Excerpt from Eighth Biennial Report of the Board of State Commissioners of Public Charities of the State of Illinois: Presented to the Governor, November, 1881

The powers Of the State commissioners of public charities are restricted to the right to inspect the premises, the inmates and the records; to ask questions, under oath, if necessary; to make sug gestions; and to give information and counsel, at their discretion to the legislature and the governor. The special function Of a State board Of charities is to make comparisons, to criticise and to advise. To enable it to do its work, it must have power to prescribe the forms of financial and other statistical returns to be made by the institutions, to examine accounts and vouchers, and to inquire into everything connected with the management of the institutions. It must be authorized, on the one hand, to inform itself thoroughly as to the care of the unfortunate by the counties, and, on the other hand, to learn the methods adopted by other States, in order to the introduction of improved methods at home. For this purpose a certain amount of, visitation of institutions outside of the State is essential. The organization of the National Conference of Charities and Corrections has been a great aid to us in this respect, by wid ening our outlook and bringing us more directly into contact with our co-laborers throughout the country, thus enabling us to profit by their experience. As will be seen, our work is professional, rather than administrative.

With the general result of the labors of the past sixteen years in this field, the people of the State are tolerably familiar. They know that the institutions have been free from scandal of every sort; that the per capita cost of maintenance has been reduced more than one third; that a vastly increased number Of unfortunates are cared for; that the facilities for their proper care have been improved and augmented; that the county farms are or soon will be freed from the presence with other paupers of the chronic insane; that the principle of the supremacy Of the State over its institutions has been made prominent in their management, and that they have been kept free from local or partisan control for selfish ends; that the laws for their government have been strictly enforced; and that the reputation of the State of Illinois for liberality, humanity, integ rity and economy, in this, as in other branches Of the State govern ment, is deservedly high.

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