High Fed Wardens

. Gov. Winans advlsed e eouaolidated board to manage all penal instituí ions and the blll ha - pase 1. Senator Wisner ,in aflYocating it, presentad the Itemized expenses of nearly :ü ot the inistitutlons, and to show liow the present boards disregarded Ia-w .and the employees disregarded deceney, we give the remarks of Senator "VVisner, in part, and ask our voters to carefully study the facts as he presents tUem. It will be remembered that Mr. AVisner obtained his iigures from the office of the auditor general and these cannot be disputed. Wisner advocated a change from the system of separate boards, to one general board, believing it in the in- terest of economy. He ehai-ged the boards with allowing illegal accounts,and on this point we quote his remarks: "I now propose, Mr. Chairman, as briefly as poseible to refer to soine of luc :uim Liiai po to make up this cxpenditure of the people's money by fue different boards of these institutions. I approach the subject with eome diffidence because in the course of rny remarks I may reflect upoii the business methode of some men in wlióse Judgtdent the people of this state have had confidenee in the ïnanagemeni of their varled and important Interesta. I do it in no partisan spirit; but I should be recreant to the trust imposed upon me by the people, if I should faltier in my duty to cali their attention to the rnanner in whtcU their money has been expended, and how the burden of taxation has been imposed upon them, groaning as they are to-day under the prospect of commercial disaster and financial ruin. In the fall of 1889, a national prison convention was held at Nashville, Tennessee, and the members of the prison board at Jackson decided to attend the same. There is no statute In this state authorizing them to take trips of this cbaracter at the expense of the state. It did not come within their cuaes as lail down by law. The board is the creature of the statute. Their powers and duties are clearly defined. They had just as much powen to attend a picnic at the people'ö expense as to go upon a junketing trip of this character; and I only refer to this particular trip as an illustration of a custom grown up ín this state for boards to incur extraordinary expenses, to make out their own bilis, certify to their own rouchers, and draw their money under the head of prison expenses. For the purpose of showing in what manner these sums of money are drawn by the board for the purpose of meeting current expenses I want to cali your attention to Section 9731 of the comipled laws ,which provides as follows: " 'The Auditor General is hereby authorized and required to draw his warrant on the treasurer for such sums as the inspectors of the state prison shall from time to time direct, but such sums so drawn at any one niuu Biifu moi exceea one thousand dollars, and no furüher gum shall be drawn until satisfactory vouchers are presented to and allowed by the auditor general for the amount previously drawn' and this provisión applying o"nly to the state prison at Jacksou has lxcn incorporated in all the acts for the governmenr of all other Institutions of the state: They are not limited as to time, they can draw once every day ,once every week, once every month, as often as they shall send vouchers showing that the sum previously drawn has been exhausted. H. F .Hatch ,the warden, deemed it necessary for him to go and he made out hta vouchers and drew as prison expenses, $60.50. Henry Cbamberlaia, a member of the board ,thought the convention ■would not be a success without his presence, and upon his return he made out his voucher and he was allowed and paid out of prison expenses (he chjarjïed eight days at $3.00 per day), $83.67. Well, it w)as thought advisable for Hetah and Chamberlain to have a chaplain along (to look, after their moráis I suppose), and they took George H. Hickox along; and his bilí "was allowed and paid out of prison expenses at $50.55. "Well, in 1890, there was another prison convention appointed to be held tn the city of Baltimore, and Warden Hatch, being a great reformer, thought it necessary for him to attend. But Chamberlain having taken one trip He thought he would take Dwight Smith ,another member of the board, with him on this expedition. They both went but did not deern it necessary to take the chaplain this time, They went from Jackson to Buffalo, JFrom Buffalo to New York, from New York to Philadelphia and from Philadelphia to Baltimore. Surely they went the longest way round. One vóuld think they were traveling for Ihileage. But their fare was paid out of prison expenses. Hatch received $60.08, and Smith drew $64.10. . It will be 6ufficient for me to eay as an illustration of the whole subject that the traveling expenses of the Warden and member of the Board for the year A. D. 1890 .amounted to the Bum of $883.28, every dollar of which was paid out without warrant of law and upon vouchers made out by the Board. And while upon this eubject I wish to cali the attention of ttíe Senate and the people to certain items charged in the accounts of Warden Hatch and allowod by the Board and pald out of the Treasury. The warden receivod a salary of $2.000 per anum, witb keep for himsell and lamily. II" was furnished splendid apartments and fared Bumptuously every day. He furnished bis tablo ?itli all the necessarles :i well as tflio luxurtea of life. His salary and expenses for 1889 and 1890 footerl up to the magni icent turn of $7,555.50 I said he had many ol the luxuries of lifo. Let me refer to some of the items cfharged up as prison expenses: CIGAK BILL FOR 1889. January 4, 150 ciffars I 9 45 February4, 200 floristas 12 50 Februftry 4, lOOBanner 5 ñu FebruaryS, 150 Floristas 9 50 March9, 150 K. T.'s.-- 9 00 April 9, 50cigars ; 7" May 7, SOcigars 4 05 July4, SOcigars 3 75 August 15, öOcig'ars :; 60 September 2, lóOcigars 8 75 üotober.'i, 100 Key West fi 00 ÜctoberS, ]U0 Key West 6 00 October9, 100 Kev West 6 00 NovetnberS, 100 Key West 6 00 December 4, 50cig-ars 3 00 $ÍW 15 My Wend, Hatch, it nppcars was not only a greal prison reformer, 1)ut was ateo a lover of the beautifqL He was fond of buttonliole bouquet.s and flowers upon his tablc. AVitness the following blUi allowed by the Board and paid out of the treasury: To J . M. Myers, Florist. Sopt 20. 1890, to 100 roses (12 cents) $12 00 Sopt., 1890, t50 Roman Hyacinths 1 25 Sept. 20, 1890, to expresa and cartage... 160 April 5, 1890, to flower seeds for house, i 50 Sopt. 13, 18S0. to 100 assorted roses 10 00 Sept. 18, 1890, to express and cartage. .. 1 30 Aug;. 15, 1898, to pausy seeds 60 Total 131 15 To Alex. Brown. April 10, 1890, to tiower pots, dirt, and plants ï 5 00 Bought of Peter Henderson & Co. March 6, 1890, bulbs and flower seeds... 12 00 Bought of Isbell & Co. Fob. 6, 1890, to 8 papers flower seeds 1 00 ïought of A. A. Mosier. Jan. 4, 1890, 50 assorted tulips 2 00 Jan. 4, 1890, 50 Hyacinths 8 00 Jan. 4, 1890, 4 Chinese Azalias .... 7 00 Jan. 4, 1880. 4 Camelias.7 00 Jan. 4, 1890, 3 Marchail Neil roses ".'. 2 00 S39 00 I also find in the warden's account allowed and paití by the state Borne extraordiuary items as the íollowing: 18D0, washing for Warden $47 80 188ft, " " 53 00 10 bamboo flsh poles 2 80 1 rubber coat tor Warden. 2 00 lguitaraud string-s 12 00 1 lunch basket for w i le 1 00 UPP14R PKISON EXPENSES. Paid Warden's House ÍM.026 08 Support of ConWcts 2,672 49 Vou can observe that it coste $1,353.59 more to support the warden's bouae than to support from 100 to 200 convicta. The warden had the best of everythlng ,as his bilis indícate. Here are some of the Items: July 3, 106 quarts strawberries @ 12i4e. $ 13 25 Aug-. 19, 5 bouquets @ 50c 2 50 July 2, 1 croquet set 4 74 Sept. 6, 6 meions 2 35 " " 2 dozen peaches @ 60c .1 120 ' '' 1 basket pears and grapes 175 Nov. 30, 1 barrel aweet eider 5 80 Peaches, plums, pears, aprleots, raspberries, apple butter, strawberries, cnerries, for one month 136 12 Dec. 12, China silk and ribbons " 2 85 April ],3convictdogs 98 25 I have visited some of these ïnstiltution-; I have sat at the warden and1 suporintendent's table, groaning under the weight of the luxuries of life; I have used their silver service; I have witnessed the formality and etyle paid for at the expense of the people; I have thought at such times, 'How I would like to be rich and provided for by the public.' Think of it, my farmer friend, as you trutïge along the lane smoking your corn cob pipe filled with cheap tobáceo of the hard earned money wrung from you by taxation to purobase Key West cigars for your public servants . Think of it you patrón senators, sent here by the people in the interest of reform, when you go home and sit upon tihe plow beam to 1-est your wcary limbs while the tired ox Iolls in the furrow aa you turn the dandelion and the daisy beneath the god. Think o fthe perfume wafted from the warden's table exhaled from cut roses at 12 cents each, paid for out of the crops you raise and contributed by way of taxation to the enjoyment of your public servants. hink of it ,old farmer, as at morn and eve you watch the lark spreadiiVi its dewey pinions heavenward, ■while the hillside echos her Eolian music; think of the soft noet of the quitar, trummed by the unsoiled iin?ers of the warden, all at your expense. ■ 1 Ponder over it, you dusty and smoke bejgrimed mechanic, covered with the swetat of Í11 paid labor, of the luxuries paid for out of the, tax levied upon your liftle homestead to buy canes and bamboo fish poles for public officers to sport with at your expense." Let our farmer readers, our laboring men and our sbusiness men consider carefully the situation. Let tliem reflect that while the tax for these luxuries will not be very burdensome to each tax payer, yet it is wrong ia every feature, and forma a portion of that policy of expenses in nMnor mattars, that tends to make a large aggregate ,and to the tithea wrung froni the peope. If wardens want fish poles, iogs, lunch baskets, roses or strawberries, let thein pay for them, as do farmers, mcchanics and other tax payers. - i Adrián press.