The Hayti herald. (Hayti, Mo.) 1908-1922, 1915-01-14

OF nke character IN In0 country.
recommend to the legislature that I
appropriate sufficient money TO bull,
another new cottage for patients, I,
the end each biennial period may con
tribute q separate, new cottage to tn,
colony until the full scheme Of build
inss. as originally planned, has beer
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 ad
mission.
The state hospitals for the insane
have been we'll provided with build
ings and repairs, and are In my tudg
ment reasonably ample to care for all
patients.
State Purchasing 5oard.
will suggest, however, that q
splendid service can be rendered the
institutions and the state by having a
state purchasing board for all institu.
tions and departments.
The men composing this. board
should be able and successful bust.
ness men who have had experience in
this line OF business, and should be
paid 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 bave Sec
retary 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 and
training, but the duty still rests upon
1t to see that the training and educa.
ton given the blind is turned to use
full labor.
The legislature should appropriate
$25,000 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 by
the blind as will enable them to make
sufficient money to practically sup
port themselves. In this way, they
would be able to support themselves
and not be charges upon the public.
This is 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 error
which shall make the history of man.
kind a series of ascending develop.
ments and triumphs." Progress, after
all. sis 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
2,400 men apd women confined in the
state penitentiary. 1t proposed to
abolish the contract system and sub
sutute other employment therefor.
The revenue received from the con-
tractors is about $750,000 or $80O,00
for each biennial period. This makes
the penitentiary practically self-sus.
tanning. II the contract system is
abolished completely at once. the rev.
enues of the state will necessarily, for
a 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. 1t will neces.
sarily cost, at the lowest estimate,
one-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
in an experimntal stage of the change,
with little or no revenue flowing back
from the penitentiary.
This proposition must be met in
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
IL the entire labors OF tie 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. II
only 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 from the good road fund.