The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-05-15
Legislative Investigation Com
mittee Completes Its Search.
Will Not Formulate Report of
Findings.
MUST BE SHIELDED
Part of Committee Would Be-
little Outrages.
Course That Chairman H. j.
Allen Would Prefer.

The legislative committee for the in
vestigation of the insane asylums has
completed the taking of testimony at
the Osawatomie asylums, and it has ad-
journed pending the call of the chair
man, Senator Fitzpatrick His call will
depend upon the transcription OF the
testimony by the stenographer, James
Wick. After the testimony is tram
scribed so that the committee can have
it to refer to, the committee will again
meet and prepare Is report.
Just what this report will be Is
question which the members of the
committee themselves are probably not
clear upon. 1t is generally understood
| that Representative jerks and Hayden
do not want to make any report that
Will reflect upon the conduct or man
agement of the institutions. They may
want the report to indicate that the
cases Of brutality towards patients have
been in isolated instances only and by
no means general
This is the view taken by H. J. Allen,
president of the state board of charities
and corrections. which has general
charge of all state charitable institu-
tions. In discussing the testimony con-
cerning the Topeka asylum. Mr.. Allen
said:
1t is TO be expected that among the
large number of employees in an insti-
tuition of that magnitude there will be
some who will be more or less brutal.
1t would be surprising if it were other
wise But it viii be noticed that when
such persons are discovered they are
discharged. A comparison between the
Kansas asylums and those of other
states will show that ours are above
the average"
This statement indicates that the
board OF charities would minimize the
reports of brutal conduct on the part
of attendants as much as possible It IS
fair to presume, however, that only a
small per cent of the cases of brutality
were brought to the surface. There are
doubtless many others which Will never
be told. Stories of brutality have been
frequently told. but as they have usIl-
ally originated with insane persons thsx
We're generally ascribed 90 some halluci :
nation. until the killing of Amos Max
well last winter by two brutal attend
ants made it certain that there is truth
in these stories
The testimony does not especially re-
fleet upon the management of the
asyluns-exceDt the system that IS in
vogue. and the present management
cannot be held responsible for that.
The management should not, however.
try to minimize the fact that brutalities
have existed in the asylums for which
there IS no excuse. On the otner hand,
it should show disposition to bring
out these outrages and uproot them IN
such forcible manner that nothing or
the kind will ever occur again. dis
position on the part of the management
to minimize the outrages and beHttlS
the testimony brought out would only
have the effect of encouraging and in
creasing acts Of violence. and this is the
system almost always followed
It cannot be expected that the
/ asVlums can be made perfect at once.
Reforms come slowly. Reports of bru-
J -
/ der former administra tons as under the
/ present one, perhaps more numerous IN
, fact It is shown that the attendants
: "stand in" together to conceal acts OF
violence from the MANAGEMENT of the
| / asylums. which makes 1t difficult to fer
ret them out. but they should by all
; / means be found out. and if the present
: / mana cement cannot devise ways to dis
cover and promptly punish them it
should be succeeded by management
that can.
The public wants to know all about
, this matter. and a vigorous policy OH
the part of the state board of charities
viii do much toward restoring faith in
r the institutions It is intOlerable that
there should be even isolated cases of
brutality in them. What would be done
I with a professional nurse whose policy
it was TO terrify patients in order to
! handle them when suffering from de-
! lirium? Suppose a nurse should slap
: or pound a raving sick person in order
! to keep them obedient2 The conduct Of
: some Of the attendants a. the asylums
! is on 2 par with these hypothetical
cases. The testimony introduced shows
that It is the custom of many attend
ants to terrifv patients into submission
and that patients are sometimes abused
when they have done nothing to pro
D woke the attendants. in order that thew
may learn submission. Some attend
ants seem to look upon their duties as
: those of jailers instead of nurses of the
sick
And while discussing this subject il
might be well to call attention to the
Industrial school for boys also. Reports
of rnismanage cement and cruelty are
more common from this latter instiIu-
ton than they have been from the asy-
2 lums even, yet the members of the
y board of charities seem inclined to mini
l Ynize and Whitewash them They are
Z doubtless thoroughly honest in doing so
but they may be just mistaken in this
! instance as they were in regard to the
asvIur7s Prior to the Maxwell outra ee
whenever reports of cruelty came to the
surface in the asylunns. a n sinvestiga-
ton was held. The attendants and Of
fcers were questioned and the story
was either denied or some plausible ex.
= PLANTATION given. The testimony before
: the legislative committee shows thai
these explorations were often made up
! The same thing may be true with re
gard to the Industrial school for boys
: 7 investigations" there are conducted il
: T the same manner as they were a fhs
, asylums and the result is the same
? The officers always deny that they have
S done anything wrong. which IS perfect
= ( " natural. But where there is grea
amount of smoke there is usually soms
FIRE and there seems to be consfdera bIs
smoke in connection with the Industria
School for Boys.