Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-12-03
KANSAS CHARITIES BOARD PLAN
MING a FINAL GRAB.
TO LET ENORMOUS CONTRACTS
INSTITUTIONS TO DE STOCKED WITH
SUPPLIES FOR 4 YEAR.
Special Rule Adopted Making Com
tract Letting n star Chamber
Anair-t h~hrnrd-of Quanti-
ties OF Coffee and sugar
10 lie bought.

TOPEKA, Dec. ESPECIALLY That the
present Populist state board OF charities
does not intend TO overlook the last cppor-
tuni;y for Il grand grab Is evidenced by
the printed schedule of supplies required
by the Kansas state charitable institutions.
The last letting OF the present board will
take place in this city On December l2-li.
The printed schedule has been prepared
and sent out to The various houses winch
usually put in bids for the supplies. the
schedule shows that the present board
proposes 10 load the various institutions
with supplies enough TO last possibly a
year. 1t seems that there can be hut one
object in spending so large an amount Of
none for supplies during the closias days
of the Populist administration. and that
is a rake off" from the successful bid
ders. This theory is borne out by the
boards action in adopting a rule prohib-
3ting the presence of any superintendent.
stewards or other persons at The session
of the board held for the purpose CT ex-
aiming samples and letting these con-
tracts.
AS an illustration of the loading pro-
cess, the advertisement for blankets is
cited. The schedule calls for l.i5o Pairs of
wooden blankets for the inmates and 4oS
pairs of Il better quality OF blankets for
the officers. The number for inmates is
about double the usual order, while the
number for the officers is quadrupled- AT
Osawatomie, the boards schedule calls for
Isl bedspreads for officers. That Is about
four to the officer.
The only Institution that seems TO have
any flies on it is the Soldiers Orphans
home at Atchison. The board wants Twelve
boxes of tanglefoot fiypaper for that
place. The others evidently don't need any
fiypaper this winter.
Another item that looks suspicious is the
liquor wanted at the Topeka insane asy-
lum. The schedule calls Tor TWO barrels of
Gibson's rye or something equally as
good one barrel of Catawba wine ana
three dozen bottles of Duffy's malt. 1t
IS at this institution that members of the
board of charities spend the most of their
time. Two theories are advanced for want
ing this large amount of liquor. The first
Is that Jumper expects TO stay on the
board for several months yet. The other
Is that Stanley will appoint men on the
board who do not drink. and, should the
Pops accidentally win TWO years hence.
there Will be some Well aged liquor on
hand there for their members of the board.
The Pops were accused of running a state
joint at the Topeka asylum by DR.. Wet
more in his expose. The new schedule Of
goods wanted bears ont his statement.
For the Winfield asylum the board orders
seventy-two bottles of Duffy's. That is DIR.
Pitchers institution. Everybody knows
that Pitcher drinks nothing else but Duff
fy's.
The coffee contract will be swelled about
p per cent. Tho board proposes TO buy
about 9.O0 pounds OF coffee this time. The
usual quantity varies from l2,O11 to 1000
pounds. There has always been great rival
~ for the coffee contract. a Kansas City
firm was known at one time, under a GER
tain Populist administration, TO have paid
one member Sl00 for a vote on the coffee
contract. And there was not as much cof-
fee Involved that time as there will be this
time by several thousand pounds.
High priced California fruit, canned. for
the exclusive use of the officers. will be
purchased in large quantities.. The inmates
must eat prunes and dried apples.
Ihen suspicion is attached TO the soap
schedule. Enough SOAP is ordered 10 srrTh
kansas from one end 10 the other and then
have enough left for The people to use. The
Doafd wants l;5S boxes of enc brand alone.
One hundred barrels of %sranuIated snpsr
Will be purchased for the Topeka ASYLUM.
while only sixty barrels will be bought for
me osawatomie institution. Osawaiomie
has one-third more inmates than ,ronaLa
Forty barrels of sugar has been the usual
for Topeka. ~