The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1915-01-15

VI ilhe CHdi dSASl Al NHS SVNHAy.
recommend to the legislature that Il
appropriate sufficient money to built
another new cottage for patients. t,
the end each biennial period may cor
tribute separate, new cottage to tn,
colony until the full scheme of build
ings, as originally planned, has been
completed and the colony able to &C
commodate and receive all the feeble
| minded and epileptic of the common
wealth entitled, under the law, to adj
mission
The state hospitals for the insar
have been well provided with build
ings and repairs, and are in my judg
ment reasonably ample to care for all
patients.
State Purchasing Board.
| will suggest, however, that
splendid service can be rendered the
institutions and the state by having
state purchasing board for ali institu'
tons and departments.
The men composing this board
should he able and successful bust
ness men who have had experience in
this line of business, and should be
paid a salary sufficient to enable the
state to have the services Of the very
best business men equipped for the
work. A competent man, capable OF
commanding a good salary, is the
cheapest man the state could secure,
and this board should also baye a se2-
rotary and stenographer.
The Blind.
The state supports the Missouri
School for the Blind, located in st.
Louis, which has an attendance of
more than 100 pupils The states
! obligations to the blind do not cease
when it has furnished them with an
eight or IL years course Of study ard
training, but the duty still rests upon
it to see that the training and educa-
ton given the blind is turned to use
full labor
The legislature should appropriate
| $4,000 annually TO provide for the
care and maintenance of the blind,
and permit this board TO provide SIM
pie or modest plants where such in.
dustrial pursuits may be followed b.
| the blind as will enable them to make
sufficient money to practically sup
port themselves. In this way, they
would be able 10 support thems2lye
and not be charges upon the public
This Is q modest amount yet these
| gentlemen assure me it will be ample
to meet the situation. So, in consid-
| ering the life and happiness Of our
blind brother, "let us labor for that
larger comprehension Of truth and that
more thorough Reputation OF GREG
which shall make the history Of ran
kind a series Of ascending develop
ments and triumphs." Progress, a. ter
all, lis the law OF life, the activity OF
today and the assurance Of tomor.
row"
Contract Labor.
The last legislature took initial
steps looking to the solution of the
question of the employment of the
2,40O men and women confined in the
state penitentiary. 1t proposed To
abolish The contract system and sub
stitute other employment therefor.
The revenue received from the con-
| tractors ia about $750,100 or 100000
for each biennial period This makes
the penitentiary practically self-sus.
tanning. If the contract system is
abolished completely at once, the rev.
enues Of the state will necessarily, for
time, be drawn upon for this sum
OF 100000 to sustain the peniten-
tiary, which sum heretofore has been
used along educational, eleemosynary
and departmental lines. It will neces.
,sarily cost, at the lowest estimate,
ene-half million dollars to even start
the equipment of plants sufficient to
give employment to the convicts This
money, too, must come from the gen
eral revenue fund These enormous
sums cannot be taken from the rev.
enues of a single year or biennial
period At the very earliest, it would
take two years to build and equip
plants, and then the state would be
III all eAptIlilIttdl Sld5t vi Tie GLhiiSC,
with little or no revenue flowing back
from the penitentiary.
This proposition must be met In a
fair, open. candid business way. If
the contract system is to be abolished
at once, and the legislature wishes to
work all the convicts upon the roads
of the state then in such event the
convicts could be supported out Of the
good roads fund. This fund is suf-
ficient to support the penitentiary, and
if the entire labors OF the convicts
are to be- used upon the public roads
free, this being donation from the
state for the construction and main
tenance Of good roads, then in such
an event the good roads fund, which
arises from the automobile license law
and stamp act, could be used to main
tain and support the convicts while
doing this free public road work, If
only a portion OF the convicts are to
be used and worked upon the roads
free, then whatever numbers are
worked thereon could and should be
supported nom the good road fund.
Again, ii the legislature de-
stermines to let the burden of the