The Washington times., 1901-08-02
CONTROL OF sTATEINsTrUTIoNs

The new Minnesota law creating
Board of Control of State Institutions
and abolishing the State Board OF Cor
rections and Charities illustrates adj
uiDistrative policy that Is gaining favor
in the central West. That policy involves
the application of the community of In
terest' idea to institutional management.
In the Minnesota board all authority over
the charitable. penal. and reformatory In
stitutions is concentrated. and upon il
comprehensive and almost absolute pow
ers of administration are conferred. 1t
has complete control over the State
Prison. the State Reformatory. the State
Training School for Boys and Girls and
several hospitals for the insane. and the
State Institute for Detectives. except the
schools for the deaf and the blind. IL
supersedes the various executive boards
which have hitherto managed these in
stitutions. and it also displaces the State
Board OF Corrections and Charities.
Moreover. 1t exercises financial authority
over the State University. the State Nor
NAL Schools. the State public schools, and
the schools for the deaf and blind. In
short, practically all of tha public institu-
tions Of the Commonwealth are combined
into an administrative trust.
The board consists OF three members.
who. subject to senatorial confirmation,
are appointed by the Governor, and whose
term of office is six years. The annual
salary of each member ~ $500. plus trav-
cling expenSss. and a bond Of $4,000 Is
required. For cause the Governor may
remove n member. and the removal is
final and not subject to judicial review
The board, as made up by Governor Van
SAINT, consists OF Silas w. Leavett. Will
k.x~ 7
assumed the active discharge OF their
duties on August l. The law prescribes
with great detail the fur cts>sss work. and
limitations of the board. For instance,
the board is directed to encourage and
urge the scientific investigation OF the
treatment OF insanity and epilepsy by the
medical STATS of the insane hospitals and
the Minnesota Institute for Detectives"
Upon their stated visits to an institution
the members are required to inspect
every part OF it and all places, buildings,
and grounds belonging thereto" In its
office the board is commanded to have
Kept the personal record of every Inmate
OF each institution under its jurisdiction.
These regulations indicate the true West
ern fondnesS for statutory detail
The policy Of the unified management of
public institutions was first applied In
Wisconsin in 1871, when the various ad-
ministratiYe commissions of the State
were merged into the Board of Super
vision. The board consisted of six men,
Ders, and they were paid liberal salary.
The State Board OF Charities and Cofrec-
tions was retained. with the result that
between the two boards a large amount
of friction developed. The State Board of
Supervision contended that the members
OF the State Board of Charities and Cor
rections were constantly transcending
their legal authority, but the contention
was challenged with the same arior that
mas tNrsarr
fered with efficiency of administration
and in 1891, the Legislature consolidated
the two boards into a Board of Control
The body has the amplest powers. Over
every member of State institutions 1t has
absolute control. except authority to par
don conyicts from prison. Power to con-
denim Jails, to shut up almshouses. and to
transfer inmates from one place to an
other at its discretion is vested In IL. The
entire financial management of State in
stitutions is delegated to it 1t author
ICES all purchases and pays all bills. It
appoints the executive heads of institu-
tons, who in turn select their own sub
ordlnateS, but the board establishes the
compensation of ALL During the past four
years the public institutions of Iowa have
been managed by board of control, and
although the net results of the system
are reported TO be fairly satisfactory,
charges of financial irregularities in the
purchase OF supplies have on one or two
occasions been preferred against the
board. The administration of the affairs
of the charitable institutions of Kansas
Is concentrated in a board of control. but
the Kansas habit of allowing politics to
dominate institutional management has
seriously marred the efficiency of the
body. The-public institutions of Rhode
Island. largely grouped at Cranston are
virtually under the control of the State
Board of Charities; but the board does
not have such extensive powers as the
boards of control in Wisconsin and Iowa.
The fundamental purpose of this plan
of Institutional control. as embodied In
the Minnesota act, is TO secure unifica-
ton of method and policy. A uniform
system of bookkeeping and records must
be adopted far practicable, and the
law specifically directs the board to apply
the most modern and complete method
of accounts"