WORK OF SHAM REFORMERS How the Fusionists Are Preying Upon the In terests of Taxpayers of Nebraska. NOME FOR FEEBLE MINDED YOUTH AT BEATRICE SCENT OF TURMOIL AND DISCORD ■ — ■ # Fraud and Spoliation, Drunkenness, Incompetency, Dishonesty, Treasury Raids and Kindred OlTences Committed by Officers High and Low—Public Officials and Employes Held Up for Part of Their Sal ary Each Month bv Party Leaders. Shameful Incompeteney—gross per version of the public funds—use of the appointive power to reward party satel lites regardless of merit—manage ment's hands tied by high-up fusion officials—official records in bad shape— and over the Poynter administration in its entirety hangs the shadow of cul pable negligence and scandal. This in brief is an epitome of the condition of the Home of the Feeble Minded Youth at Beatrice. Several years of fusion mismanage ment and Jugglery have sufficed to bring about a state of uffairs in this institution so terrible as to almost challenge public credulity. Dispassionately recited, if the truth be only half told, it is enough to cause the cheek of every citizen to burn with indignation. Especially is tills true, nnd especially does it become a fit sub ject for careful and solemn Judgment, when it is considered that the victims of these abuses are among the most helpless and defenseless wards of the State. When the fuslonlsts came into power in Nebraska the republicans relin quished supervision of ttiis institution, bequeathing to their successors and to the public a record of splendid achieve ments. In selecting officials, teachers and employes for this Institution it was tlie unvarying rule that merit and flt ness alone should command recogni tion. Then, as now, the institute had upwards of 225 inmates. There were few changes lu the official family, and in no instance was a change made for political reasons or party expediency. The last republican in the superin tendency held tlie position for upwards of seven years; and a change occurred at the end of this time only by reason of the fuslonlsts acquiring control of the state government. How does this compare with the re cord of the fuslonlsts? The fuslonlsts have been in power about live years, and in that time two superintendents have come and gone and the third one has been compelled to enlist the ah of the courts to keep his official lifad from under the axe. Thus, in about five years (including the recent ap pointee whose right to tlie office is be ing contested in tlie courts) four differ ont persons have been appointed to the Buperintendeney. This has kept the in stitution in strange hands nearly all the time, as a result of which, and by reason of other causes hereinafter enumerated, discipline* has disappeared, disorder prevails, feeble minded in mates, slow to familiarize themselves with strange faces and restless in their presence, have progressed slowly, if at all, and the state has expended thous ands of dollars wholly without com pensatory results. Never since the fu sionists acquired control has there been harmony in the official family of this institution. This is due entirely to the fact that positions high and low have been acquired through political 'pulls" and not by reason of merit. Since the populists obtained control no superintendent has gone in there free handed. All of them have been under the party bane, and, no matter how much it Impaired or interfered with the welfare of the institution, they have been compelled to accept such teachers and appointees as the party managers have seen fit to give them. On can easily judge of the condition of things by considering that the party bosses have invariably selected for these positions the sons, daughters, or henchmen of leading politicians. They have done worse than this, they have selected for positions of trust and responsibility persons, not alone mentally incompetent, but mor ally as well. Making selection with out regard to qualifications, giving no particular person authority to con trol, hut making each a superior unto himself, thus causing incessant clash ing of authority and wrangling among themselves, and placing the party or appointive authority under direct obli gation, by levying an assessment monthly on all appointees and compel ling them to pay a fixed per rent of their salary to some one designated to receive it by the triumvirate for a cor ruption fund-combine to account for tins sad state of affairs. There are nome facts connected with the con temporaneous history of this institu tion painful to recite. They go beyond the confines of ordinary happenings and trespass upon the domain of scan dal ami criminality. Pluming by the history of the insti tution under the superintendent of Dr. Fall und Dr. Sprague land there Is little, difference between lhai portion of the history und that to which refer ence will be made (.attention will be given evil, wrongs and outragrr preva lent i.ow Dr l-ang the present superintendent, was appointed about one year ago. The nest moat responsible position— that of bookkeeper and steward was given to Janos MiHIkln, a political satellite from Fremont Though Mill kin kuew nothing id bookkeeping be was entrusted with keeping the ree< ords tiow be kepi them need* only to Ice seen to be c o'uprehendcd llad the figures leern blown Upon the {cages of the record* by a ryc-loae they would be Just AS easily Interpreted The de hits are mited with the credits and the credits With the debits Follies are seldom property made and there la no way of ascertaining fmm the rec ord the foil ittl.iit of accounts. I'f I be funds rr whether anybody Is debtor or c reditor of I he state The undisputed fact it that the records have not men hep* at all and • «arch*ng laceettg*. lion would no doubt result In startling dim leisures It la an open tettl ah ui • he iMs'ilutui i tea * MilMkln was not ai-ctie in omp tent I * t that k< w is freef-ontly in.oti at I wh-.e ns 4u"» Foreman \211is of the brush factory of the institution stated that lie hail re peatedly seen Mlllkln with a bottle of whiskey a* the institute, and that he did not only drink the liquor himself, but prewlsted in making other em ployes drink with him. One of the employes who had taken the Keeley cure and who had not tasted liquor for several years was persuaded by Mlllkln to Indulge. He then again be came a confirmed drunkard and finally, to get away from the temptation, bad to leave the Institute. Superintendent Lang remonstrated with Mtlllkin, tell ing him that be was setting a bad ex ample for the Inmates and employes, but to no uvall. Mtlllkin claimed that he was backed by Governor Poynter, by the fusion contingent of the beet sugar element at Fremont, and was not amenable to the rules or orders of the superintendent. NEW BRAND OF "CORN MEAL.” Nor were Mflfkin's shortcomings con fined to traditional consistency. Scarcely had he entered upon his du ties when be resorted to methods most questionable. On one occasion Super intendent Lang discovered, among sup plies delivered, a choice lot of straw berries. There was no provision In the contract covering supplies for the in stitution for this quality of food, and, looking over the bill or statement of the goods delivered, ho observed that the bill called for corn meal, but there w^a.s no corn meal delivered. “How Is this, Mllliken?” said Superintendent Lang, “I fail to see any entry on the bill for strawberries?’ “There It Is,” said Millikln, pointing to the entry, “corn meal.” “It was right then and there," said Dr. Lang to the writer, “that I discov ered that Millikln would bear watch ing. I told him that kind of dealing would not do, and that lie must stop It. But lie paid no attention to me. Only a few days afterward he became possessed of a half dozen boxes of ci gars. 1 asked him how he got them and he said the boys down town gave mem 10 mm. i Knew mat he got them in one of two ways—either by the ‘corn meal' dodge, or that some body was dealing witii tlje Institution selling supplies and with dishonest mo tives had given them to him. 1 again cautioned him against doing wrong, but he met my warning with a defiant sneer. Finding I could do nothing with him I went to Lincoln and laid all the facts before Governor Poynter. That ended it; Governor Poynter never stopped to consider the matter for a moment. Miilikin followed this up by getting drunk and coming to the in stitute in a drunken condition and bringing liquor with him. Again I pro tested to the governor, and again noth ing came of it. Finally things became so bad that in desperation I went to the governor and begged of him to act. The governor came down but did not have the moral courage to do any thing. Miilikin himself told the gov ernor that he was unable to keep the books and wanted to be relieved of it, but still no action. The governor at last concluded that he would get rid of Miilikin, and he asked me to hand in my resignation that he might show it to Miilikin and have an excuse for asking him for his. He said my resig nation was only a blind to fool Mtlll kln, and that he would not consider It as effective, and would use it only to get Miilikin out of the way. I re garded it a strange mode of procedure, but I complied with his request, think ing 1 was dealing with a man of prin ciple. Imagine my surprise when he announced a day or so later that we had both resigned, and subsequently lunuweu uus announcement ny me ap pointment of my successor. It was an act of subtle and flagrant perfldity. un worthy of a man of honor. I resisted and the courts will determine whether a resignation obtained In that way shall be effective "I lay much of the blame for the condition of affairs In the institute upon Governor Poynter and his hench men. They have forced upon the sol ary- list of the Institute as teachers and for one position and another, persons who are notoriously unfitted for such service. These appointments have been made on Ihe strength of polit ical "pulls” and without regard to rpinliflcntion or fitness. The governor has done more than this, he has tacit ly, If not openly, advised subordinates that his whims and not my rules should tie respected. He has encour aged them to resist my authority as superintendent from nlmoyt the very commencement of my t« n. I'nder such condition* the wars' * the best that could tie expected ROTTEN WITH KII.TII "When I came to this Institution It was rotten with filth. My predecessor had had Just such experience us I am having There was no such thing a* discipline There was constant strife among the employes and teat hers The rooms in the buildings were very filthy and unsanitary. This caused sh kuess among the Inmates and In soiio* Instances deaths incurred EKAHTINO AT THE t Til It One ha* only lo glance at the pay roll to see to what extent the fusion reformers are milking the public ireas ury. of the ftprei her family, the son and MmttI recentlyt the mother are draw* Ing fat salaries and the daughter was until recently Hying In luxury at the •tale's expense The dotttvun • are represented Alt the supreme court bench and as ms* iron at the institute gt Norfolk t*x Mcaator Muta has a daughter m the pay mil at (teatrbe tor rather up tu a hew weeks ago did have she hating been discharged hv ttupettn tetidenl lsii| I it !ns4borokkeeper, he then learned of some of the fruits of his blunders. He dis patched a bookkeeper from his office at Lincoln named Mclntee to Beatrice to untangle the mess. Mclntee pro ceeded to arrange the records as ha saw fit, and before Superintendent Lang knew what was going on he had (hanged about C>0 accounts. Fearing tiio governor and his repiescntatives had ulterior motives the superintend ent ordered the "expert" out of the building, and he departed. The records as they now stand are In a had way, and constitute a sweep ing Indictment of the fuslonista, being mute yet unimpeachable witnesses to glaring lncompetency and possible fraud. It Is due to Dr. Lang that he be ex culpated from all blame. His hands have been tied and be bus been a su perintendent In name only. At no time lias lie been free to administer the affairs of the* Institute without interfer ence from sources Involving a higher power. Sl’SIHCIOrfi REVELATIONS. Steward Ball and Superintendent Lang are hard at work rectifying er rors In the records and about the in stitute. One tiling is already notice able and that 's a decrease In the cost of groceries tor the institute. The grocery hi 11 for the month of May is $157. less than for April, and $172 less than for March. Milikin retired atKiut April 1st, but his errors did not ceare to hear fruit until recently. He used to permit the contractors to bill goods in bulk like, say for example, he pur chased ii sack of flour or sugar, it would he billed "one sack of flour or sugar $1.60," or whatever it might be, without giving the quantity in pounds or the quality. Tills left an opening for fraud, and a rectification of this practice has resulted in n large de crease in the expenses and in the com plete cessation of presents, such as cigars and other luxuries which used to lie sent lo the steward by parties selling goods to the institute. Why the cigars were sent and why they stopped coming, and why the cost of the groceries dropped nearly 30 per cent, is a problem carrying with it the odor of suspicion and fraud, and is a problem which Steward Millikln might experience some difficulty In satisfac torily explaining. CORItl PTINH THE PUBLIC SER VICE. Every month all the employes of the Institute from superintendent down to farm laborers are required by the fu sion leaders at Lincoln to give tip a portion of their salaries. The amount which they have to give up varies all the way from three per cent to five per cent. The rule Is that this money must be paid over or those who fall must, step down and out. Last year the de mands for money were heavy, and one of the employes, an engineer named Adams, rather than submit, handed in his resignation. In this respect the present year reveals no disposition to reform. Already the officials and em ployes In the various state Institu tions are being bled by the committee on extortion. Under date of April 2nd, 15*00, the following letter, which shows very clearly hew the work Is being done, was received at the Beatrice in stitute: LINCOLN, Neb., April 2, 19t>0. viru i irim u . We, the Finance Committee appoint ed by the populiet, democratic and free silver republican state central com mittee, do hereby call on you for the amount of assessment due from your department, or office, as provided for by the resolution sent you. The amount due at this time from your department is $148.84. We desire to say to all who are called on for funds, you have been recognized and honored by our forces and placed where you are drawing revenues from the state, and we shall expect you to contribute the small amount asked for monthly. T H. T1 HULKS. J. K. COAD. Jr. I,. K. CHAPIN This letter throws the white light of truth upon the hypocrisy and false protestations of the sham reformers. It not only reveals the inside workings of the machine, but It strongly corrobor ates the charge often made by populist officials who have felt the blighting curse of this evil, that one of the pri mary elements entering Into the con tamination and dentoralliai.on of slate institutions Is the practice of extort ing contributions to a campaign cor ruption fund. Thai this Is the prac | ttce. now a uted policy of the fusion ; campaign managers, the foregoing let 1 ter abundantly proven. Much of the | insubordination and consentient dis cord which exists In slate Institutions among the officials and employes Is < due largely to the fact that having con I trihnted to the corruption fund, every body feels that he Is si liberty to do as he pleases This has greatly Im I paired the puhltc service and has '»« end It to that level where the a.one? ! expended In the maintenance of (ties* I Institutions is prattles Hv dissipated Mo VXlfe, Sum, la an ktstenestt Hanot Muinui i ts ft hwsrzetuitstn. the new tier man minister to Chins, married an American at till hit pn>* iln nl-l the MUK'ered \"it Kelt«lir ' The h*rotten* though tmm in t.oa t<-n la the dsughit-c of • N< w Ytuber. Mr j Is Ynvtti a 11 at tin of tiovnrnor gmesltll Me* husband was hunter* ly twssolet tith ths i.oBix cm i assy sl Mstkiiji lln« May. and Import# from Iks isian I nrs Snarly doubted Kv l>dita ts Ike Island from ths United Matas IB May Ivj V wars |W '«♦, as I la Mag. war* •#** *T» Tka lm imti Into the I ailed sliig* Ich# th# •aland in M»» 1**» ware •«*#7 IT*, and In Ms* I • •» It ' Tl*. Mar com ie> r<-a with Bucto Mbo shows « much ft*wtar Increase thaw la ths • see with %ny #i u.e other Isia • ta th‘»»h < *na the commerce of May differed little from that of Ma;, 1899, and this was also the case wl<;h the Hawaiian Is lands; while In the Philippine islands the Imports show no increase, though the exports show a remarkable gain. trade of our islands. InrrriMril with the t'nlteil Htttui i.a»t Year to Old Krcortln. Kxports from the United States to Cuba. Porto Itiro, and the Hawaiian, Philippine, and Samoan Islands, amounted, In round numbers to $15, 000,000 In the flscul year 1900, and were more than three times as much as In 1896 and more than twice as much as in any year of our commerce with those Islands except In the years 1892, 1893, end 1891, when reciprocity great ly Increased our exports to Cuba and Porto Rico. To Cuba the total for the fiscal year was, In round figures, $25, 000,000 against $7,530,000 in 1896, and $24,157,000 in the great reciprocity year 1893. To Porto Rico the exports of the year were, In round terms, $2, 000,000, against an average of $2,750, 000 In the reciprocity years of 1892, 1893, anil 1894. To the Hawaiian Is lands the total for the year was about $15,000,000, or five times as much as in 1893, nearly four times as much as In 1890, and more than double the to tal for 1898 To the Philippines the total for 1900 was about $2,500,000, or more than In the entire fifteen years since 1885, the date at which the first record of our exports to the Philip pines was made by the Treasury Bu reau of Statistics. To the Samoan Is lands the exports of the year wire about $125,000, or nearly as much ns In all the years since 189(1, at which date the official records of our exports to those Islands began. The total Imports tn'co the United States from Cuba for the full year show a total of $31,000,000, against $15, 000,000 in 1898 and $18,500,000 In 1897, though they still ore less lliun one half the average for the reciprocity years 1892, 1893, and 1894, when our Imports from that Island averaged over $75,000,000 per annum. From Por to Rico the Imports of the year are but $1,350,000, which Is less than the total for any preceding year since 1880, and Is due to the destruction by last year’s tornado of the crops which supply Porto Rico’s chief articles of ex port. From the Hawaiian Islands the Imports for the full fiscal year are $21, 000,000, or double the average annual Importation for the period prior to 1890, and twenty per cent higher than in any preceding year. From the Philippines, despite the war conditions which reduce producing and exporting power, the Imports are larger than In any year since 1894. OUR POSITION IN CHINA. Our Claim to Ki|uul Karllllln* with Other Nation* I* A**urml. The diplomatic history of the United States affords no better example of successful endeavor to secure by mutu al consent an evident right than that offered by the recent correspondence carried on under the Presldt nt's direc tion for maintaining the "open door” of trade in China. The establishment of spheres of Influence In that ancient Umpire by European States, supported by the control of Important seaports, has seemed to many to forebode the practical partition of that country among foreign powers and the effect ive appropriation of commercial privi leges in China to the exclusion of all not able or willing to claim a portion for themselves. By a timely series of diplomatic notes Secretary Hay has ob tained assurances from the Govern ments of Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan and Russia, by which they pledge themselves not to Interfere with the perfect freedom of trade In those portions of China where their Influence may prevail. The unobstructed en joyment of the privileges of trade Is thus secured to American manufactur ers and merchants by the free consent of tho powers. Perhapa the most Important fruit of this unprecedented negotiation may prove to he that all the powers, feel ins the assurance of unrestricted com merce, may he disposed to accentuate to a less degree, or even abandon, that policy of commercial annexation which has apparently been promoted by the absence of such a Just and reasonable understanding. The American claim to unrestricted facilities of trado In China Is not a sp vlil favor arked and granted, or demanding reciprocity. It Is based on treaty rights which prom ise equal rights to Americans with the citizens or subj ects of the most fa vored natioua. The recognition of these rights has been obtained at a mo ment when they were apparently about to be ignored. laot t»U«r« Than liter. -I'Nwnt Kali rues for Klghteen Tear*" Is the headline on Itradstreet a record for the first half of this year. Thai nonpartisan business Journal says: ■ The number of fallurss reported for the flrst sti months of the caleVdir year IKO U the smallest noted for eight* «*n y***r* pat* Compared with a year ago. the falling off In number Is J3 p«*r rent, while compared with l»*t the decrease Is U per cent. Slid even larger decreases are noted when ion hariaons are mad* with the list half f the year* 1 *»T and ItK Tht* year, in fact, for the Ntst lime In eighteen yawr* tht six no*ath# failures hate •%'len l J<>« i.v"* m number WfcW* |« lib* Nffllfff f «h*tsMnt you igih*-r #«M corn si U . nig la t‘hl*ago than at |st« teals' i |he farmer wsw last months pre* ; the lai'e* sad the lower ggure was ths | i uusoeram prt * Is Jus*. Im RECLAIM ARID LANDS. Hopeful Tiding* for Wentero Htgtoa gad ■Jerri turiea. Washington, D. C.—Senator Warren before leaving for his home In Wyom ing, speaking of the work of the Na tional Republican Convention, said: "The platform adopted by the con vention conveys to the people of my state, and of every Western state and territory, the most hopeful tidings given them for many years. This is contained in the declaration that, ‘In further pursuance of the constant pol icy of the Republican party to pro vide free homes on the public domain, we recommend adequate national leg islation to reclaim the arid lands of the United States, reserving control of the distribution of water for Irriga tion to tho respective states and ter ritories.' "The fact that the Republican party puls no Idle words In Its platforms and redeems every promise it makes to the fullest degree is appreciated in the West, and with the positive declaia tlon that the party is committed to reclamation of the arid lands of the country, all doubts that this will be done, aud done speedily, are removed. "Had 1 had such a declaration to hack me up at the close of the 56tU Congress, when I attempted tr» securg an appropriation for the building of storage reservoirs in the West, suc cess would have been assured. With such a declaration now a plank In the platfrom of the Republican party, suc cess is in sight, and I confidently be lieve that before the 66th Congress closes, it will provide means for the inauguration of a system of reclama tion of our arid lands which will do us much for the arid West as tho adoption of the Homestead Iaiw did for the great Middle West country. ‘‘The Republican party has already taken the preliminary steps in tho work of reclaiming the arl 1 lands of the West, and what It has done Is of such practical and useful nature tnat a substantial foundation Is already es tablished upon which the work of rec lamation can be continued and lie made of lasting material benefit to ihe West. The first definite action taken towards reclamation of arid lands by (he government was secured by the Republican party, In 1886, when by the provisions of tho River and Harbor Act, under a section which I had the honor to present, an appro priation of $5,000 was made ‘for ex amination of site* and report upon the practicability and desirability of con structing reservoirs and other hy draulic works necessary for the stor age and utilization of water, to pre vent floods and overflows, erosion of river banks, and breaks of levees, and to reinforce the flow of streams during urougui ana tow water seasons, ai least one site each in the states of Wyoming and Colorado.’ "The examination thus provided for was made by Capt. H. N. Chittenden, Corps of Engineers, and this report made by him showed most convinc ingly the practicability, utility, and economy of land reclamation by means of storage reservoirs to be built at government expense. The report of Capt. Chittenden is regarded as the most valuable contribution of infor mation obtainable upon this subject, nnd Is In so great demand that the 56th Congress has directed that 3,009 additional copies be printed. “The next practical step in the di rection of arid land reclamation was taken in the 55th Congress when by provisions of the Agricultural Appro priation 1)111, appropriations of $10,000 and $35,000 were provided to make a series of investigations by experts in practical Irrigation. These Investiga tions were plated in charge of Prof. Elwood Mead of Wyoming, recognized as the leading authority on irrigation problems in America. The present Congress has Increased the amount for this year’s Investigations under Prof. Mead to $50,000, and the scope of his work has been enlarged to cover many new irrigation experi iimuis aim "In addition to these Investigations. Congress has encouraged and sus tained by liberal appropriation the work of stream measurements und in vestigation of water resources of the country, conducted by the United States Geological Survey. “The Republican party, as I have said, never makes a promise It does not fulfill, und 1 confidently anticipate that at a very early day, the practical work of Irrigation Investigations un der Prof. Mead, the collection of data of water resources by the Geological Survey, aud the location and survey of storage reservoir sites In Wyoming and Colorado by Capt. Chittenden, will be followed by the erection by the government, on the headwaters of our prim l pal Western rivers, of stor age reservoirs which will serve to re claim millions of acres of land now arfd and useless, and transform them Into productive farms and homes. The Increase In value of land as suun as It Is reclaimed and Is Insured a perma nent water supply ts enormous, and with the waters of our Western riv ers. now running to waste, fully m||. Med, the growth that will come to the We** wiii Iw aim >*i beyond compre hension/* rmSwlhwi *1 Spelter, The production of spelt >r I screwed more than to per cent between lt>| end IIH In the Galena Joplin district the ewiue of the pro tu t was I-' too itioiv si tssa than to is*. iu.« *,.* go« h President M Hiuley s polity « > p«nin* the mitt*. a HkS the li-c* *<* w-sfonly la tOcCHl was o* ,r tl M« and It was piled a| against csMuplete fails*, A hst wiU it i be I* the esh*r dtstsnl