The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-23
STATE CHARITY MANAGEMENT
HIGGINS WOULD REESTABLISH
CONTROL BY LOCAL BOARDS.
nut Justines Himself in Voting 10 Abolish II
.-Herrick Also for Control by Local
Boards, Again, with q Purchasing Board
Consisting OF Constitutional Oficers.

Hoards,Again with Purchasing Board
Consisting OF Constitutional Onicers.
The next issue OF Charities will contain
the expression Of both the candidates for
Governor on the management OF the State
charitable institutions, State hospitals for
the insane and prisons and reformatories.
Mr.. Higgins, when interviewed on the
subject on Wednesday OF last week, said;
OF managers OF the state hospitals for the
insane, and OF transferring from the state
CSmmissi9n IN tnnacy to such Local na eoarns
except those which arc strictly anan n5aas
sesTs al the esh them to
me was the fact that they gave an oppor-
snd {, sSfsss u" Of the old system q
cbases, by local boards. notice that Judge
Herss to tine Of Ges the
othefP sfate S Soa de psucS body would
Work %oud be done no
BY it for ths YOU'D prefer 70 SEE
now Is. in the State Iunasy Commission,
which is,. understand. disGharglng this
refpSHdty vs very Es nsa power
say Se% The syt s sRepd p be they
should be clothed. how, they should be cared
So far as the prisons are concerned. there
plated by the Constitution. made up Of philan;;
thropic expert men and women who would
aon 90 ssSnd o
he IN any sense part OF the administration
part Of the State is entitled to have re-
formisatory like that at Elmira, apd that the
It skouia th ngo &C.
be part OF the State prison system, and should
have It's SEn loeal board o. Ina managers as
Referring to certain alleged undes ir-
able results Of legislation which received
his support in the Senate, Mr.. Higgins,
while expressing himself unequivooably
in favor Of the changes above outlined
an open mind, insisted also that much
more depends upon the personal charac-
ter and qualifications Of those who are
called upon to administer the system than
upon minor differences in the system itself.
Continuing he said:
In the charitable. penal and reformetory
system Of the State appointments should be
made with no reference whatever to party
be such as to command the immediate respect
and to inspire the eonndence Of those who
the real needs of our public dependents.
j shall lend my aid in securing an increase
Of sPproPriatioHs for the EN- Of
minded, so as to secure the removal Of all
this unfortunate class from the county aims
of all the insane and OF all the feeble minded
sumed the responsibility
As to the removal of the House Of Refuge
to a country site with cottage buildings.
am in favor of such action at the, earliest
the action. of the last two Legislatures in
providing for similar removal Of the State
Industrial School at Rochester,
These are my views. | DESTROYS that
they shall be widely known among those
who have at heart the welfare Of the institu-
tlons and would not wish any one to vote
for or against me on any misunderst anding
OF my position.
Judge Herriek's opinion is taken from
his speech in Madison Square Garden on
. last Monday night He said:
The Republican party in this State lis
charged by our leading philanthropio citi-
zens with injecting partisan politics into
correctional institutions. to their serious
hurt and detriment for the pErpose, ofm mi
chine, and also with neglectns g the .s = needs
Of these institutions. Some OF the more
serious counts in this indictment are, briefly
The abolition of the unpaid individual
boards OF managers re- Of o. TIE hospitals for the
ship. and the Capitalization Of their duties
and powers in the hands of the State Com;
mission in iunacy. a compassion composed
of three paid officers directly subject to the
Governors WILL which the Constitution pro-
~dss is to visit and inspect such hospitals:
ne HDOlIlOH VI tne Sldtt NOlHIUlsSlOH
Of Prisons representative Of all parts OF the
non-saiaried citizens, and the substitution
therefor of a partisan commission of three
members. with salaried president
The establishment of the UNNECESSARY
at a salary of 90. 900 q year. the same as paid
70 the state Comptroller, and 81 500 additional
The failure. through the Governor vetoes
on the plea Of economy, TO provide suitable
acoommodntlons at the asylum for the feeble
prevds n S for or the the o of such
feeble minded women are kept in aims
houses where they cannot receive the pro-
ef he Of NE New York
Reformatory which was intended to relieve
the injurious ,overcrowdinR at the Elmira
,hs easteTn naq % % the State 9e
purposes as a reformatory with an Individual
prison prison C controlled by the Superintendent Of
state Prisons and in politics. -
hs delay in dsndasnt eb ssSe STATE se
Of the private corporation known as the
State State. IN an Unsuitable location and with |
poor eeonpmsnt; on Randalls Island. in the
II elected. i shall take counsel with repre-
PESTS Of tie State ana urge the ,psssaee
OF appropriate legislation 20 remedy these |
all appointments In. connection with the |
State charitable and reforInatory institu- |
tons. the State hospitals for the insane and
the State prisons be made strictly In ac-
cordance with the State Civil Service law |
and without reference to political consldera-
tions.
While fully believing that the. internal
affairs Of the State Institutions should be
managed as are our great private charities,
by individual boards OF managers. composed
al the best and most practical men and women
who will consent TO give the necessary time
and service to the work. ! am equally con-
WINGED that the purchases for these institutions
should be made IN such manner as to give
the State the fullest possible benefit to be
derived from approved business methods.
At the present time the purchases OF even
the staple supplies for the insane hospitals
the charities and the prisons are made sep
srately and without cooperation for each
class OF institutions and frequently in a man
ner to cause distrust and even scandal, In |
my. opinion purchasing board for all the
snd the presidents OF the constitutional |
boards having supervision Of these several |
interests should be able to produce much |
better results. The books and records Of |
such q bureau should be required by law to |
he open to inspection at all times. |