Message of Governor James S. Hogg to the twenty-fourth legislature of Texas Page: 25 of 48
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MESSAGE OF GOVERNOR HOGG.
THE LUNATICS.
Reliable official information shows that of over 1500 lunatics in the
asylums, there are less than 300 who can be cured or restored to mental
soundness. In other words there are now about four-fifths of all the
inmates of those institutions that are incurable. A large per cent of them
are imbeciles, but strong and harmless, fully capable of performing valuable
manual labor if the State possessed suitable quantities and qualities
of agricultural lands about the asylums for the purpose. According to
the opinion of the superintendents of such institutions, open air exercise
and manual labor upon farms by those physically able to perform the
work is not only useful, but proper and necessary.
It would seem that the concentration of these harmless, incurable
charges at some point within the State, suitable for the purpose, to make
room in the various asylums for the curable cases demanding admission,
would be much better than to incur the expense of extending the already
commodious buildings. A cheap, good piece of agricultural land, with
comfortable but not costly houses, where these unfortunates could be
cared for and utilized so as to defray their own expenses, without the
harm that would result from their absolute freedom, would be a practical
solution of the question. At all events, the space within the asylums, in
some way, should be occupied by that class of patients who are curable or
require restraint.
OTHER CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS.
The Blind Asylum, the Deaf and Dumb Institute, the asylum for the
deaf and dumb and blind of the colored race, all at Austin; the Orphans,
Home, at Corsicana, are each and all model institutions, clean, well kept,
and ably and efficiently operated. This may be said also of the three
lunatic asylums. These charitable institutions are objects of pride to
every patriotic citizen, and should never suffer for lack of moral, sympathetic,
or financial support.
THE PENITENTIARIES.
An inspection of the penitentiary statistics, shown in the table, will
disclose some very interesting results. On November 1st last, there were
3891 convicts in penal servitude. Up to that time for the preceding four
years there were appropriated $152,687.65. During that period valuable
permanent improvements, consisting of a foundry, machine shops, work
houses, two railroads about twelve miles long, all amounted in the
aggregate, at a reasonable valuation, to $334,945; leaving the improvements
alone, over and above appropriations, $182,257.35. The receipts
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Hogg, J.S. (James S.). Message of Governor James S. Hogg to the twenty-fourth legislature of Texas, book, 1895; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth5862/m1/25/: accessed April 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .