Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1904-12-23
THAT COMMITTEE REPORT.
Supt. Morgan and Director M. O.
Perkins Object.

tons. IN regard 10 charges maze II
that report. he says that during thu
past two years the full board OF di
reetors has met six times and tina
the accounts OF the superintendent o
each institution have been CAREFUL,
inspected each month not only by thu
directors but presumably also by the
state auditor. He declares that, "a
a resident director his own time has
been given as fully to such supervis-
ion as he was capable Of: and while
he may have been Incompetent, he
firmly believes that In this particular
he has not been negligent. He de-
clares that different Interpretation
may be given to the action Of the d.
rectors In creating the Office OF house,
keeper at the state prison, than that
given by the committee. Superintend-
ent Cakes, in the fall of 1897, re-
stitution in another state Mrs. Cakes
had always been an earnest CO.
worker with her husband and had
long performed duties without COM
pensation. The directors believed
she was entitled to compensation and
partly on this account and partly In
the hope of inducing Mr.. Cakes to
remain, they created the office. The
directors acted conscientiously In this,
believing they were serving the
states best interests and with no in
tent of violating any law. Succeeding
directors questioned the right of con-
tinuing the office and IL was discon-
tinued. Mr.. Perkins admits that he
knew Mr.. Cakes had company and
took limited supplies TO the lake, but
insists that there was no intent to
defraud and doubts that II was the
nj nf hA
consumption of food must invariably
be on the prison premises.
Mr.. Perkins explains that Mr..
Oakes's brother, from whom he is
said To have purchased feed, succeed
ed to the business in company with
another, not a relative, about two
years ago and that supplies had been
purchased from his pred
ecessor In the business. Prices We're
never in excess of current prices. Mr..
Perkins declares he never heard be-
fore the complaint that inferior OFF,
GERS are said TO have made regard
ing the inferiority of their supplies.
In connection with the charge that
Mr. Cakes used state mileage books
for private purposes, which is unde-
MED, he says that Mr.. Cakes ALSO
at his own expense on state
business; and that for many years he |
Invariably turned In to the credit of
he state special, personal service fees !
n taking prisoners before the courts, /
amounting to considerable sum, to /
which he was clearly entitled under /
/ ruling by the present state auditor.
Mr. Perkins closes his reply with I
tribute to Mr.. Cakes under whom
lie says the prison has risen from
leplorable condition to a point where
t is conceded by prison experts
the country to be among
he first in discipline and other mat
ers. He says that Mr.. Cakes has the
highest respect of the community,
nd of every director of the prison
nd that as far as he knows. every
enny of the million or more dollars
f state funds that have passed
through his hands. is accounted for.
lie believes that Mr.. Cakes has never
cen guilty of intentional violation or
vasion of law.
Superintendent d. L. Morgan of the
rutland house of correction is said to
e very indignant over the intima-
ions of graft and mismanagement.
lie states that the public and the
ress have been led to believe things !
'hich do not exist
Mr.. Morgan says that II the com
littee had stayed longer than 2a
ours and had examined the books
the institution they would have
,und for the nearly 100000 of BUSH
ess transactions made in the period !
ley started to investigate, q vouch- .
in detail on file for every purchase, !,
4 account and receipt for every dis =
easement and the check that paid :
le same and was returned through !,
lie bank. They would have found I
lat the sanitary conditions existing .
years or more ago with epidemics Z
from 10 to Is cases of typhoid fever =
one time out of a population of .
ON 60 to 10 inmates, had been :
'eatly changed That with the y
5000 appropriated few years
nee for improvements all and more =
an the act specified or intended was ',
me. yet an unexnended balance of Z
'arly $4,000 remained and was re- Il
rted to the legislature and that the y
e of that balance being authorized y
r a building to contain a chapel, Y
ming hall and hospital, was so ex ?
nded; that a final balance of very a
arly s400 remained and was re-
rned to the state. They would have
und that all material for these i'm
ovements. which doubled the capaci-
of the institution, were bought and
e work carefully supervised in every &c
tail by the superintendent in addi- y
N to his regular duties as speci-
d by statute, and without extra pay p'
compensation. -
He specifies the report as mislead- o
:, in the case of Director Woodfin, '.
representing that the supplies were -,
released and marble sold for his ~, u.
)ecial profit and benefit. Mr.. ~
,rgan also calls attention to a fact W,
arlooked by the committee, that VI
,ugh the house of correction had the ", ",
gest average population, the largest !,
mber of commitments and averaged su
complete change of population every
0 months of the year, it had the
st number of officers and smallest
for expenses, and that
impaired with similar institutions in
Ter states, its earnings double that IN
any institution that the officials can pr
rn of and are four times that of sh
ny. W
Ir. Morgan says he suggested to OF
committee a simple act of legisla to'
n, in regard to the overcrowding, me
t would not only remedy the evil, co
save thousands of dollars annually, SIC
e innocent men from arrest and TN
ng branded as criminals and re- me
,e largely the criminal record of the TN
tie. He found in their report no ma
arence to this important matter ex- ma
t the statement that the sanitary ass
dition was not satisfactory owing acc
the institution being over-crowded Ju,
times. WI
APP