Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1895-01-19

as valuable, and as useful for the instruction
| of children, as the new ones which he is COM
| against the system of state uniformity, and
] there are many arguments for it, and where it
has been tried 1t has proven very advantageous
! Chickamauga.
IN that memoraUre DaLtIe kansas was repre-
sented by Gen. Robert B. Mitchell, command
| ing division of cavalry; Col. John A. Martini
| commanding a brigade, and Lieut-Col. J. L.
Alternately, commanding the Eighth regiment
| Of Kansas volunteers.
| The battle one of the most impo rtant Of
! the war, and the Kansas troops fought with
much bravery, rejecting honor their state.
The loss OF the brave Eighth has seldom been
excelled by any regiment any battlefield
They went into the engagement with four hun
| dred and six men; they came out with one hun
dred and Sixty-three; forty-four were killed
and one hundred and ninety-nine we're wound
/ ed or missing It is important that the posi-
| tion occupied by that regiment in that contest
i should be properly marked, and it is but
fitting recognition of their distinguished serv-
| ices.
Eighteen states have already appointed COM
missions to assist the national commission in
! the work of locating positions. The Eighth
/ Kansas regiment should have one monument
! near the Viniard place, where it fought on Sat
| urday, the 18TH one at Orchard Knob, and one
on Missionary Ridge.
I would most earnestly recommend that the
sum of SO, eco be appropriated for the erection
of these three monuments and that the fur
penses of three commissioners, to be appointed
by the governor, from the survivors of that
battle, to select the proper monuments and to
decide where they shall be placed.
Fees and Salaries.
Your attention is called to the abuses which
have grown up under our system OF fees and
salaries The most practical way to reform
these abuses would be, where 1t is at all feasi-
ble to abolish the fees system and substitute
fixed salary for all officers.
state Boards.
Several propositions have been discussed
looking to change of the powers and duties of
the state boards, but doubt the wisdom of
| making any radical changes in this respect
| Some amendments might be made which would
increase the efficiency of these boards, and it
/ would be well for you to consider the propriety
| of abolishing entirely some of them. It would
seem that either the board of public works or
| the once of state architect might be
| dispensed with. The office Of silk com
| missioner can be abolished without
! any detriment to the state. The state
board of health might be made less expensive
| without materially diminishing it's efficiency.
| The of1ce of state veterinarian might be abol-
/ ished and the office placed under the control
Of the professor of veterinary at the agricul-
| tural college In these times of depression it
| Is your duty to cut off all expenditures not
/ absolutely necessary. There has never seemed
1 to me any reason why members of the state
/ boards should be paid mileage Itwould be far
more reasonable and sensible to pay them
| their necessary travelling expenses actually
| paid and their per diem for all time necesSar-
! lily employed, and know no good reason why
| the per diem should be increased. The treas
| urer Of the board of charities handles a large
| amount of money, and gives only small bond
as member of the board. The business-like
way to do would be to abolish all these minor
| treasurerS and require all moneys to be paid
! by the state treasurer. But if this not done,
| he ought to be required to give a bond suft1-
! GENTLY large to cover any moneys belonging to
| the state that may come into his hands.
| insane and Insane AsyIums.
/ The dictates of humanity demand that the
| tenderest care should be given to our unfortu-
nate fellow-citizens who have been bereft of
| their reason. No reasonable expense should
/ be spared to provide for their comfort to
| furnish the best medical attendance attainable.
| At present the two asylums at Topeka and
Osawatomie seem inadequate to pro-
| vide suitably for all of this unfor-
/ tunate class. The detached building
| at Osawatomie for female patients, author
/ lied by the last legislature, is now nearly
| completed, and when proper provisions shall
| have been made for furnishing and fitting it
/ for occupancy, it will furnish accommodations
| for about three hundred females This will re-
1 heve for the time being the pressure upon the
| two institutions; but additional room will
| soon be required. To provide for this need,
| the asylum at Topeka should be completed by
| the erection of a ward building for women. and
/ center or administration building.
Tne original plan for buildings at Osawato-
| mie has, understand, been carried out. After
| the completion of the original design for build
/ 1ngS at Topeka no more should be erected at
either place but whenever additional accom-
modations are required location should be
secured in the western part of the state, where
l patients from that section be cared for. in
| order that they may be more easily accessible
| to their friends who desire to visit them. The
| cost OF commitment would be materially re-
duced.
The present laws for the commitment OF the
| insane to the asylum seem to be relics of bar
barism- There is something absolutely repul-
sive to in the sight OF a sheriff taking
young lady from her home he would take
person accused of a crime and bringing
| her before the court, where a gaping
crowd of curious people have gathered TO see
her tried by jury like thief. cannot
see where there could be any danger of per-
son being unlawfully deprived of his liberty il
the probate judge were authorized to appoint
commission OF two or three reputable physi-
clans to go quietly to the home OF the unfor-
tunate, and make the necessary examination.
And when any person is adjudged insane. it
would seem much more appropriate to employ
some friend in whom the insane person had
confidence to take him quietly to the asylum.
And in case the patient is female, a lady at
terdant ought in every case to accompany her.
Reformatory.
The legislature in 1885 appropriated 900
to purchase site and to commence the erec-
tlOn OF buildings for reformatory. for the
confinement OF a class OF young criminals
whom it would be possible to reform and turn
to lives of usefulness.
Other states have
adopted a system OF reformatories with
marked success, and I suggest to you careful
investigation of their systems and the results
that have followed, with a view Of carrying out
the original plan for similar system in this
state.
In pursuance of the act Of the legislature Of
1885. commission was appointed. and site
for reformatory was selected at Hutchinson.
the citizens OF that county donating $40 acres
of valuable land for that purpose Two hun
dred thousand dollars have since been appro-
priated by the legislature. and nearly the en-
tire amount has been expended in the erection
of buildings. some of which completed
while others are in unfinished condi-
tion. 1t is claimed that small appro-
priation for the purpose Of putting in
heating apparatus and completing the
cells would render it 1T for occupancy,
and that the labor of the prisoners could then
be utilized in completing the work, giving them
constant and healthful employment and thus
avoiding bringing them into competition with
other industries OF the state
Many Of the states have system or paroIIng
| prisoners who have served the minimum SEN
tence provided by law for the crime for which
they are sentenced, and who have BIZ thair