The advocate., 1895-01-09
CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS.

ne repOfE OF the trustees OF the state chAfls
table institutions will be laid before you. It
has not Yet reached this Office. In it you will
hnd complete and detailed information Of the
needs OF these various institutions, together
with information OF a general character for
the benefit OF the public.
The institutions embraced in this report are
as follows: State Insane asylum, Topeka; In
stltutlon for the Education of the Deaf and
Dumb, Olathe; Institution for the Education
OF the Blind, Kansas City; State Asylum for
ld1otic and Imbecile Youth, Winfield; Sol
dlers Orphans Home. AtchisOn; 0sawatomie
Insane Asylum, Osawatomie; and Industrial
school for Girls, BeloiG
The successful care and management Of
the'e Institutions should be matters of great
concern to every Intelligent citizen OF the
state Their existence marks an era Of pro-
gress In the development of Christian ciVilI-
cation, and desire to approximate perfection
In their administration should be the COM
mendeoIe zeal OF true craftsmanship. And
IOr this very reason 1t Is OF the utmost i'm
portance ChSG the law governing these institu-
Clons should be revised There are many rea.
sons for such revision which canot be enum-
Grated here. but one of the most imperative is
the crying need that the control OF all charity
organizations of the state should be entirely
non'partisan. Should your honorable body at
the present time do nothing more than rescue
these institutions from the influence Of parti.
san politics, you will have at least done that
which should commend you to future genera
tlOns.
The report of the directors, warden and
other officers Of the penitentlary will furnish
you with q detailed statement of the receipts
and expenditures, as we'll as the requirements
and condition OF the institution with such
recomm 5ndations as in their Judgment SO m
necessary TO safely and prOftably operate the
Institution. During the biennial period ju't
ended the penitentiary has at times reached
the point OF being seli-supporting 1t lS your
province to ascertain at HhOse expense, and
the correct solution OF that question will sug-
g95t urgent reasons for remedial legislation,
involving contract labor. competition with
free labor, especially mining labor, and the
right OF society TO deprive even cOnvicj Of
the fruits OF his labor.
In dealing with the crime problem, the facts
are Overwhelmingly against further legiJla-
tlon that is purely punitive in its objects aud
results, or that takes cogniZance of the offense
to the exclusion OF the offender. 1t Is time
that foundation was laid for nObler super
structure than that which has for its corner
stone th4 elements of vengeance, retrbution
and retaliation. The imprisonment OF the Of
fender Is primarily for the protection OF So
ctety, and reformation Is the surest and safest
means OF protection.
The correction Of the evils surrounding the
questions Of prison labor and perniclous prison
methods, and the establishment OF proper re-
formatory influence for our crime-clasI, will
neces 'ttate wise legislative action, involving
revision of our penal laws and criminal pro-
cedure; knowledge OF the best methods of
pElSOu r6lOTm as demonstrated Dy modern
prison science, such as the practical workings
OF che lndetermnat9 sentence aud the parole
system the compile ion of the State RefOrma-
tory at Hutchinson, and her matters OF
equal importance.
Should your many duties prevent your Civ
Ing this subject consideration sufficient to ac-
comnlish the solution of these questions
satisfactory to yourselves and the de-
mands OF equity and justice, you
should at least create a commission au.
thorlzed and empowered to prepare and re-
port to you plan for the improvement and
government OF this important insti ution, to
the end that the best interests of society may
be subserVed, and our state take first place
among those comm1nWealths whose best
thought and best energies are expended in an
effort to practice broader humanity and ac-
complish much-needed reform.
THE STATE REFoRMATORY.
The legislature OF 1885 made an enactment
providing for a state reformatory for male
criminals between the ages Of l6 and lS A
structure at Hutchinson exists In an unfn-
ished condition, although $260OOO has been ex.
pended in its erection
There Gao b5 no question as to the wisdom
OF establishing such Institutions when the
nnancIal resources of q state are sufficient TO
justify the cost of erection aud maintenance,
An appropriation should be made sufficient
Ior the completion and occupancy Of the pres
ent buildings.
INSURANCE.
The report and tables of the insurance com.
missioner disclose some interesting IL not
startling facts. They show that the DeOple OF
Kansas paid, during 1898, premiums to foreign
insurance companies doing business in the
state as follows
For fire Insurance. e...................S1,92 ,929Ol56S
Life insurance ce......................,L L2g32O964
Accident insurance, etc.............. I2S5Sll7
During the same period the losses ine1rTed
foreign