The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-01-22

average assessed value of land in Mitchell
County is S2.9s per acre, ard this is prcbabl
not to exceed ~ or 20 per cent. OF their tru
V2lue. This sale of Normal School lands ha
PROVOKED considerable criticism in the put
lie press, ana il may be well for the Leg-sia
tUre TO make inquiries concerning IT, Moth
ing appears to have been known By the pull
.ic OF the contemplated sale until after it wa
conSuUlInate5, and this fact has aroused sus
picions which may be unjust. But il ShOul
be the settled policy OF the state that no sal
Of similar character be allowed until afte
due public notice. by advertisement. Pull
licity Il sovereign preventive Of wrong
doing in public affairs, and 2n ounce of IL /
worth more than TOT OF discussion and in
YestiGEtiOn after the wrong has been com
mitted. Not Sn acre of Land in which tB
State has an interest Should be permitted Z
be sold without due public notice by adver
/ t.senent.
THE PERM ASEHT sCaoOI. FUND.
For many years past certain fraIdulen
bonds pUTpOrtn9 TO have been issued by tn,
7 Counties OF Rice. Norton and Comancho
and aggregating $l4,jJl, have been cou1tc'
1 as part of the permanent school fund. TIT
! constitution provides that this fund "shal
not be diminished" ard that the interes
therofrom snail be invariably appropriated
: to the support OF the common schools. y:
the fraudulent bonds above referred to PRO
dGce no interest, their purchase through thi
. agency of the State virtually diminished th'
{ permanent school fund and the SfGte should
( make good to the fund tie amount OF thes'
/ bonds The State Treasurer should also b'
! instructed 10 cancel these bonds. and TIE
! Auditor directed to make the proper record:
and credits upon the books OF his Office.
! TIE STATE SCHOOL LANDS.
! No interest OF Kansas has been so reck
! lcssly and inproVidently managed as thC
state school lands. On her admission intI
/ the Union. Kansas received for tie SIIDpO:H
! of schools. fully 2.lSJ9D acres of public
lands. Properly he'd and guarded. the pro
Cec51 arising from the sale of these Lands
I would have created permanent school fund
sufficient in amount to meet almost the en-
. T.re expense of our common schools. But
mere aDSii-ji system than that provided by
our laws for the control and final disposal O1
school lands il would be difficult TO devise
( Under its malTn influence the permanent
school fund has been deprived of probably
one-lGI the total amount that should have
| been, and, under proper system, would
have been realized from the lands already
sold.
Every Governor OF the State during the
past eight years has directed the attention OF
tac Legislature to This reckless and iu.prOyi
deEt system, and their suggestions and re-
eOmrccGIatons touching this subject have
bOeE supplemented by t:c elaborate reports
OF several STATE Auditors TrcGSurerS ana Su-
PcTinlc.6eGtS OF Public instruction. Bat
nothing has been done TO correct the defects
and abuses of the system, nor 70 protect the
magnificent school domain of the State from
GeSp3liatiOI
Tile faults Of The present system may be
briefly summed Up: FIRST, il puts the CON
troll of the sale OF school lands into the
hands OF those who want to buy; second, the
date nc'rEhors Of those who want to buy;
ana, third. the proceeds of every sale are
large y reduced by The eXtrGvGgant fees al
lowed local officers. The results of these
faults have been and are: First. the perml-
nent school fund has already teen deprived
OF Az enormous aggregate amount by reason
of sales effected az extremely low valuations;
second, the fees OF county officers arising
from such sales, aggregate from Sl2OO 40
$4,000 Snnunllj; and, third, the fund has lost
nearly 5000 by reason OF the defalcaiions
of County TrcaSurors.
! earnestly renew tho recommendation
made by my three immediate predecessors
in Office, that a. State Land Department be
created under the control and direction of Il
shall have the entire management of all
lands owned or controlled by the State. Such
n department, organized under Il carefully
framed law and surrounded with all neceS-
S:.ry restrictions ard SafeGuarcS, would be
f&r less expensive. far more efficient, and in
every respect preferable to the present cum
brCGS, awkward and waSteful system.
a. > :. STATE CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS.
The biennial report of the Board Of TrIS-
tees having charge OF the State charitable
Institutions furnishes full detailed informa-
maiflta ming, capacity and requirements of
the aSyiumS and schools for the care and
education of those unfortunate citizens who
are mentally or physically afflicted.
Some years ago the Legislature wisely con-
sOlidGtcd the management of all our charita-
bic and refcrl1atOTy institutions under one
Board. The change has been attended with
the best results. But the system under which
these institutions are managed is. in many
respects, imperfect and the supervision the
Board exercises over them is Inadequate
The Trustees, receiving no salaries and hold
ing only occasional meetings. cannot devote
such time aGd attention to the supervision
of the institutions in their charge rs, in my
Judgment, the importance of this trust
should reGNre. Six great pgblic charities,
the insane :isyiums at 0ssawatOmic ard To-
pesa, he institution 1T WyGGdOttC for the
education of the blind. the institution q"
OlatEe for the education of the deaf and
duub. the State Reform School near Topeka,
and the asylum at Lawrence for idCtic and
imbncilc youth, are remote frcm each other,
and even the most occasional ana superficial
visitation and inspection, by the members CT
the Board. is difficult and eXacting and eX-
pt2Sye to the state.
More than tvo-fIfths OF the total aDprO-
priations made by the Legislature FOR the
support Of the State Government during the
current fiscal ycar-S;sI2.SSt or total OF
s.gSI..ri,.-arG expended fOr the maintenance
OF theSc charities. Yet the expenditure Of
this vast SUM of money, as well as the still
more vital question Of properly supervising
the management Of these Institutions, i COM
lnit!"d entirely - the Charge of Il small body
OF citizens who hold only occasional meet
iii%S, make few and hasty visits OF irspec-
ton, and, having their own private concerns
10 cngrOSs their time and interest, can not
fairly hc expected TO do more than this.
IN my Judgment the Executive, in nom-
mating members OF the board, should dcSig-
nate CEe OF them as Secretary, ard the Sec
rctary should he salariCd officer. and
sHOuld devote his entire time and energy 10
the work which properly comes under the
supervision Of the board lie should have
an Office IA the State Capital. i'll which ali the
records, accounts and papers or the board
should he kept: he should he required to ire
gue3tly v;Sit ana carefully inspect al the
charitable institutions; and he should gather
and compile. for the information OF the Leg
is!&turC, facts and statistics concerning the
management Of the iai!S and aim hOuScs of
the State. and the lacal expenditures ON ac-
count Oi the dependent c!a@ScS.
l believe that the change thus recon-
mended would not only result in Erecting
important and desirable reforms in the man
agcmeut on the State charitable institutions,
but would be measure Of economy.
THE PENIrENTT AIRY.
The reports Of tue Directors, Warden and
other officers Of the State PcHitentiary show.
in detail, the operations OF that inst :tutiOn
during the last two fiscal years The Peni-
tentiary not only continues self-sustainiag.
but the profits of the coal mine have made
it Il source of revenue to the State. Its sur
plus earnings for the year ended June n,
Il /, were S-5,1i1.U9. and the Directors express
the opinion that the Institution VIII here
after. not Only continue sclf-SGstaining but
that its earnings VIII be sufficient TO carry on
and complete the improvements rendered
necessary by the increasing prison popula-
ton.
The output Of tho coal mine is steadily I'm
creaSiug For the year ended June - ISSS
il was .:il 4s3 bushels. ard for the year ended
June 81. 1854. il reached 81 .SJ7 bushels.
The Directors and Warden report that an
other cell house is necessary; advise the in
trOGuctiOn o: electric lights in the prison;
recommend :; number of additions and i'm
prorementS: and call attention to several
defects or omissions in the laws regulating
the management OF the institution. These
suggestions are commended TO your atten-
ton.
Sirce the biennial reports of the officers OF
the PcniJentiary were prepared. ii has been
discovered that the chief clerk of the prison,
J. PuSev, has stolen funds TO Il consider
able amount b} IKE ans of forged voucher :
and other criminal practices. Pusey diSap-
pcared Smultsrcouslo with the detection of
henGed.
r-l ,,-s C,..., 49, -, A.. A., .