Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1905-01-12

diers Home at Dodge City. There. in
cosy cottages. several hundred battle
SCARED veterans. upon whose heads have
fallen the SHOWS which meh not away,
many OF them with their wives and
children. patiently await the bugle call
| across the river. The state has made
many contributions to their comfort and
should make many more.
CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS.
The nine institutions known as the
state charities are especially worthy Of
your fostering care, and l commend to
your careful consideration the biennial
report Of the board Of trustees and the
recommendations which they make to
| you.
EXTENDING SUFFRAGE.
In 1890 Theodore Roosevelt, then gov-
ernor of New York. said In his annual
message: II call the attention Of the
legislature to the desirability of gradually
extending the sphere In which the suf-
| frage can be exercised by women" and
| am glad to follow such an illustrious
| example In similar suggestion to you
Municipal suffrage has worked no Ill to
womanhood or to the state. and seems to
be satisfactory to the people.
EDUCATIONAL BOARDS
| | have never been able to see the i'm
portance of the two separate boards
| known respectively as the state board OF
| education and the state textbook COM
| mission, and l recommend the consolida-
| ton of these two boards into a board
| to be known as the state board Of edu-
| cation. TO be composed of five members,
and constituted as follows: the state SUI
perintendent of public instruction, the
chancellor of the state university, the
president of the state normal school, the
president of the state agricultural col
lcge and the fifth member to be selected
by these four gentlemen In connection
with the governor of the state. This
board to perform all the duties of the
two boards named above and to receive
such compensation as You may decide.
The high character of this board thus
constituted. removed as II would largely
be from fractional and partisan influences,
would command the respect of the peo-
pie.
CONTROL OF EDUCATIONAL INSTI-
TrTIONS.
l am strongly of the opinion that one
board of control for all the educational
institutions would be decided improve
ment over the present system of a board
of regents for each. 1t would great!
simplify matters and remove the rivalry
between the specific boards which charac-
teriZes the present method of manage
ment.
l am in favor Of new primary cleo
ton law: for congressional reapportion-
ment; legislation for good roads and irri-
cation; appropriation for the state fish
cry at Pratt; higher price for state
school lands; for Juvenile courts in cities;
laws to protect labor; dikes and drainage
for low lands; appropriation for the
manual training school ut Pittsburg, the
Fort Hays branch of the state normal,
Western university {negro) at Quindaro,
industrial school for girls at Beloit and
for boys at Topeka: more comforts for
veterans at the state soldiers home; q
revision of the state insurance laws: en-
enlargement of the state boards of agri-
culture and horticulture; pure food.
grain grading commission and medical
registration.
BUILDING A STATE.
In the building of state the work is
always more or less crudcly done. I'm
perfection is not fault-it is a natural
result of conditions. First. the capital
Is established and the capitol erected;
then, as the needs of the people develop.
Institutions are established. Every insti-
tuition thus added to the system requires
the creation OF new board or manage
ment. or the enlargement Of the duties
of some old board. 1t Is easy to under
stand under this process of gradual de-
velopment how in the course OF time the
management OF these various and varied
state institutions becomes cumbersome
and In need of revision. Add to these
defects in governmental affairs every
where the result of political msmanage--
ment. in which useless offices are created
merely to crafty partisan or factional
interests and provide sinecures with
which to reward petty politicians. and
you have the story OF imperfect!on which
characterizes the evolution OF every state
Kansas has been no exception to this
rule. and our method of managing the
states institutions. while not so defective
as In some states, sadly needs complete
overhaulng. We now have nearly all the
Institutions. in kind. we will ever have.
The work of the future will be chiefly
to enlarge these institutions as the
growth of the state may demand and to
give them the best possible government
The business interests should be man.
aged by men of business experience and
capacity, while the professional interests
should be managed by those VINO nave
given study to this phase OF their char.
acter There should be business board
and a professional board having charge.
respectively, OF these diverse interests.
On the commercial side let me call your
attention. for instance, to what seems TO
be gigantic defect in the business man
agement of these institutions: take the
management of what in plain parlance
is known as the charitable institutions.
The managers of these institutions dis
burse nearly one-half OF all the ordinary
made by the legislature,
1 believe, about $LOOOOp. |
The board has no office and no common
place of keeping records. Its members
are not required by law to give all their
time to the state, but are permitted TO |
divide their time between their official
and private duties. As matter OF TACT |
believe they give an inS1nsi sH,e,o.
The record of their expenditures is kept |
in each institution itself Is the business
of any other corporation done IN TINS
way? Do you know of any firm or cor
that would hire men TO transact |
a s, 100000 worth of business with no Cen
trail office Of easy access and with this
division of time between private o.
firm, or corporate. affairs? Is business
Of this magnitude transacted In this way
anywhere else on earth?
/ insist that the state should have
great business Office in the state house
In which complete record OF all the
business transactions with all the institu-
ions of this state should be kept so that
any one in authority. or a private citi-
zen. might easily ascertain at any time
what IL costs to conduct any OF the in
stitutions OF this state. or what a par
ocular article purchased by the state.
and paid for with the states money:
costs. The publicity to which this would
be equivalent would be a great check
upon extravagance and mismanagement,
md II would be in harmony with the
system of business in vogue everywhere