The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-01-11
ghe aaa Daily Eagle: aa1ednesdau soro january H. 800

and have presented their demands for large
| balance. and this. together with the deficiency
| resulting from the failure OF the last leeisla-
| ture TO make sufficient appropriations for the
payment of the QIantrel raid claims, the
claims for the care of the destitute insane and
| the expenses of the special session. reach the
sum OF more than $3.50, CO., This will exhaust
| all money now in the treasury and leave de-
| ficieney of more than 800, 900 confronting the
new administration. This condition renders it
! almost certain that before funds can be de-
| rived from a new tax levy the money received
under the old one will be paid out and the obli-
| cations OF the state will again be dishonored
| The credit Of the state is too important to be
impaired, and the neglect to meet the legiti-
mate demands made upon it, even for day,
affects its credit.
This whole dificulty could be relieved If the
several assessors throughout the state would
make any reasonable attempt to comply with
the law. The law requires that all property
shall be assessed at its true value, and yet il is
a we'll known fact that each year the assessors
meet in their respective counties TO devise
plans by which this provision OF the statute
can be violated. A large assessment and
small levy is preferable TO small assessment
and large levy. This being so, it is difficult
to understand why assessors persist in disre-
garding the plain statutory requirements above
mentioned 1 suggest that the law be amended
in two particulars: First, fixing penalty for
OF property at its true valuei second, giving
the state board OF equalization the right to
raise the aggregate assessed value Of property
II these fail the state levy must be raised
Convict Labor.
The employment OF convicts should be at the
basis OF good prison management Keeping
prisoners in idleness would certainly be at
tended with disastrous results To put the
product OF convict labor on the open market in
competition with free labor would be unjust
and to the greatest possible extent should be
avoided; but even such competition would
be preferable to supporting the con-
victs in idleness, as nothing Is so
demoralizing as ileness. especially when it is
enforced. The fuel necessary for the state in
situations should be supplied as has been done.
by prison labor The labor not necessary for
such purpose could be used in furnishing the
state with its supplies The convict labor
could be used in this way to the fullest extent
in the manufacture of many of the articles for
which the state pays out annually large sums
OF money and after time our prisons could
be made practically self-supporting by saving
to the state in the price of the supplies fur
nished an amount equal to the cost of conduct
ing these penal establishments
Useless Offices.
There are several Offices which I think could
be abolished without loss to the public service. |
They are the board of pardOns, state account |
ant, forestry commission and labor commits |
sioner Whatever may have been the object OF |
the creation of the board Of pardons it no |
longer serves useful purpose; for through |
this board the granting Of pardons has degen- |
Grated into an abuse The office Of labor COM |
missioner was created IA years ago, but if dur !
ing all those years it has been of any real ben |
eft to the cause of labor the benefits are not /
apparent Labor is pretty well organized in |
Kansas and inaugurates new methods, and ac- |
comDlisheS its purposes largely through trade |
unions and other organizations of like charac- |
ter. To these organizations the individual |
member looks for Information and assistance. |
Labor organizations are independent Of the
labor commissioner and the individual laboreI
cares little for him.
Economy in State Departments.
An opinion prevails throughout the state that
there is extravaganza in nearly all of the state
departments This sentiment should not be
disregarded and in view of the facts which
have detailed in a review of the condition OF /
our finances, prudence would suggest that we
should pursue the strlctest economy. During
the last few years clerkships and subordinate
positions have been increasing so fast that the
aggregate expense of providing for such per-
sons is great and many of these places are
filed with favorites whose services are of small
advantage to the state Better salaries for
fewer efficient employees rather than small sal.
aries for more inefficient ones, would Sc cure
better services at a greatly reduced cost
The governor says our insane asy.
lums are overcrowded and the keeping
of these unfortunates outside of the
asylum is attended with many abuses.
He urges the building of new asy.
III II.