The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-07-28
How County Commissioners
Handle the Poor Fund.
Topeka Pays the Bulk OF This
Money.
IETS LITTLE BENEFIT.
Also Has Poor Bills of Own to
BE Met.
Intellectual Effort Made to
Straighten Out TangIe.

with the city about the liability of the
county for the city's INDECENT sick
bills, the county will in the future
make no special levy for the support OF
the poor, but will make one levy of
five mills covering general revenue
and support Of the poor.
Last year the county made levy OF
one mill for the poor fund This raised
fund of about $1,000 The county
records show that only $9,421.10 of this
was spent for the poor. The county
transferred the remaining $500 TO the
general revenue fund and used it for
current expenses.
This is what makes the city officials
sore. They maintain that the city
pays 81, 900 of the ST., 900 fund for the
poor. and that the county has no right
TO divert the fund from its original
purpose. They say the county should
the city has spent in taking care OF
poor people who are taken sick with
contagious diseases, and cared for by
the city health department.. To get this
claim before the county, the city coun-
Gil has caused a statement to be made
out, showing that the county owes the
city $S,ss2.90 for care of the INDECENT
sick since the passage of the city char
ter act in March, 1903.
The county commissioners have no le-
gal right to transfer money from one
fund to another. If the poor fund;
raised by a one mill levy, is regarded
as a separate fund, the county has no
right to use it for current expenses.
County Auditor WEIGH, however,
really not a separate levy, but it is
part of the county'S general expense
levy. He has therefore advised the
county commissioners to consolidate
the two levies into one, and this plan
will no doubt be adopted
Mr.. WEIGH says in defense of his opin-
ion: Under section 1858 Of the general
statutes, the county commissioners are
- H. H. 80 Tx-z lie
for current expenses. A decision in the
IS Kansas, 206, in the case of the Santa
Fe railway against Levi Williams,
county treasurer, the supreme court
held that the tax levied for the support
of the poor was to be regarded as part
of the current expenses of the county
1t has been customary for the county
to levy one mill for support of the poor
and four mills for current expenses, US
ing such portion of the one mill levy
was necessary for the specific pur-
pose intended and the remainder for
current expenses L believe that this
transfer is perfectly proper, as the two
funds are really to be considered as
one have therefore recommended
that the levy be made to cover both
purposes, and thus leave 1t to the
county commissioners to spend such
portion of the levy as they see fit for
the support of the poor"
When the city charter act was drawn
up, the original purpose was to fix it so
that the city might compel the county
TO reimburse it for all money which it
spent in care of the INDECENT sick. The
law as drawn was mandatory upon the
commissioners to do this But when the
bill was thrashed out by the house, it
was changed to read that the county
commissioners may pay such bills
when presented by the city. This prac-
tically nullihed the purpose of the law.
This leaves the city with the expense
of caring for the INDECENT sick. which cX-
pense 1t has been charging up to its
health department AS is shown by the
city records, this entailed an expense of
about 1900 in sixteen months, or about
$500 a year.
As a matter of fact. the laws concern
ing the care OF the poor are very much
confused. and it is hard to tell exactly
what they do mean. For example. sec
tion 1879 of the general statutes says:
The mayor and council of the incorpor-
the POOR within their respective cities.
Section 1884 saws: THE OverSeerS of the
poor I'm each city shall have the oversight
and care of all poor persons in their city
90 long as they shall remain a county
Section 1891 says: Whenever any per-
Ron entitled to temporary relief is a pau
per the overseers of the poor
may, if the same is deemed advisable,
grant such relief by placing him her
temporarily in the poor house of saId
cornty- -. .. -. .. -. o-
and city council of Topeka the right to
send such people desired to the poor
house but section 4424 says:
No person shall be received in said
poor house without the written order of
the commissioner of the DOOR
This is the provision of the Law under
which Shawnee county has been going.
The poor commissioner has been allowed
paramount authority and the city has
been unable to get even a pleasant look
from the county commissioners without
presenting an order from the poor COM
missioner therefor.
The whole system in caring for the poor
IS wrong. The authority and responsible
ity is divided, apparently. In a county
like Shawnee, where the city of Topeka is
largest portion
IT is matter of equity that the ci+yA
should have something to say about the
care of its own poor by the county.
1t seems that the only way to secure a
Just adjustment lll of the matter is to have
the county turn over to the city its due
portion of the poor tax fund. Then the
city would have to attend all cases of
poverty and sickness within its limits,
and the county poor commissioner would
business. This would of course necessitate
the establishment of city poor farm,
unless the city could make some arrange
ment by which the city could pay for the
care of its poor at the county farm.
Inhuman treatment of unfortunate sick
people who have drifted into town. simp-
tween the city and county physician. The
city physician declines to minister to the
ers II the countys business, and the
county physician is only available after a
lot of red tape has been unwOund. Even
then the county has no place to take sick
people except to the poor farm dis
lance of five miles. BY that time death
mas had plenty of opportunity to step in
and solve the difficulty and end the dis
pute. It is barbarous system of manag-
ing things and the legislature should
overhaul the existing laws and enable the
city to look after its own sick and poor.
Sculptor Rogers Dead.
New Haven, July 2S.-John Rogers
the sculptor. is dead at his summer
home In New Canaan. Conn. after a
long illness from creeping paralysis,
aged as years.