The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-11-17
THE CAUSE OF 1T.
The Manner in Which the State
Board of Charities
Has Conducted the Reform
School is Responsible
FOR DECENTRALIZATION
Of That Institution and Insub-
ordination There.
Partisanship, Not Fitness, the
Prime Qualifications.
DIT GTITD nE GD0H g
PURSUIT OF SPOILS
For Which POpulists Loudly
DenOunce Republicans,
Responsible For Identical Evils
Among the POpulists.

employees at the state reform school at
Topeka is instructive.
The persons who were appointed
there were given their places by the
state board of charities. The superin-
tendent was elected by the board and
the whole list from top to bottom was
made up after the board had considered
three things, viz; the politics of the
applicant, the location of his or her
home and the amount of work each
had done for the party. The quahhca-
ton of the applicant was not cOnsld-
cred In every well managed pupnc
institution in the country the Superln-
tendent is selected with view to ms
fitness and executive ability he IS
put in charge and he employs his own
assistants and help and is responsible
for the discipline and harmony Oh the
institution
This is the correct principle. At the
reform school superintendent J. M
Hart was appointed because Governor
I4eedy had promised him the place pro
vided he, Leedy, was elected lie was
given the place as superintendent ana
told to run the institution in a manner
that would be a credit to the state and
to his party. No serious evil might
have come to the institution from this
arrangement had Mr.. Hart been per
mitted to select his assist antS as the
head of every business or institution
should But no; the board to reward
personal friends of it's members ap-
pointed all VINO were TO assist min
Fred SOurS of Wichita was gwen Ine
place of assistant superintendent be
cause he had done good work for the
party in an editorial way
Mrs. NJ. r. Mize, from Marion coun-
ty appointed matrOn on the request OF
w. L. Brown, president of the board
J. T. Rogers of Cloud county given
charge of ~ family on account of his
LOYALTY to the cause and because he
knew S. c. Wheeler, secretary of the
board.
Lutte White given charge Of e fam
lily because he was from COwley county
and that part of the state had to be
looked after.
Mr. Howe of Jackson county was a
friend of Frank Shane and he had to be
looked after. He holds the place of
teacher.
Miss W. B. Glib of Wichita was nom
mated by w. L. Brown for the position
of teacher and was elected.
Mr. S. NJ Best of Geary county was
appointed upon the request of Governor
Leedy as assistant gardener.
Mrs. s. NJ. Best was given the charge
of a. cottage for the reason that Gov
ernOr Leedy requested it.
Mrs. NJ. w. Gilmore was given charge
of b" cottage and her husband was
appointed gardener. In this way
Chase county was given represen-
tation."
Miss Belle Bryant of Douglas county
was given a position upon the request
of Ed. Post, police judge of Kansas
City.
Miss Efie Casey of Pawnee county
was given a position in the boys din
ing room upon the request of Senator
a. H Lupfer and Frank Shane.
Mrs. Hale was appointed from Otta-
wa county to take charge of the boys
kitchen. The north central part of the
state had to be recognized"
Miss Brown lived in Pratt county
and is a relative of w L. Brown. She
was given a place in the officers din
ing room.
Mr. Curley of Washington county
was given the place of fireman. He
was seconded in his candidacy by P. H
DOlan, treasurer of the board.
Politics makes strange companions
and the bringing together of so many
people from so many different lOcali-
ties and walks of life, none of them
fitted for the work to be done, has de-
mOralized the institution 1t has not
been happy family from the first and
not much else could be expected.
The state board of charities is hold
ing a meeting at the school today and
will endeaVOr to settle the quarrel be
tween the superintendent and the en-
ployes.
Already several persons are spoken
of as the successor of Mr.. Hart if he is
removed. Scion Gray, a well to do
farmer who lives in Ottawa county IS
the one who is thought TO have the
support of Governor Leedy.
But it isn't the personality of the su-
perintendent that is at fault so much
it is the villainOus system under
which the Populists are managing this
state institution. The Republicans of
course, conducted state affairs on the
spOils system, but it seems more pains
was taken to secure a harmonious ad-
ministratiOn of the charitable institu-
tions. The Populists have gone in
with few exceptions perfectly frantic
for office. The people of Kansas. par
tisanship aside, are really in favor of
civil service.
1t is a sentiment that has been grow
ing rapidly in the last ten years In
fact it is growing so rapidly that no
party can now afford to disregard it
The Populist party has, however, had
the temerity to totally disregard this
feeling and sentiment; it exists among
the voters of the Populist par
ty as well as those of the Re
publican party. AS a result
there is a growing disgust at the
manner in which the public service is
administered. The complete upsetting
of the police force in Topeka is an in
stance of the shrieking scramble for
jobs made by the starving horde of
Populist party workers. There is no
doubt that many policemen might have
been dismissed with advantage, but
there was no sense, justice or decency
in firing all the officers indiscriminate-
~. Some of them were good men and
ought to have been kept on the force;
but the howl for office was so loud that
even the most wretched scrub women
had to go to give a place for a political
worker. 1t is the same way at the
reform school, the insane asylum and
. -gNr-~ L.