The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-08-13
BIDDLE'S REPORT
Head Topeka Hospital Points
Defects in Marriage Law.
Death Rate Has Increased
Over Two Years Ago.

Kansas needs new and more stringent
marriage laws, according to the report
of Superintendent T. c. Biddle, OF the
Topeka hospital, filed his week with
the board of control In review OF the
work of the Topeka asylum, Superin-
tendent, Biddle points to the fact that
the. Kansas marriage laws are lax and
that the propagation of the defective
cls sses of citizens in the state has been
unhindered by legislation.
commend the building of the new
asylum for the criminally insane st
Lansing. Since the report in 1910, hve
inmates of the Topeka asylum have
been transferred to the new Lansing
asylum. Among these was one inmate
who assaulted and killed D. F. Thomp-
son, a keeper, while on duty at the
asylum in November, 1911.
Another inmate of the Topeka asylum
to be taken to the Lansing asylum for
Nulty. 1t was McNulty who killed
fellow prisoner in the Reno county Jail,
who assaulted and nearly killed a dep
uty warden in the Kansas state peniten-
tiary and committed other depredations
that called for his safe keeping in a
padded cell. So, when the Lansing
asylum was completed, the Topeka hos
piIal was relieved of five of its more
dangerous men and they will be safe
guarded at a real prison asylum.
death rate in the Topeka hospital has
increased. In the showing of July, 1910,
the report showed 1872 deaths as COM
pared with pa for the two years just
closed. Among the deaths in the To-
peka asylum were three suicides Of
patients who had not manifested sui
cidal tendencies and were not kept in
the oLSerVa ton wards. Coroner's juries
ir all of these cases, however, relieved
the hospital management of any blame
in connection with these deaths.
In the two years covered in the re-
port. is also shown an increase in the
number of inmates being cared for at
Topeka. On June 80, the close of the
fiscal year, there were 1884 inmates
in the Topeka asylum. OF this number,
S81 were males and SOB females. The
1910 report showed 1855 inmates. OF
these, S52 were males and SOB females.
Concerning the need of better mar
riage laws in the state, Superintend-
ent, Biddle is very certain. In his re-
port he says:
Where Law Fails.
THE continued breeding of the I'M
fit, who are becoming an ever increas-
ing burden to society, is enlisting the
earnest attention of sociologists
the land. Society surely has
a valid right to. protect itself against
the dangers and public expense that is
involved in the propagation of the de-
Several states, including our own,
laws restricting the mar
riage4 of detectives. Other states have
legalized the sterilization of certain
types of the unfit 1 believe that no
proposed legislation is of greater inn
portance than these laws that are in
tended to curtail the increase of these
elements of our population.
Could the innumerable examples of de-
fective propagation be forced upon the
attention of our legislators, as they
are brought to the attention of those
who care for these unfortunates, L am
sure there would be little delay in
making laws that would tend to re-
ieve these unwholesome social infu-
ences-
TT appears that these laws have been
-ather disappointing where they have
been in operation. chiefly on account
If reimbursement. The very import
ant laws of Kansas prohibiting the
marriage of certain types of the unht.
8 sadly neglected. Paroled inmates or
he insane hospitals and absentees
rom the hospital for epileptics have
been licensed to marry while away
rom the institution while on leave |
Dur state should reinforce the mar
.iage restriction law by enacting the |
indiana and Iowa sterilization law, and !
provide for stricter enforcement OF !
10Th laws A reasonable penalty for |
of the laws, should be |
provided. A law without a penalty |
cause is of no practical benefit"