Rensselaer Republican, Volume 19, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 August 1887 — DEMOCRATIC GANG RULE [ARTICLE]

DEMOCRATIC GANG RULE

How the Insane Hospital is Being Un--7 scrupulously Mismanaged. A Wrongful of Funds—How Democratic Violated the Law in Paying Out Money—The State Auditer < Discovert that •117,143.40 Was Illegally Paid Out of the Funds Belonging to the Present Fiscal Year. kidienayolis Journal. The report of the way things are going on at the Hospital for the Insane, with Harrison and Gapon still at the head of affairs, is not calculated to give the public increased confidence in those persons. The annual appropriation for the maintenance of the institution is $260,000, or about $21,000 per month. At the investigation by the committee of the House of Representatives last winter there was found a deficit of unpaid debts for the year ending October, 1886, of over SIO,OOO, which had been concealed in order to make a show’ing of economy. The institution, under the Harrison-Gapen system, is running behind again this year about the same amount, or will,at the rate they are now going, probably increase the deficit to $13,000 or more. A_ new employe - has been put in the store room, forcing out an old employe, a thoroughly capable man, who gave testimony against the Sullivan butter during last winter’s investigation. The new man, it is understood, came recommended by Senator Baiiey, deputy United States attorney 7, and John E. Sullivan, lately tried in the United States Court, with others, for the tally sheet conspiracy. There will not trouble in the future about receiving the Swllivan butter at the Hospital for the Insane. Some time ago an employe was caught stealing. He was discharged,but Having political influence he was taken back, and is now employed at the institution. The dairy has practically been disposed of. There are some sixty head of cattle. Some of them have been butchered, some sold and hides and tallow have been disposed of, it is said, without any record of the transactions. Some of the horseshave died. Dr. Harrison traded one of the horses for a cow in Boone county and then killed the cow. Among the political attendants is a man who comes up with an odorous record,' having been fined in Brown county for public indecency. The ward reports for June and July will show that a great deal of bad butter is again being supplied to the institution by Dr. Harrison’s favorite caterers. Saturday night, after the federal jury reported their failure to agree in the tally-sheet conspiracy cases, a grand celebration and a drunk took place in the store-room of the hospital. Tiie storeroom is the residence of the store-keep-er, J. 8. Hall. Mr. Hall does not drink and would not tolerate festivities of this kind unless they were forced upon his premises by persons of superior authority at the institution. This brings up the question as to who paid for the celebration. One of the hospital physicians, as is well known, visited the federal building almost every day while the conspiracy trial was going on and took a deep interest in. the matter. After the celebration a quarrel took place, and one of the participants, a young man, is so angry that he proposes to tell all about the polh-books and other curious matters connected with the November election at Mt. Jackson, with the part taken therein by the officers of the Indiana Hospital for the Insane.

Dr. Browning’s dismissal was not connected with, the discharge of a male attendant for kicking an epileptic patient, but he was discharged because he would not make room Democratic legislator. Dr. Browning first made himself disliked by recommending the discharge of the son of Dr. Howard, who was employed at the institution. Dr. Howard was a member of the last legislature. The true reason for Dr. Browning’s discharge lies in the fact that this legislator wanted the Doctor’s position himself. Harrison and Gapen asked the Doctor to resign in order that Senator Howard might step into his .shoes as assistant physician. Dr. Browning refused to resign for that purpose, but the beard forced him out. From recent discoveries of short-com-ings in Democratic financial management the presumption is warranted that if that party had continued its control of the State funds there would have been a destruction of the State credit before long. It turned over to the Republicans at the beginning of this year an embarrassed general fund, in which there is not now a dollar to pay current demands. It became necessary in April, barely two months after the Democrats had retired from the offices of the Auditor and Treasurer of State, jo borrow $340,000 for interest. Had the interest money on the non-iiegotiable school fund bonds been applied to its proper purpose this large loan could have been avoided, but last year especially the Democrats were in desperate straits to make their record good. It wa&life oi death for the party T ahd to tecape the latter the State officials, particularly the Auditor and Treasurer of State, went to extremes to show a balance in the general

fnrid. The means pursued were in direct violation of the statute, which says: “The Auditor of State shall at no time,draw a warrant upon the Treasurer , of State unless there be money in the treasury belonging to the fund upon which the same is drawn to pay the same, and in conformity to appropriations made by law. and on money actually in the treasury subject to the payment of same.” When the Republicans went out of office they left a balance in the general fund of nearly $500,000 subject to current checking. In the summer and fall of 1886 there was not a dollar in that fund belonging to it legitimately, with which to meet current indebtedness. Warrant after warrant was presented during this period and instead of stamping such “not paid for want of funds”'the scheme was concocted to use school money. This not only reduced the balance in money that should have been paid over to the school revenue, but deferred the payment of interest on ih non-negotiable school fund bonds. It is this that has led to the present exhaustion of the general fund and to it is partly attributable the necessity for the loan of $340,000 with which to pay interest. The Democrats had not only wiped out the general fund balance they received in 188.3, but had increased the State debt from $971,825.12 t 052,161,825.12. U nder the cover of this statement lay details of reprehensible practices which easily explain why the State has not a dollar to pay warrants issued against the general fund At the beginning of the last fiscal year under Democratic management, Nov. 1, 1885, the State had only $61,709.16 in the general fund, against the balance of $481,607,95 the Rep üblicans showed at the beginning of their last fiscal year in 1882. During the year ending Oct. 31. 1886, receipts from all sources were $1,862,155.49, and the disbursements were $1,877,474.53, leaving an alleged balance at the beginning of the present year of only $39, 390.12. The annual report of ihe Democratic Auditor of State for the year ending Oct. tl, 1886, shows these figures, and it also makes an exhibit that the semiannual interest bn non-negotiable school fund bonds required to be paid to the school revenue for tuition fund, on April .10 and Oct. 10 of each year, amounting to $234,286,99, wasmot paid until Aug. 31 and Dec. 31, 1886. In order to meet the demands on an exhausted general fund warrants were drawn on the second half of this interest money, $117,143.44, and the payment of interest that should have been made in October was wrongfully carried over w the present fiscal year, when the interest was paid Dec. 31, last. When the statement of disbursements is made up hat the end of the year, it will therefore show, through this Democratic method used to ease the party’s credit,that three payments of interest, of $117,143.49 each were taken from the general fund instead of two, amounting to $234 286.9®, which are lawfully due this year. Had the interest warrant of $117,148 4® been paid Oct. 10, instead of Dec. 31, as the law requires, the general fund would have shown an overdraft of $77,753.37, and not the balance, $39,890.12 the Democratic Auditor of State represented at the end of the last fiscal year. It was illegally throwing this payment of $117,143,49 into the disbursements for the fiscal year ending Oct. 31,1887, that the general fund was deduced that amount, hence the present embarrassment. The Democrats in this fund leave no money to pay warranto issued against it, so they, without law to authorize it, deferred paying the October interest on the non-negotiable school fund bonds until December, and used the money to pay current warrants, thus causing a general fund deficit at the beginning of the present fiscal year of $77,754.37, instead of a balance wrongfully presented.