The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-06-26

of economy do not mean parsimony
or niggardliness. 1 mean the giving of
the largest return to the people in SER
vice for the money expended and in the
way it was intended to be spent. If we
could give better housing and care of
the insane each year without paying
special attention to the cure of insan-
ity we might merely by the aggrega-
ton of these people increase insanity,
for the penal or correctional institu-
ton should carry with it a large
amount of reform. The question of get
ting people out of the penitentiary and
out of the Reform school into active,
independent honest life as citizens
should be a greater question than get
ting them into the penitentiary when
they have offended against the law.
There are grave questions then arts
ing concerning the management of
these institutions and a state organiza-
ton properly $managed may give a
strong support to all workers in char
tiles and correction. But there is much
more to be done than to look after the in
StitutiOns. There is a strong commit
tee on legislation which will look after
the laws necessary for the proper man
agement and control Of these institu-
lions and that from the practical
standpoint of observation. The poor
houses, as shown in a report about to
be issued by the state labor bureau, are
in a poor condition. 1 know this to be
true also from my own private investf-
cations. The method of sending child
rem, imbeciles, old and young, the sick
and insane, and the decrepit all into
county poor houses where there is not
the opportunity for classification or
specialized care is an act inhuman and
! degenerate. The whole management of
our county charities is in a deplorable
condition and I venture to say that,
owing to defective methods, over half
| of the expenditures per annum are
worse than wasted. We think the ex-
pcnditures for the state charities high
at 32.2 cents per capita for the popula-
! ton of the state. and yet the expenses
of the county charities alone are 24.2
cents per capita. This state organiza-
! ton proposes to extend its influence
| into every county of the state with
! view to- asceItaining the exact condi-
! tions of affairs and take measures for
! their improvement
I'VE should also, think. spend much
energy in studying the means of pre-
vention of crime and pauperism
through the social habits and customs
4 in rural districts and tOWns-an ounce
of prevention is worth pound Of cure
applied scientifically to pauperism and
crime. And then a hundred questions
may be studied in such way as to give
| enlightenment upon methods of the pre-
| vention of pauperism, crime, insanity,
| imbecility, etc.
THE association will endeaver to
make itself an agency of information to
| the people in respect to charitable and
| correctional affairs. It has no inten-
| ton of doing police work or carrying
| on a work of espionage with regard to
the personal conduct of officers but it
does propose to acquaint itself with the
| exact condition of these various in
/ situations and of the various methods of
conducting charities, and present this
| information to the public. And in this
respect it is more in the interest of the
great body of people outside of the in
stitutions who need it than those al
ready in the institutions. I am hope
full that the association will prove a
great service to the state, for I know
that those who are going into it have
only an idea of disinterested service.
We viii probably meet with some OPP
position and a great deal of discourage
ment, but up to the present date the
officers have received the most encour-
aging assurances from people all over
the state which is conclusive evidence
in my mind that there is not only need