Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-10-15
w AhUO vi lHE OlAlL
NebraSkA's Care Of the UnfortunGtes Under
Public Charity.
COMPARISON OF ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS
Wreck Left by 'EoOnomiCap FusiOniSti
and Effect on Institutions.
PUBLIC PROPERTY SADLY NEGLECTED
Buildings DilapidAtsd and Equipment in
State Of Decay.
PUBLIC PROPERTY SADLY NEGLECTED
WORK OF FOUR YEARS OF RESTORATION
Republicans Have Placed in Splendid
Condition All the Institutions
and Reduced Cost Below
the POynter Figures.
CFrom a stan Correspondent

IlNCOINt Oct. A.-(Special. )-FOr a
long time the fusion politicians of Me-
braska have been reduced to the necessity
OF charging the republicans with extrava-
gance in the administration OF state af-
fairs. Either this or 90 without campaign
material without specifying any particu-
lar instance, the opposition has accused
the party in power OF wasting public funds.
of recklessy squandering appropriations,
and of mismanaging the several charitable
institutions maintained by the people of
the state. Governor Mickey is in receipt
OF reports from the officers in charge of
the various state institutions that give in
the most matter-of-fact way an account
of the administration during the last four
years, since the fusion control ended, with
a contrast of the conditions that prevailed
when the chance was made.
Some startling conditions were dlscov-
cred when the Poynter administration came
to an end, and the incoming officers were
at first charged with great number of
extraordinary expenditures, in order to
bring the rundown buildings and neglected
equipment of the several institutions into
condition for orderly use again. This work
has been accomplished. and the several
state charities are now being carried on
under such conditions as were not known
during the days of the fusion regime. and
yet at a lower cost than then prevailed.
The per capita cost of maintenance for the
last two years under Governor Poynter and
! for the first two years under Governor
Mickey is thus shown from the books:
| First Second Bien-
po,,,o year; year, year MUM ri5i 2;
Mickey ................... 1880 1925 399. .O6
saving to the state under the admin
istration of Governor Mickey of S2.54 per
each individual ia the institution in the
! two years. further comparison cannot
be made because the fusionists so fixed
the records that it is Impossible to get a
true statement from them.
1t is true that during the last four years
! the republicans have expended for perma-
nent Improvements on the various in
! stitutions the sum of $1,O07 200, while dur
ing the four years previous the fusiontsts
spent only s46s,545. 1t is a comparison of
such figures which the fusionists are hold
ing up to the people OF Nebraska to show
the extravaganza OF republican rule.
Money For Permanent improvements.
In the beginning 1t should be borne in
mind that the appropriations made by re-
publican legislatures, as shown above were
for permanent Improvement" and to dis
pei any impression that the fusionists may
nave tIedltu ny tAplOlllnB NneSe ngureS
that the republicans have been bad man.
ayers. It is necessary to show what the
money has been spent for and whether II
was necessary to be spent Just before
going out of office the fusion superin.
tendent of the Hastings asylum for chronic
insane bought 5000 worth of butter from
a favored friend. 5000 worth of clothing
for the same institution was bought jus
a few days before the management wa,
turned over; when a tunnel was dug by tn,
fusionists down at the Geneva institution
they plastered the earth ceiling of tn,
tunnel instead of walling 1t up with brick
as the contract called for. The state in
stitutionss were in such condition wheI
the fusonists retired that 1t was neces
sary TO spend enormous sums OF none,
to make them habitable.
The fact that the republicans have alway
held that the unfortunate of the state shoul,
be we'll cared for and that the fusionst
} neglected them in their eager desire T.
> apparently keep down the expenses of thel
: administration is shown in the followin
l table of appropriations for permanent i'm
provements. This shows what has bee
done with the money for the improvement
of the Institutions made absolutely neces
sary by the bad management Of tn
fusionists: