The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-12-07
In Order to Rake in All the
"Mileage"
THEY CAN GET HOLD OF
A Foolish System Which Wastes
the States Money
And Makes the State Board
Look Contemplate.

One of the peculiar features Of the
present system of managing the state
charitable Institutions is that it offers
the state board of charities an induce
ment to spend too much Of their time
on the railroad trains between the diff
ferent Institutions, and the history of
the different boards during the past Is
years shows that they have put in a
good share Of their time in this man
uer.
The law which provides for the COM
pensation of the board, in addition to
allowing the members SO per day for
the time they are engaged in looking
after the institutions, also allows them
ten cents per mile for mileage in going
to and from the different Institutions.
As nearly every person who has had
place on the board since it was created
has ridden on a railroad pass that ten
cents per mile has been clear gain. And
as the board gets three dollars per day
while en- route between the institutions,
and each member draws his ten cents
for every mile the train goes besides,
they get double pay while they are tray
cling In other words the state pays
the board for riding around on railroad
passes.
BY working hard chugging along on
jerkwater railroads, an industrious
board can make about nine or ten dol
lars per day per member, and most OF
me boards have managed to do this
w nen the law was enacted it was nor
intended to operate in this manner. bur
IL was soon discovered that it did on
crate this way and as it was a good
thing for the politicians it has remain
ed that way ever since
During the fiscal year ending Tune
81, 1898, the present board of charities
Grew from the state treasury IS 555 26
. INV
they put in on an average 176 DAVIS
EACH many of which We're spent in ria
ing on the trains between the institu-
lions, for which they drew a total Of
$3.50 as salary. The mileage ana eaj-
airy both amounted to 81, 639O5 for each
member of the board, an average of
S9.31 per day.
During like period under the Nor
T1I administration, from T1Iv / 1Qo5 -
July /. 1896, the board of charities drew
$4,424-8O but the bills show that only
s gu lIs!lLpefs We're travelling a good
snare or the time, so that those who aid
travel managed to strike about the
same average as the present board If
Is SAID that under Governor John A.
Aaftln administration one of the
members of the board of charities a.
rabllshed a constructive residence" 200
miles from where he really lived ana
so added $50 to his mileage bin every
lions. 80 L u
1t is the mileage that makes a place
OH Ine BOARD of charities so much
sought aIter by men who do not wish "a
0eVote their entire time to an office
whenever they get their personal bust
ness IN shape they can run out and
make tour of the state institutions
at ~ per day. Not only that but there
are many perquisites" which go to tba
members of the board in the letting Of
contracts and in purchasing supplies.
II the state institutions were under
civil service rules and had cOmDetent
SupeflntendentS, there would be no call
Tor hYe men to go YEARLY around TO
VISIT the institutions every week or two
rms thing alone ought to be sufficient
70 bring about new method of hand
ling the state Institutions even if the
good of the inmates were not consider
ed, which is the greatest argument in
favor of a change
II civil service were applied to the
state institutions, so that they would he
removed from politics, and if the mon
ey which is now wasted on a board 0f
charities was used in the institutions
themselves to secure physicians who
are specialists in the various diseases
70 be found in the asylums and other
institutions, and to provide cOmpetent
nurses and attendants for the insane
the biennial scandals which are now a
regular occurrence just before each
election would become q thing Of fhe
past, and Kansas would become ceIa-
brated for the manner in which she
cares for her unfortunates instead Of
notorious for the way in which they are
treated under the present system
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