The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-12-06
VIII WHIVT IT.
Why Should a Governor Want
the Power
To Appoint a State Board of
Charities
Which Only Gets Him Into Hot
Water.
VIEWS ARE EXPRESSED
By Representative Fairchild
Which May Suggest
A Way Out For Patronage Rid
den Kansas.

Representative Glenn Fairchild, of
Kingman, is one member of the legis~
lature who is radically opposed to the
present system of managing the state
institutions and who will vote to change
it. In discussing the matter today he
said:
The state board of charities ought to
have nothing to do with the appoint
ment of officers and employees for the
various state institutions. I would
abolish the present board of charities
entirely and provide for a board of con-
troll composed of three members to be
elected directly by the people. who
should have general oversight of the
institutions, audit the bills, and such
things.
1.-The officers and employees of the
asylums and schools I would take out of
the hands of the board and the COVER
nor individually, and have them chosen
by the executive council, or the Judges
body. Then 1 would make civil service
rules apply to the institutions as far
as possible, so as to take them out Of
My idea of the appointive board
would be to have it composed of seven
membership three judges of the su-
preme court, three state officers and
some outside person. They could elect
the heads Of the different institutions,
and would then be guided practically
by the recommendations of the superin-
tendents of the asyluns and schools in
the matter of the minor appointments.
with civil service rules applying to
the institutions think that they would
be taken out of politics, and an empIOye
could be removed only for cause. Then
If two or more applicants for a vacancy
showed equal qualifications for the
place under the rules, the appointing
board could decide between them.
THE present system is a benefit to
nobody. I don't see why a governor
should want to retain the appointing
poWer-the more places he has to fill
the more enemies he is bound to make.
Then the most of these people who are
appointed to minor positions in the
asylums don't want the positions after
they get them, because they are not
fitted for them. Nearly every person
that has been appointed to positions
from my county have come home again
after giving their Jobs a short trial.
A farmers son who has been used to
doing as he pleased and taking no words
from anybody doesn't like the idea of
being shut up with lot of lunatics and
being 'sassed' by them, especially when
he gets only SIS or $50 per month for it.
1 know of one young fellow who got a
position as attendant down here in the
Topeka asylum, who was put up on the
fourth floor in charge of some crazy
people The first thing one of his
charges said was, See here, young fell
low, you had better give me back my
knife
THE attendant did not know how to
handle the crazy man and he replied,
7 haven't got your knife
g Y cure a liar,' said the crazy man
with an oath, and the attendant chuck
ed him into his room, locked the door.
and went down stairs and resigned. and
the next day he was home on the farm
again.
Under the present system there are
too many people employed at the
asylums who are well meaning enough,
but who don't know how to take care
of crazy people. I'm in favor of a
chause'