The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-11-08
Why His Institution Should
BE Divorced From Politics.
SALARIES TOO SMALL.
Pay Not Large Enough to Sc
cure Competent Service.
Suggests that the Legislature
Enact Civil Service Law.

Reforms to protect the state charita-
bic institutions from political domino
ton and a revision of the lunacy laws
of Kansas are demanded in justices to
all concerned" by DR.. T. G. Biddle,
superintendent of the Topeka insane
asylum. OF the political question, Dr.
Biddle says:
4 believe a separation of the elee-
mosynary institutions of the state from
the chances of political changes would
be to the advantage of the states wards
and I am in sympathy with the move
ment. Something more, however, IS re
quired than civil service to give the
public institutions the best service. The
wage paid is insufficient to induce most
desirable men TO be perfectly satisfied
with the employment. Not many deSlf-
able men will plan to make the work
more than a temporary occupat ton until
the income is made more satisfactory.
With the present wage good men VIII
continue to quit the work to accept
more lucrative positions, either with or
without civil service regulations EOr
the insane asylums, supplemental TO
training schools would recommend the
inauguration of training SCHOOLS W1tnlH
the institutions for the education OF the
employees who are directly in charge OF
the patients and provide for an adVanc-
ing scale of wages that would. after
two or three years service, and gradu-
alton from the training school, guaran-
tee permanent employment on salary
that would induce capable men to make
the service a life work.
s.Such a policy would do more than
anything else to improve the deport-
Tnent and discipline, because with the
present unsatisfactory wage, employees
are restrained but little by the desire
to retain their positions, for the reason
that, with present conditions and the
abundance Of lucrative employment they
usually have no difficulty In securing
more profitable employment any time
they may quit the work.
'srhe slight increase of cost for sal
aries and wages that such a system
would imply would prove profitable
investment for the state by reason OF
the improved efficiency of the hospital
service The skilled employees that
would be developed as the fruit OF such
a system would result in many econ
omies in the management and most OF
all skilled attendants would materially
increase the percentage OF recoVer1eS;
and each insane person who RECEIVERS
and does not become a chronic burden
to the state implies a saving of many
dollars to the people.
.@The night Service at the institution
is insufficient To expect that three
night watchmen win be able to give
proper attention to 900 insane people is
Unreasonable. At least one night at
tendant should be provided for each
building in the institution which would
furnish nine such officers instead OF
four
with reference to the revision Of the
lunacy laws DR.. Bi6dle expresses the
following opinions in his annual report
filed with the board Of charities and the
governor:
'sThe lunacy laws of the state should
be revised. The laws now in force are
antiquated and in many particulars I'M
suited to the needs of the state The
commitment of the insane through the
present system of jury trial is a dis
grace to our civilization. The PROPOSE
ton that our insane sick are compelled
to 90 into court and be subjected to
public trials like criminals. before they
can be received for proper hospital
treatment, is repulsive to contemplate.
1t would be equally consistent and hui
name to compel a person sick with ty-
phoid fever to go before a jury of lay
men to have the case diagnosed and rec
commended for treatment. Under the
present system many abuses are in
creasing, wrongs are developing that
are an injustice both to the state and
the insane. The growing practice Of
converting the crowded asylumS into
alrnshouses for the aged, by having old
people who may, or may not, be exper-
fencing to a greater or less degree the
mental decline of advancing age ad-
judged insane and committed to asy-
lums, is increasing and is encouraged by
the Jury system The temptation also
for the counties to transfer the burden
of the care of their INDECENT upon the
state is encouraged by the existing law,
The number of cases of county charges
that are adjudged insane suggests this
thought. As an illustration: In one
county In the state during the past year
nine persons We're brought from the
county house on the same day, and all !
were adjudged insane For want of
room they were refused admission, and. I
under the law, the state is now paying !
that county for the maintenance of these /
persons in their county house al the rate
of so cents per day These abuses not |
only unjustly increase the states bur
den. but. by filling the asylums with
he --e-e,1-x r. 7-cn-
fuse admission to many insane persons /
who are entitled to the benefit of hospi- /
tai treatment 1 would strongly recon- |
mend that the jury system be abolished, /
and that lunacy commission consist !
ing of three reputable physicians, be es- /
tablished in each county.
THE insufficient settlement laws Of our (
state demand attention Tt appears that /
with our present laws we have no right (
to deport the nonresident insane: conse- (
quent1y. to assume the burden of the I
care of insane who are non-residents- Nj [
boring states. others are surreptftiouely I
brought mo the state by friends and com
nltted through the courts to the Kansas j
asyluTns- I know Of official position {
that could be created with the promise of +
greater proht 70 the state than that OF a /
TO investigate and determine the residence I
Of many Of our public charges, not only 1
insane, but inmates Of other Of our char 4
liable institutions and return them to .
their lawful residence. Minnesota and /
other states are successfully executing +
laws of this character with profit and 1
satisfaction to the states. Attention will 4
be directed to only one other defective
item IN our lunacy laws-that providing
that the warrants committing insare shall 4
be made to the stewards of the aSyIums.
and that the notices of discharge shall be
transmitted to the stewards. The stew
ards work and responsibility has nothing
whatever to do directly with the patients.
and they. not being medical men. can have
no intelligent Information about the men,
tai condition Of the patients; yet the law
imposes upon the stewards the response
bility Of ordering the discharge OF the
patients"