Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1905-01-18

Report Says That Milwaukee
County Has Not Managed In
stitut;ons Properly
The Board of Control Finds That the
House of Correction Is in
Terrible Condition.

Madison, Wis, Jan. 16-[ Special. /
Ihe forthcoming report of the board Of
control will be Of more than usual inter
est, especially to residents of Milwaukee,
whose institutions it criticiSes with d d.
rectness that should attract attention.
With reference to the house Of correc-
ton the following pointed language is
used:
InlS board has at present but little
power over the institutions which it is
Obliged to visit and winch are controlled
by the county OF milwaukee,. from the
reports MADE by this board to your honor,
1t must be PLAIN that at least one instltu-
tlOn now maintained and controlled by
tnat county has been mlSmanaged. We
nave reference to the house OF correction.
Not only has Milwaukee sustained Sc
we're loss by reason of the Improbable
contract unuer which the cOnvictS III the
house Of correction were employed, but
Tor considerable period Of time many OF
the cOnvicts had not performed any Ia Dor
at all. The whole institution had come to
be in a dilapidated condition. The cells
were unsanitary and unclean. Many cells
were occupied by two prisoners when
such cells were intended for one prisoner
only. On one occasion when our board
visited this institution, the prisoners
begged for an opportunity to perform Ia
Dor Of some kind, and begged to be taken
out Of the dark and unsanitary cells 1t
would seem that if these public institu-
tons, now managed by the county Of
Milwaukee, were placed in the same class
as other state institutions under the man
agement of. the state, all parties con-
cerned would be greatly benefited.
Take Management from Milwaukee.
In another part, the board takes firm
ground in favor of state management of
county institutions as follows:
"Milwaukee is the only city in the state
that has authority to maintain its own
institutions, such as the house of correc-
ton. the industrial school for girls, home
for dependent children, and its own hos
pitfalls for the insane, etc. Why Mllwau-
kee should have the right and authority
to maintain its own institutions of this
character, is not at all plain to us. 1t
may be admitted without argument that
persons can be found in Milwaukee who
will manage these institutions, but it may
be said with equal force that the resi-
dents Of Oshkosh could find among its
citizens people who could satisfactorily
manage the northern hospital for the in
sane; or. that the good citizens of Green
Bay could find among their number per-
sons who could manage the state reform
atory; or. that the citizens of Chippewa
Falls could manage the affairs Of the
home for the predetermined.
THAT system which is most advantage
Gus to the state and most satisfactory TO
the unfortunate people who have to live
in these institutions, should be adopted.
If the proper system is that these insti-
tutions should be under the control Of the
state beyond any question the institutions
now existing in Milwaukee, and similar
to those under the control of the board,
should be classified with other state IN
situations and should be controlled IN the
same manner The advantages of hav-
ing all the institutions Of this character
under one board must be apparent.