The Topeka state journal., 1897-11-11
FRUIT OF POLITICS
When 1t Is Mixed With State
Institutions.
State Reform School is Now
DemOraliZed
Because Every Employe Holds Als
Job on Account of His pulp
Instead of His Fitness
or Ability.

Never in its history has the state
reform school in this city been in such
q turmoil as it is at this time. IWeh-
ty of the employees are in open rebel
lion against the superintendent J. M
Hart and every one of them is secur-
ing the cooperation of his polltlcaI
friends in a combined effort to nave
Mr.. Hart removed. .-,-.a,- g.
From the nature Of the fight Whlch IS
now going it begins to look as II MI
Hart would be compelled TO aDUicdt0-
Fred SOuerS. the assistant SupeIIH-
tendent, threatens to resign ullle94 .
Hart is removed. j. w ItouSeLS ~
Concordfa who was one or Lne heetu
family officers, voluntarily qult WI II n :
and when s G. Wheeler. secretary u
the state board of charities, who Sc
cured Rodgers appointment, palcne,I
matters up so Rodgers could go DACA
to work he absolutely refused TO 90 50;
stating to Mr.. Wheeler that ne Wouiu
not stay around the institution "HIIS
Hart is superintendent.
Last Saturday superintendent Hart
detailed the cook and one OF the ulnlIls
room girls to take charge of a crowd OF
tbe +S4lghest bows in the institution.
They We're inexperienced in handlnS
the boys and two of them escaped MI
Hart became very indignant anu us
charged the two employees
The news that these two persons had
been discharged by the superintendent
sDread like Wild-fire and created great
the employees. Within half an hour
sixteen of them walked into the super
intendents office and stated that they
would resign if the order discharglng
the two employees was not withdrawn.
Mr. Hart thereupon reinstated the two
SubOrdinateS.
Monday night four of the employees.
two Young men and two young women
We're sitting in the office talking and
laughing when Mr.. Hart entered He
manifested great anger and exclaimed:
See here, I can't have this eOntinu-
Gus snickerin' around here. 1t must be
stopped Separate at once and go to
your rooms Immediately"
Before going to their rooms the
crowd hunted up the chief insurrection-
iSt and enlisted with those who want
Hart removed. This makes a total of
twenty who are fighting Hart One
of the employees. or officers, who has
been a spectator in this chapter of in
cidents said:
Mr. Hart has no patience with the
employees. He seldom speaks cOurte-
ously to them, more frequently address
sing them sharply, with an apparent
effort to injure their feelings. There
has been trouble ever since he took
charge of the institution and there will
be trouble until he is removed. If his
removal cannot be secured the entire
force will resign. Then the admins
tratiOn will have the same difficulty in
maintaining discipline at the school
that is being experienced now. A new
force would work well until the en-
plOyes discovered Hart's personality
then another mutiny would follow.
The superintendent simply has no tact
in the management of people and he
cannot get along with any one. Some
times it seems that all Hart cares to do
is to show his authority"
Governor Leedy promised to appoint
Hart to the position of superintendent
of the reform school before the election
last year When the time came to Sc
lect q superintendent a bitter fight was
made on Hart. The governor wavered
and had at one time determined to Sc
lect a new man. but Hart urged the
ante-electiOn promise and the governor
stood by it.
Influential friends Of the governor
are now enlisted against Hart and a
strong effort is being made to secure
his removal.
The cause of the trouble at the re-
form school is a lack of discipline Dis
cipline cannot be secured when two
different forces are at work in the in
stitutiOn- The superintendent relies
on the governor to sustain his action
and the employees place similar conf
dence in the mem bers of the board a
fact which is proven by Mr.. RODGERS
appeal to Secretary Wheeler The en-
plOyeS of the institution feel that thev
are responsible to the board and not to
the governor, or to the superintendent
AS natural consequence friction aris-
es at every turn. The EMPLOYEES are
making their fight against Hart before
the board while some of their friends
are carrying it before the governor. for
them.