advanced, but
the public service has deteriorated through
such appointments as those OF Hines and
Snail, as well as in many other ways.
To carry out his visions of economy,
the Governor has compelled the erection
of three story non-ireproof structures
to house the insane, thereby endanger-
ing their lives, but saved enough in this
way, perhaps, to enable him to spend $4,000
lace and fireworks trip which he and his
favorites took to st. Louis The medical
staff OF the hospitals has deteriorated and
the percentage OF cures has diminished
under the Odell management, rendering
the experiment exceedingly costly to the
Bender, it is true, occasionally issues
bulletins showing the alleged great saw
ings in the management OF the charities
which no one else is able to see, but he care
fully refrains from explaining that he COM
PEELED the children at the House of Refuge
on Randall's Island to exist on Scent meals,
and allowed them only CO cents a month
for clothing.
The Governor Chairman has publicly
complained that politics is generally
looked down upon by the average citizen,
but he is apparently oblivious to the fact
that politics of this kind makes the word
stencil in the nostrils Of the people. In the
opinion Of the leading charitable people OF
the State Odellism is rank and fetid
miasma, degrading to all who are so I'M
fortunate as to come within the sphere Of
it's influence. The Governor Chairman's
course with relation to the insane hospitals
and the charities has been, it is charged,
ignorant and brutal. He has wantonly
offended many OF the best citizens Of the
State. whose active resentment at the last
election cost his party thousands OF votes.
The grocery faint, too, is unfortunately
highly contagious. Another permanent
State officer, who hopes for reelection in
insists upon selling his coal to
the institutions, and no one can foretell how
soon the others will follow his example and
seek to dispose Of all sorts Of merchandise.