The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-10-24
ON BETTER BASIS.
State Board of Control Has Re-
form Ideas.
Plan to Improve the Charitable
Institutions.
THE SALE OF BABIES.
Founding Asylums Now Con.
Quoted Without Supervision.
Would Have Arrangements
Made for Visitation by Officials.

Made for Visitation by Officials.
/ Better control of the private charities
Of the state is one of the reforms which
| is being agitated by the state board OF
control. 1t is likely that the next legis-
| lature will be asked to enact a law re-
| quiring all societies dealing with de-
pendant and delinquent children to Sc
cure annually a license from the board
of control to continue in this business,
and also permitting the board to visit,
inspect and supervise all charitable in
situations, such as private asylums and
| orphans homes
The Kansas board of control wants
the Illinois plan for caring for found
| ling asylumS adopted. In Illinois, all
| associations receiving children under
| the Juvenile court act are subject to
| the visitation of the board of control,
| and must make annual reports thereto.
The association must also have a
| license or certificate from the board.
In Kansas there are a number of
'children's home societies which make
| it their business to pick up homeless
| children wherever they can be found.
These homeless children are kept in
private homes at the expense of the as
ISOLATION, until permanent homes can
be found for them. People who want
children are willing to pay from $50 up
for a promising baby, and this is where
the societies dealing in children make
their money A good healthy child has
a considerable cash value. However. If
such associations are not conducted by
honest and conscientious men and wo-
men, they become prolific source of
graft, and, like the private insane
asyluns. are run more with a view of
making money than to giving the in
mates the best possible treatment.
In making formal recommendations
concerning the legislative policy in
Kansas, the state board of control says
in statement issued today:
1--WE believe carefully prepared laws
similar in most respects to those of
the state of Illinois, above referred to,
which would require the board of con-
troll to approve an application for a
charter and further provide for the
granting of an annual license to all So
cietfes and institutions be made subject
to visitation, inspection and supervis-
ion of the board of control. The laws
of Kansas should be strengthened with
reference to the supervision of children
after they have been placed out in FAM
lily homes, and either the Illinois state
agency plan should be adopted or these
institutions and Societies should be re-
CURED to. carefully supervise over them
and make 3 series of reports to the
board of control showing the name, age,
sex, color, etc, of each child placed by
and address of the family with whom
the child is placed, and in these re-
ports should show in detail the visits
made to each child.
AT the present time the state board
of control has the right of supervision
of all hospitals, asylums, rescue homes
and founding associations which re-
ceive aid from the state. OF such in
situations there are about rs in the
state, and they get from $500 to $500
1T1fo P1Jf nfh nr
institutions which receive no state aid,
and up to the present time are entire
~ independent of state supervision. In
discussing the need of such super
vision, the board of control says:
1.-THE states right to judiciously
supervise charitable institutions which
are created by the generosity of pri-
vate citizens, or the activity of re-
ligious bodies prompted from motives
of faith and love lies in its interest in
the inmates of these institutions. For
instance, the state can not be indif-
ferent to the welfare of one or more
hundred orphan or dependent chill
dren who are being reared in a pri-
vate institution where they are pre-
pairing to assume the responsibility of
citizenship. In like manner it is in
terested in the society which gathers
up the little orphans and places them
out in family homes and has a right
to see to it that such a society uses
proper methods and judgment in the
selection of these, homes, and in the
supervision of the children after they
are so placed.
"The state owes a duty as we'll to
it's defective citizens in seeing that
they are properly provided for wheth-
er by public or private institutions.
Proper state supervision and regu-
lation protects the public from being
imposed upon by so-called charitable
institutions, but which in reality are
conducted merely through selfish mo-
tives and which have no regard for
the Importance or SacredneSS of the
work in which they are engaged. This
class of institutions is far more ener-
getic in soliciting funds throughout
the state than in doing the work it
lauds SO highly. They ply their graft
by making high-sounding appeals to
the philanthropic and religious citi-
zens, organizations and churches and
many of them flourish at least for a
time. This last-named reason, which
might be termed the dollar standard,
is of far less Importance than the one
that the heIplessness of its citizens
forms legitimate basis for the claim
for state supervision of private charit-
oh ,c+i f,1tia