La Grande evening observer., January 16, 1913, Image 3

THURSDAY, JAETji&t 167im
I
PAGE FIVE
GOVERNOR WEST'S
BIENNIAL MESSAGE
Lfclares State Finances Good
Recommends Legislation
on Moral Lines.
To the Honorable, the Members of the
Legislature of the State of Oregon:
Gentlemen: la accordance with the
usual custom, and the command of
the Constitution, It again become my
pleasant, duty to present for your In
formation a brief statement of the
condition of our public affairs and of
fer for- your kindly consideration a
tew suggestions which, It appears to
me, would make for the greater de
velopment of the State and the in
creased prosperity of her people.
Important questions will be present
ed for your consideration at this ses
sion, among them: ' A compensation
act, a revision of our judicial system,
an insurance code and the Jefferson
Street Levee and the Columbia South
ern irrigation matters. These have
been brought to your attention and
quite fully discussed through special
reports which have been mailed you
from time to time. .' .. , ,
There' Is, therefore, no need of my
taking your time, or trying your pa
tience, with a detailed discussion of
these several questions. Suffice it to
sajr that- the reports have been' pre
pared by men who have given the
subjects most painstaking Investiga
tion and study and whose recommen
dations merit your earnest considera
tion. "
The State's finances are In a splen
did condition. We have no debts.
bonded or otherwise, to worry us and
there are 'ample funds on hand to
meet all current expenses. Unexpend
ed appropriations and accumulated re
ceipts from license fees and other
sources in excess of a million dollars
will be available for expenditure dur
ing the ensuing year and make' neces
sary a State .tax le vy of but $1,000,000
as against $3,000,000 last year.'
The State Institutions.
You were promised two years ago
that the maintenance appropriations
' made by you for the support of our
State institutions would answer the
purpdse and that you would not be
called upon to make deficiencies good.
I am pleased to advise you that this
promise has been -kepi.
Our state penal and eleemosynary
Institutions have an approximate popu
lation of 2.700 inmates. Their care
has' necessitated the hire of 370 em
ployees and an average annual ex
' penditure during the past two years
of about (1,000,000. This is a vast
sum of money for the, taxpayers of
the state to, be called upon to . pay
each year, yet is it a condition which
has to be met. Tnese institutions are
a product of the times and present day
society and until we consent tq study
these causes we may expect to be call
ed upon to meet, not only the present
demands, but . greatly' Increased bur
dens in the future. - J
Too often these Institutions have
been used as political foot-balls so
' that their affairs and needs have many
times failed to receive at the hands
of the legislature the sober, sincere
and unbiased consideration - which
they merited. ,
The last legislature treated the in
stitutions with a fair liberality,, and
the board, through close attention to
. their affairs and the hearty co-opera-tuon
of. officers and employees, offers
them today for your Inspection In a
far superior condition man has ever
before existed. Should their needs re
ceive the consideration which they
merit at your hands, and I am sure
they will, the board can promise yon
two years hence a group of institu
tions ranking among the best, if not
the best. In the United States, and this
notwithstanding that many of the
buildings are old and out of date.
The State Purchasing Board
The Purchasing Board has proved
its usefulness not only In simplifying
the purchase of supplies for state In
stitutions and at most satisfactory
prices, but in pointing out the advan
tages which would accrue to the state
from a further consolidation in the
management of all state institutions.
All state penal and eleemosynary
Institutions should be placed under
a single board of control and to avoid
creating new olficials and expense the
snM hoard should consist of the gov
ernor, secretary of state and state
tr-i3i.rer. The state purchasing
m hoard samiid be merged with this
. ro?ri. Dy this arrangement the man-
renent of our state institutions can
I.-, ',ie.u!y simplified and the cost re
duced. Infane Hospitals
c .t.icro.'ied conditions which
have prevailed at the Oregon stqte In
sane asylum at Salem during the pari
few years have been relieved to
certain extent by the occupancy of the
new receiving hospital and will Ik
further relieved by the transfer with
in the next few dsys of a large num
ber of patients to the new hospital at
" Pendleton. This transfer would have
,' been mad upon the first of the year
had It not been for an unfortunate de
lay In supplying certain hardware
needed for the final completion of the
. Institution. , - . I
The present needs of our insane
. therefore are well cared for but their
future requirements must not be over-
' looked. -
t 'i
The Institution for feeble-minded
- has been unable to meet the demands
for admission made upon ltr' The last
legislature, owing to. the crowded con
, dltion, appropriated funds for the erec-1
uuu vi a. ouuuing to relieve me situa
tion, but made no provision for the
. maintenance of an increased popula
tion. In view of this no particular
haste was made by the board In the
matter of erecting the new dormitory.
It is now completed, however, andiwlll
be ready for occupancy , at any time
or as 'soon, as the legislature makes
provision to cover the necessary addi
tional maintenance cost.
- The tuberculosis sanatorium was es
tablished to serve a worthy purpose,
but for some reason, either because It
Is Improperly located, its advantages'
not thoroughly understood, or because
, it is ahead of the times, is not prov
: ing the success its friends anticipated.
The board having supervision of the
institution's affairs is made up of a
number of public spirited citizens who
have unselfishly devoted much time
and effort In an endeavor to make it a
. success. Most of these gentlemen con
tend that th$ Institution should be
continued and believe that It will even
tually pfove Its worth. I am unable
to take this view of the situation,
however. '
' - The Institution is top-heavy.. We are
spending much money to heat and
maintain a large structure which Is of
but little use to the inmates. This
J unnecessary burden and the small pop-1
j ulatlon produce an unusually high per
capita cobi. ii seems 10 me mat unui
the demands of the state justify the
maintenance of such an institution,
that all Indigent sufferers from tuber
culosis should be permitted to patron
ize such private sanitariums as may
be licensed by the, state through the
state board of health and that a reas
onable per capita charge be pa.id to
cover the expense of keeping them.
Should the institution be abolished
the buildings could - be . used for a '
home for the aged or a home for way
ward girls.
The School Tor The Deaf
j This Bchool is well located and such
buildings as have bee erected are
well adapted to the nee
-needs of the in-
ct'.tut!on. -. Some additional outbuild
ings and equipment are still, needed
as will be shown by the report of the
superintendent. . . . -.
The buildings at the school for the
blind are not only veritable wooden
fire traps, but are so located that a
railroad track, a mill race and a creek,
which at times In the winter is a rag
ing torrent, must be crossed by tie (
blind children in going to or from the '
school or city.
Fire proof buildings should be pro
vided or the school closed. Otherwise
It is only a question, of time until we
will be called upon to shudder at an
awful holocaust. I am opposed to any
further appropriation for the mainten
ance of this school unless It comes
coupled with provision for better fire
protection. Should fire proof build
ings be provided for the school, the
matter of securing a more suitable lo
cation for the same should be given
consideration. .
The State Training School
This institution is being used as a
dumping ground for boys who should
be living in better homes. Many par
ents cause, or permit, their children
to be committed here for no other
reason than that they may be relieved
of the burden of their maintenance.
This should not be tolerated. Parents
should not be permitted rbcast a life
long stigma upon a child In order that
they may be relieved of a duty which
they owe to It and to society.
On the other hand there are Incor
rigibles committed here who are too
vicious to be associated ' with boys
whose reformation would otherwise be
possible. These should be sent to an
other institution a reformatory, a
halfway station between the training
school and the penitentiary, a place
where those whose age or tecords
make them out of place at either Insti
tution, could be confined.
The Institution' dally average popu
lation appears to have been one hun
dred and the monthly per capita cost
$:S.S5," to say nothing of the expendi
tures for bettetmenU and Improve
ments. Of this monthly per capita
cost about $10 went for salaries of
officer and employees. This 1 an i
amount nearly twice that of similar
expenditure at the penitentiary. These
figure go to show that the Institution
Is, and will be for years to come, top
heavy, and that it I placing unneces
sary burden upon the taxpayer.
I would, therefore, recommend tbs
the Institution no Jonger be used fc.
the purpore to which It Is now dove
ed. I would further recommend thr
implQ cottage and other necessar
buildings -,bo erected -upon the lan-'
owned by the state at Union, Orego
and that after about one-half of th
boys now at the school have bean if
turned to their parents or plnced Ir
suitable homes, the remainder b:
transferred to said farm at Union
there to receive all necessary training
and education. ...
'-. The Oregon State Penitentiary .
This Institution had Its birth about
forty years ago. . Added years and 1
population brought It added filth and
added rubbish.- For two whole years
we have shoveled and scraped and
scraped and Bhoveled In an endeavor
to- make the institution and grounds
clean and sanitary. We have made
much progress, but still have far to
go. However, this coming year will
see such work pretty well taken care
of and the institution and proportion
take on an appearance which will
conyyire favoral.y with the best of
similar institutions in other states.
The superintendent's report presents
in detail much Information. In regard
to the affairs of the institution and
merits your, careful consideration.
The institution's problem Is what to
do with its surplus labor. This ques
tion must be 'met ' During -the past
year we have been able, in spite of
unjust . criticism, misrepresentation,
and many obstacles, to keep the men
all busily engaged and at occupations
which were of profit to the public. .
Upon taking office I found scores
of idle men' In the ' Institution ' and
their ranks were suddenly swelled by
the cancellation of the stove foundry
contract. : Notwithstanding the delap
ldated structures and the filth and
rubbish sadly In need of removal,
many of these Idle men were locked
in their cells or permitted to loaf
around the prison yard.
To relieve the situation, those whom
It was thought could be trusted were
sent out to work on the roads and at
various state Institutions. The bal
ance were kept busy In and about the
prison premises cleaning and repair
ing the building and In clearing and
reclaiming waste and unproductive
lands. ... ... j. .
The people of this state at bur re
cent election by a large vote, endorsed
the policy of working convicts on
county roads and at state institutions.
It can therefore be taken as a settled
policy and one which will take care
of about one-third of our prison popu
lation. A similar number can be util
ized in the ordinary upkeep of ' the
prison and prison properties.- This
leaves one-third of the population not
provided for. - These men cannot and
must not be left In idleness. The in
stitution can work out Its own salva
tion If the management Is given the
right and authority to conduct it on
business principles and use Institu
tional earnings to cover operating ex
pense. Install additional industries and
take care of needed improvements.
What Oregon's prison policy shall
be in the future rests largely with you.
We have put forth our best efforts in
an endeavor to solve the prison labor
problem and feel that wa have, made
much progress In fact far more than
was thought possible in the beginning
With the Installation cf Industries
and the manufacture of articles for
state institutions only,, the prison can
within a few years be made self-supporting.
Industries can be gradually
installed and paid for out of the In
stitution's earnings If such a course Is
authorized, but if not authorized then
an appropriation of at least $25,000
should be made for the use of the
management In procuring needed ma
chinery. Our. institutions of higher education
are either needed or are not needed.
If needed they should receive liberal
support; otherwise they should be
abolished. Provision should be made
at this time for placing them on a
millage tax basis In order that they
may be relieved of the necessity of
coming begging to the legislature each
session.
Other Proposed Institution
Our jails and state Institution are
crowded with victims of the drink ha
bit These unfortunates are a con
tinual expense to the taxpayers. A
meritorious compensation act which
makes each Industry provide for the
families of its killed and Injured Is
belnj propped at this session. In
HAVE YOU SAVED THAT
$35.00
' Suit
or . .
Overcoat
; for
$25
E
Only Exclusive tailoring Establishment
come in, etu. talk to
r
view of this, I can see no reason why
the burden of providing for down and
out "booze fichters" cr their families
should not be borne by the liquor traf
fic. These individuals being the prod-
uct of the saloon shculd be-cared fort
by that institution. . .
Some day, and In the no distant fu-
ture, this state must have a reforma
tory where the better class of prison
ers may be placed and thus avoid their
being thrown in contact, with the con
firmed criminals at the penitentiary.
Should tuo recommendation made as
to the stats training school be follow
ed that Institution could be used as a
reformatory to accommodate the said
better class end overflow ttom the
prlBon. Tha- lands surrounding the
institution could be farmed through
the aid of this labor and the products
distributed to such institutions as
might be in need of them. . ;
. Figures obtained for the year 1911
show $226,272.23 to have been spent
by the several counties In. this state
in the support of their poor. It is
estlmnted that there are about 600
of tfcece unfortunates now being cared
for by the counties. This number
could te cared for at a state institu
tion for about one-half the said cost
and recer. a jauili T.o.tcr treatment
than many ot them are now receiving,
ed to the several counties upon the
basis cf the number of Inmates charg
ed ngnlnst each. ' '"..'
There is a crying need for a home
for wayward g;r!s urA a rcquect which
will be made :it this r.;sIon for the
establishment of such an institution
merits your euVuost consideration.
All charitable institutions receiving
state .lid nnd i:ll private saj.tarlur.is
devoted to the care of the insane
should be under state supervision and
regulation. .
Good Roads
We still need good roads legislation.
The people indicated through their
votes at the last election that they
were opposed to any but conservative
action afong these lines. We have
made some headway during the past
two years, and the way Is open for
further progress through the passage
of legislation not Inconsistent with
the vote of the people at the said elec
tion. Appropriation Bills
The practice of the past of submit
ting for your consideration blanket
appropriation bills should be avoided.
These bills should be reduced to the
smallest practical units In order that
the members my have a better oppor
tunity for considering the merits rf
each.
Our constitution should be amende.)
so as to permit the governor to veto
any Item In an appropriation bill. As
the matter now stands useless appro
priations are allowed to slip through
for the reason that they are Included
in a bill carrying appropriations of
merit.
Taxation
Three tax amendments approved by
the legislature were submitted to the
people at the last election. Of these
two were defeated and by a very small
vote. Their defeat was not due to
any particular opposition, but because
'Continued on Pass 6)
By ordering your Suit during this
reduction sale you positively save
$10.00. We have proved it to many
people here who have placed enters.
Let Us Prove It to You
WISE
Ladies'-TAILOR-Men's
NEW FOLEY BUILDING
mt
Increased Cost of Living.
The Increased cost of living cause'
has for many months vexed state-!
men,-politician, newspaper writer,
and thence down to the consumer,
and no end of explanation ha been
Stem
wmm
-m
grTTmiTT i i ii iTI'
"have you a foul mouth ?
T Every cavty is a cesspool of germ life, an acid manufaclurlng
plant that decays teeth. Our modern hygienic treatments make
. clean efficient masticating function. Delay means regret. Con--i'sult
US. '
-MODERN DENTISTS-
PHONE MAIN 747. DEPOT AND ADAMS. LA GRANDE
11 11 III I I I I
DEFINITIONS
HELL:
Three telephone systems in a town.
PURGATORY:
Two telephone systems.
PARADISE:
One Good Telephone System.'
ELBERT
VVENAHA LUMBER COMPANY
Suit
or
Overcoat
for
$35 :
I
in: Eastern Oregon
'T r&jfef
spread broadcast, but It has remained
for New York to have elucidated the
problem that has vexed million. An
alderman In the big metropolis has
eaten nine and one hair pounas oi
steak at one sitting.
HAVE YOUR CLOTHES
MADE TO ORDER
Isn't It betfer to pay a shade more
and get exactly what you want?
Here you can select not only the
cloth and pattern but have the
style' you prefer, the pockets of
the kind and number you like and
get what you order. .' '
THE CLUB TAILORS i
1013 Adam avenue. Phone B 1241
HUBBARD
, Pd AdY.
The Arrival of the
New Year
found us with improved facilities
for handling an Increasing busi
ness Insuring better, service to
our patrons than ever before, to
' gather with an enlarged stock of
the besj grade of lumber of all
kinds, sash. . doors., shingle
mouldinps and mill work for In
side and outdoor trim
4
-i i