558 



MICHIGAN. 



torney-General, Moses Taggart ; Superintend- 

 ent of Public Instruction, Theodore Nelson ; 

 Land Commissioner, Minor S. Newell ; Insur- 

 ance Commissioner, Henry S. Raymond ; Kail- 

 road Commissioner, William McPherson, Jr. ; 

 Labor Commissioner, C. V. R. Pond. Supreme 

 Court : Chief- Justice, James V. Campbell ; As- 

 sociate Justices, Thomas R. Sherwood, John 

 W. Champlin, and Allen B. Morse. 



Credit and General Condition. The Governor, 

 in his message to the Legislature of 1887, says : 

 "Our State is practically out of debt; conse- 

 quently, nothing need be said of its credit, be- 

 cause it does not use it, nor is it probable 

 that it will ever have occasion to do so again. 

 The Treasurer's report shows that the State of 

 Michigan owes $231,000, which will mature 

 in 1890, and the Treasurer has in his possession 

 United States Government 4|-per-cent. bonds 

 to the amount of $231,000, which balances the 

 account. The crops for the past two years 

 have in the main been excellent and abundant; 

 business everywhere is prosperous and increas- 

 ing, and a spirit of amity seems to exist be- 

 tween employes and employers throughout the 

 State, where heretofore more or less disagree- 

 ment in many locations divided them." 



State Institutions. The State institutions are, 

 in the main, in excellent condition. The State 

 University, Agricultural College, and Normal 

 School all require appropriations for repairs, 

 improvements, and maintenance. The Re- 

 form School for Boys, at Lansing, is doing a 

 good work. : ' The Industrial Home for Girls, 

 at Adrian, 1 ' says the Governor, "needs some 

 careful attention and consideration. A very 

 great wrong connected with this institution 

 should be righted at once. While there are 

 many bad girls in the school, there are quite a 

 large number of small ones, and some larger 

 ones too, who are sent there simply because 

 they have no friends. They are charged with 

 'vagrancy,' and with being ' wayward' any- 

 thing to come under the letter of the law, to 

 get rid of the care of them. No girl can go to 

 that school without carrying away more or 

 less of a taint which affects her character, and 

 will do so through life, as it is purely a re- 

 formatory, and the innocent class referred to 

 should be taken away immediately. Several 

 smaller girls have been sent home and recom- 

 mitted to the Cold water school within the 

 past year, from which place they have been 

 sent to comfortable homes. I recommend the 

 enactment of a law absolutely prohibiting the 

 sending of any girl to that institution that has 

 not a bad character. Also that the law be so 

 made that girls now there, or hereafter sent 

 there, under any circumstances, of that class, 

 may be transferred to the Coldwater school 

 direct, upon the consent of the joint boards of 

 the two institutions." The Coldwater school 

 in twelve years has received nearly 2,200 chil- 

 dren, and placed in homes over 1,900 of them. 

 Its management is excellent. This institution 

 has the great advantage of a special agent, 



which the Governor recommends for the Re- 

 form School and the Industrial Home for Girls, 

 who spends the greater part of his time in 

 finding homes for the children, and looking 

 after them after they are placed in such homes. 

 " The State Prison at Jackson needs a thorough 

 overhauling. The Ionia House of Correction 

 is in excellent condition. At the State Prison 

 for the Upper Peninsula the work of construc- 

 tion is progressing in a most satisfactory man- 

 ner. The site is beautiful, and the surround- 

 ings all that could be desired. The schools 

 for the Blind and Deaf and Dumb are doing a 

 good work. The four insane asylums have 

 made requests for improvements, for the pur- 

 chase of land, and for the building of cottages. 

 The new asylum at Traverse City is, in con- 

 struction and management, all that could be 

 desired. The Asylum for Insane Criminals, at 

 Ionia, is ably managed, but its location, over- 

 looking the prison-yard, is unfortunate. The 

 mining interest of Michigan has become so 

 great, although still in its infancy, that all that 

 pertains to the scientific knowledge concerning 

 it should be encouraged. The mining school 

 has opened under the most favorable auspices, 

 and at the close of the first term is in ad- 

 mirable working order. The Soldiers' Home 

 was erected on a beautiful site near Grand 

 Rapids, which was purchased by its citizens at 

 a cost of about $16,000, and presented to the 

 State. Plans and specifications were advertised 

 for to construct a building that would accom- 

 modate at least 400 people. The bids ranged 

 from $158,381 to $99,667.61. The latter was 

 accepted. The building was substantially com- 

 pleted and dedicated on December 30. The 

 Home, since it was established, has accommo- 

 dated a large number of old soldiers, but could 

 not take all who applied, although deserving, 

 on account of lack of funds. These veterans 

 have been scattered around among boarding- 

 houses since the law establishing it went into 

 effect. An average of 400 veterans will need 

 to be accommodated." Below will be found 

 the amount of appropriation made to the sev- 

 eral institutions for 1885 and 1886, and the 

 amount asked for 1887 and 1888 : 



