MASSACHUSETTS. 



517 



urer and Receiver-General for three successive 

 terms, and no more. This measure must be act- 

 ed upon favorably by the Legislature of 1884, 

 and accepted by a majority of the people, to 

 become a portion of the Constitution. 



The session was chiefly remarkable for the 

 number of bills which the Governor vetoed; but 

 one of them was passed over the veto, the large 

 Democratic minority making such a thing im- 

 possible as long as party lines were maintained. 

 After the first trial of strength there was a 

 break of party lines, which widened as time 

 went on, several of these vetoes being sustained 

 by a vote of nearly two thirds in their favor. 

 That on which most time was spent and which 

 attracted the most attention was relative to a 

 bill to incorporate the Union Safe Deposit 

 Vaults of Boston. 



The length of the session was chiefly due to 

 a prolonged investigation by a joint committee 

 of the two houses into the condition and man- 

 agement of the State Almshouse at Tewksbury. 

 The investigation, comprising sixty-five hear- 

 ings, and extending over a period of three and 

 a half months, was extraordinary in some of 

 its features. 



The special charges contained in Gov. But- 

 ler's inaugural address were as follow : 



Have there not been scandals, public and well 

 known, for years in that institution? Was it not 

 charged, and never denied, that, for years, of the in- 

 fants born in or sent to that institution more than 90 

 per cent, died as such ? All of these did not fill an in- 

 fant pauper's grave, even ; for it can be shown that 

 from 150 to 250 infant corpses were annually sold as 

 merchandise to a single medical institution in the 

 State, for from three to five dollars each. Many, if 

 not all, came from thence, besides large numbers of 

 bodies of pauper adults, furnished for other medical 

 purposes, and sold as merchandise for very considera- 

 ble sums ; and that done secretly, and not under and 

 in accordance with the provisions of the law, which, 

 under certain safeguards, permit almshouses to fur- 

 nish the unclaimed bodies of deceased paupers for dis- 

 secting purposes to surgeons and medical schools, ac- 

 cording to the deceit and humane provision of the 

 statute. Was this not in testimony before a grand 

 jury ? Has it not been publicly known ? What record 

 has the State of these dead infant children, to whom 

 it took the place of parent ? What account, even, has 

 ever been returned of the price of this merchandise of 

 the ghouls ? What record of birth or death or burial- 

 place, by. which such bodies could be identified or 

 classified ? 



Another charge was, that one of the trustees 

 had said that he made enough out of the com- 

 missions on what was bought for the institu- 

 tion to pay him for his time. Another was, 

 that the salaries of the State institutions were 

 70 per cent, of the appropriations. 



A majority of the committee reached a con- 

 clusion that the Governor's charges were not 

 sustained, and their report was approved by 

 the Legislature. In relation to salaries the re- 

 port says : " We dispose of the latter, so far as 

 it touches this institution now, by stating that 

 the appropriation for the Tewksbury Alms- 

 house last year was $93,000, and of this $20,- 

 000 went for salaries of officers and wages of 

 attendants and nurses. The per cent, in this 



case is less than twenty-two. Our conclusion 

 as to the trustees is that while we find in the 

 records and in their action evidence of care- 

 lessness, we do not find anything to impeach 

 their substantial integrity and efficiency." 



Finances. There are no temporary loans to 

 provide for, and there has been no increase of 

 the funded debt during the year. 



Funded debt, Jan. 1. 1888 $82 511 680 90 



It has been reduced by the following 



payments from the sinking funds, 



viz. : Coast-defense loan $877,000 



Bounty- fund loan 198,000 



1,075,000 00 



Funded debt, Jan. 1, 1884 $31,486,680 90 



Scrip to the amount of $11,000 oi the Coast- 

 defense loan and of $2,000 of the Bounty-fund 

 loan, now outstanding, will be paid from the 

 sinking funds, on presentation to the Treasury 

 Department. No further installment of the 

 public debt will be due and payable until 1888. 



SINKING FUNDS. 



Amount Jan. 1, 1888 $16,944,268 05 



.Reduced by payment of Coast-de- 

 fense loan $877,000 



Eeduced by payment of Bounty-fund 



loan 198,000 



1,075,000 00 



Total $15,869,263 05 



Amount of sinking fund, Jan. 1, 1884 16,836,180 55 



Increase $966,917 50 



Troy and Greenfield RaUroad and Hoosae Tunnel. 

 The contracts under which these are operated 

 run till Oct. 1, 1887. 



Total income of the State for the year ending 



8ept.80,18S3 $298,887 88 



Operating expenses same period 168,514 68 



Net earnings $130,373 15 



No account is taken in this connection of the 

 Southern Vermont Kailroad, which is under 

 lease for a fixed rental of $12,000 yearly. 



Expended by manager in construction, same pe- 

 riod $285,615 29 



Balance on hand Sept. 80, 1883, unexpended .... 142,957 95 



Of the double track ordered by the Legisla- 

 ture, and continued under several appropria- 

 tions, 35y^ 3 miles have been completed and 

 are now in actual use. It is expected that the 

 road-bed will be ready early in the coming 

 summer. No considerable expenditure has 

 been required in the tunnel during the year. 



The Treasurer of the Commonwealth furnish- 

 es the following memorandum as to the fund- 

 ed indebtedness on account of the railroad and 

 tunnel : 

 1888 April 1st $2,968,565 00 



October 1st 109,496 25 



1889 July 1 st 2,01 1,324 45 



October 1st 142,588 45 



1890 April 1st 200,000 00 



October 1st 805,12955 



1891 April 1st 216,500 00 



July 1st 8.618,242 75 - 



1898 April 1st 200,000 00 



Julylst 400,00000 



October 1st 465,000 00 



1894-April 1st 85,000 00 



Julylst 800,00000 



1895- January 1st... 1,506,181 75 



Julylst 1,800,000 00 



1897- September 1 st 870,000 00 



Total .$14.198,028 20 



