Show THE INSANE ASYLUM EXPOSURE wo publish this issue 1 portion of the revelations being made at the investigation of the cook county asylum the investigation is still unfinished but enough lias been developed to show beyond a doubt that a most shocking state of affairs exists at that institution it is enough to stir a mutiny in the coldest blood to follow the development of that inquiry set on foot originally by the death of an from injuries received at the h ands of brutal attendants if the stones of cruelty and misery which are being told had come to us from oversea over sea it would have called out a general outburst of in di not long ago the lecturer kennan aroused the sympathies of a chicago audience by describing the hor hors of the political pens in siberia but his tale was tame and humano as compared with the ono he might have told had he taken a little pains to find out the true inwardness of the cook county asylum for the insane one must so back to alio middle ages when europe was the dark continent to find a parallel to aliese miseries and cruelties cruel ties the most discouraging thing about all is that these atrocities have occurred under so called reform county boards the bood lers were driven out of office by the whip of public indignation it was supposed that in their pi ace had been secured men who would inaugurate a new and better condition of affairs it looks as if the reformers were BO intent on economy that they had no thought for alie humane phase of their duty thero is something besides low taxation included in the term reform as used in connection with public affairs and economy can not make amends for indifference to cruelty and squalor it is evident that the great difficulty is that ho management of this and kindred other institutions is conducted on a political basis and not on one of philanthropy anth ropy ami fitness the change from dr spray to dr kiernan was thought to be an improvement but it did not strike at tho root of alie evil on tho contrary the old system went right on and would have continued without material change no matter who might be in charge the attitude of county attorney bliss would indicate that the board itself would now be glad to bo rid of the annoyance and responsibility of looking after and peddling out the positions in the asylum |