Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-12-14
GOVERNOR TELLS
LEGISLATORS ONLY
ONE ISSUE is UP
Continued From Page one.)

ASKS SESSION
BE MADE BRIEF.
In closing, the Governor made his ap
peal for a short session and told the
Legislature tina it is called to do its
part in preparing the way for the final
contamination of & business transaction
The message in full follows;
II have invited you to meet in joint
session this morning to lay before you
the facts underlying the necessity for
calling a special session of the Legissa-
ture at tbs time. During my experience
as your Governor I have endeavOred at
all times to be frank with you and with
the people Of Indiana, and therefore
assume that you are familiar with the
history of the reformatory removal ques-
ton from the passage of the act up to
the present time. For the purpose OF
refreshing your mind, however. 1 wish
to briefly read you the facts in the case
as they exist.
The State Prison. or what was known
later as the State Reformatory, was es-
tablished at Jacksonville in the year of
1921, just one hundred years ago. Ad-
ditions and betterments were added from
time TO time in the endeayor TO keep 1t
up with the demands Of growing popu-
lation.
FIRE DAMAGES
INSTITUTION.
On February, 1913, a most destructive
fire occurred, burning or damaging many
Of the buildings and destroying much
of the usefulness of the institution as
a reformatory. By that FIRE the trade
school building, the ice and coal storage
plant, chapel and library. workshops, Of
fcers' quarters, administration building,
general kitchen, the inmates and on1cers
dining room, and the interior of two cell
houses were practically destroyed. Since
then the administration building and
some of the other buildings have been
cheaply and temporarily rebuilt or re-
paired. A new dining room and kitchen
for inmates was built last year. At
present the laundry, boiler shop shoe
shop, bathhOuse and the parole and iden-
tifcation departments are housed IN tenn
porary wooden structures.
Immediately following this de-
structive conha grafton the removal to
some central location was suggested and
met with generous popular approval me
reasons advanced for such removal were
sound and logical The old prison or
reformatory was built st a time when
the thought uppermost in the minds OF
the people and the courts was punishment
by Imprisonment of the criminal with
no thought of attOmated reformation.
BUILDINGS LIFT
ARE INADEQUATE.
THE buildings remaining did not meet
with the ideas and requirements OF a
modern refOrmatOry and the erection or
new and additional buildings would make
the whole proposition patchwork analr
even after the expenditure OF several
hundred E0OuSAUQ uOl4dEs-
The records show that IN the past hTe
years over 10 per cent Of the inmates
committed TO the refOrmatOry came from
the territory north OF a line drawn east
and west across the State including the
cities of Richmond. Indianapolis and
Terre Haute. he cost of railroad trans
portation from the county seat towns and
cities included IN that area Is over 1OO
per cent more TO Jacksonville than to
Indianapolis. This is a matter OF much
Importance when you consider that not
volved but also the rOund-trip fare OF
the officer accompanying the criminal
Il is regrettable that 1t is the practice
in some counties to send a deputy with
each convict regardless Of how many are
in the party. This is an expense TO the
county that is n most cases unnecessary
and unwarranted, but it should be con-
sidered in making an estimate OF the saw
wing that would follow by having the tn
stitution more centrally located TO the
territory contributing the majority Of
its population.
PLAN SUGGESTED
BY GOODRICH.
"Soon after the fire, Governor Goodrich
appointed a commission consisting OF
Senator Winfield Miller Of Indianapolis.
ex-State Senator Robert Bracken OF
Frankfort. George A. H. Shideler, gen
eral superintendent Of the reformatOry !;
DR.. Samuel E. Smith. superintendent Of
the Eastern Hospital for Insane, and
Amos W. Butler, secretary Of the board
OF State charities, TO thoroughly invest-
gate the advtsabiltty Of relocating the
reformatory and report to him IN time
to Law the proposition before the seventy
first General Assembly convening in jan
uary, 1919. This committee made q
thorough investigation Of the whole prob
lem and on Dec "a, 1918. submitted a re-
port 10 the Governor recommending the
removal of the reformatory and submit
ting a bill they had prepared providing
for the accomplishment OF that purpose
This bill was introduced and passed the
ad ma
e did not meet the approval Of the peo-
pie Of southern Indiana at that time. It
was also argued that the question should
be delayed on~accOunt OF the nigh cost OF
building materials and labor and thus
the matter of relocating and rebuilding
was abandoned for the time being. The
necessity, however, OF determining upon
some fixed policy concerning the future
Of the refOrmatOry was regarded as press
ing and vital by those who We're &C
quainted with the purpose and the
physical condition Of the property.
COMPANY SEEKS
WESTERN LOCATION.
early in the fall Of 1920 the we'll
known and well established IrIn OF
Colgate & Co. of New York City
were seeking a Western location for an
extension Of their increasing business.
They desired location which would give
them a commanding position with refer
ence to the Southern and Western trade
and it appeared to them that the river
lilies of Southern Indiana would meet
their demands and offered a satisfactory
location for their projected branch. Their
attention was called TO the possibilities
OF converting the old reformatory at
Jeffersonyille into desirable property
for their purpose, and at the same time
locate themselves advantageously from
the standpoint Of strategic place Tor
the operation Of their business
Negotiations were opened up. A ten
fative price OF $3.50, 600 was talked about,
exclusive Of such fixed and removao Die
eouipment and machinery as could be
utilized to advantage by the State in the
construction of a new institution. As a
basis for my judgment Of the value OF
the property I relied greatly upon the
ADVERTISEMENT made by the highly reput-
able and responsible firm Of McMeans &
Trim in June, 1913. After a careful and
exhaustfve survey they declared under
oath that the estimated value Of the prop
ertv embodied in the Colgate & Co.
transaction was S270,342.95. After this
appraisement had been made the State
spent IN additions and betterments the
sum Of S75.O09.21 making q total Of
ss45 s55 Ia an amount considerably be-
low the price talked about as the sale
price Of the property.
COLGATE CONCERN
ONLY BIDDER.
Realizing that we had at least one
good. live, prospective purchaser, the
5roperty was duly advertised for sale
according TO law and the date for open
ing the bids was fixed for April 19, 1921.
ON the date set II was found that the
offer Of Colgate & Co. in the sum Of
S851 .1O1 on was the only bid received and
the property was therefore declared sold
10 them and a certified check for $780,
33O.31 accompanying their bid was &C
cepted and turned over to the State
"a 7hiII for the relocation and cree