The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1930-10-22
October IA, 1880

Court House,
Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Dear Mr.. Olson:
There has been called to my at
tention a press report of your recent
Winona speech. Some of the state
ments you are alleged to have made
are so far from the truth that pre-
fer to believe that you have ueen
misquoted.
You speak of 800 mentally de-
ficient persons roaming about the
state without CONTROL" and say that
the Estate economy program pre-
vented the enlargement VI STATE IN
stitutions so that these unfortunateS
could be provided with proper care"
You may not be aware OF it, but 1t
is fact that during my nearly six
years as Governor / have never We
toed single appropriation providing
for increased institutional capacity
for the insane and the feeble minded.
1t is also fact that the capacity of
institutions to care for this class OF
unfortunates has been increased dur
ing my administration more than
during any other six-year period IN
the history of the state; so any lack
of facilities can not be properly
charged to the economy program.
During the six years preceding the
present administration the capacity
of institutions for the feeble minded
and epileptic was increased 212, an
average of 35 per year. During the
six years of the present admlnlstra-
ton the increase has been 400, or 81
per year. During the four-year pc
riod Immediately preceding the pres
ent administration, the capacity OF
institutions for the insane was in
creased 502. During the first four
years of my administration, the in
crease was SOC, and during the pres
ent biennial period provision has
been made for further increase OF
27O. In other words, while l have
been Governor, provision has been
made for an increase of TIC in the
capacity of institutions for the in
sane; an average increase of l29 per
year, as against an average increase
of 125 during the previous admins
tration.
Admittedly, a crowded condition
still exists in institutions for the in
sane and feebleminded. Such cOndi-
tions exist in almost every state. fo'
the reason that social workers have
during the past decade carried on an
intensive campaign Tor institutional
iZing persons who would In 1ormei
times have been cared for IN theli
homes.
In New York. where there was
carried out a program of expansion
so significant that Governor Smiths
trIenus stressed II IN MS Did tor the
Presidency, thirteen of the sixteen
state hospitals are over-crowded, the
extent of over-crowding ranging
from 12.1 to so percent, and aver
aging II per cent. In this state DR..
kllbourne, Superintendent of the
Rochester State Hospital, reports an
average OF ON er-crowuIng OF less IMAM
IL per cent.
Your charge that the economy pro-
gram has hit the state institutions
under the Board of Control is eifec-
lively answered by the TACT that al
though total appropriations Tor state
purposes generally, have been held
down, appropriations Tor the Board
of Control ana the institutions ana
activities under IT nave been Substan-
italy increased during my admins
tratlon whereas THESE aggregated
So,vuU,429 IN lJZ5, they were 9o,-
y4l SUI In 1921 and SJ,Sl9,4OO IN
1923. In other words, approprla-
lions for these institutions ana &C
invites were over S3UQ.UUO higher IN
1927 tnan III 1870, ana aimoaI 9JUU,-
UvU higher IN 1879 than III 1871. IL
Is a signnicant TACT that WnlIe during
the slA-year period immediately pre-
ceding TINS administration, there was
an increase Oh SouI,UoU, tnere mas
been during the SIX years Oh THIS au-
ministratlon an increase OF Si,olS,-
sol. In oJher words, the increases
have been nNe times as great during
the last SIX years as they were dur
ing the previous SIX years,
And let me call your attention to
the TACT IhaI wnlie more NDerai pro-
vision was made tor the state S UNI
fortunateS, there was being accom-
plished reduction both In the state
tax levy, ana IN state Indebtedness
payable out of general tax receipts.
The state taxes levied during the
last two years OF my administration
are 81, 30 ,ooy.44 lower IMAM those
levied during the last two years OF
the previous ADMINISTRATIONS re-
ductlon or more than Is per cent.
The hgures tor the last eight years
show a steady reduction. Iney are
as follows: LevleS OF
1923 and 1924 $2l POI 1920.
1925 and 1926 $50 ,6S2, 1850.
1927 and 1928 $25 ,436, 33S.S9.
1879 and 1880 Zo,62u,UI2.o
During this period, while state
taxes have been reduced over Is per
cent, there has been reduction of
80 per cent in the Indebtedness OF
that state chargeable to the general
taxpayer. On January |, 1920, when
| took office, there was SIS, 1l9,OOO
in certificates of indebtedness out
standing. On February /, 1880, the
amount of such certificate was 49,
244,75S.S3.
You are quoted as saying that
more than 1000 names have been
added to the payroll since the econ
omy program was established" 1 re-
spectfully call your attention to the
fact that this statement is very mis-
leading 1t was made in 1928 and
refuted then 1t was made again in
the primary campaign this year and
answered with facts and figures from
the official records.