The Topeka state journal., 1913-08-25
NO AGITATION At THAT TIME
But Now 1t Makes Good Cam
paign Reading.
And Can Add Nothing to State
Expense or Taxes.


made more than II months ago and
which were in the hands of Governor
Hodges at the time he delivered his
inaugural address, sent his MESA ges
To the legislature and at various times
outlined the work of his admInIStr3- =
ton. But not until the Democratic
legislature had gone home and II was
entirely too late TO make an appTo-
priation and secure actual relief from
existing conditions. did the state ad-
mfnistratfon take up the task of ex-
/ tending aid to the Lansing convicts
| and improving conditions at the state
penitentiary.
| Even last winter the legislative
/ committees sent to investigate coudi-
| tionS at Lansing and Hutchinson, re-
| commended the building of a new
penitentiary. But neither Governor
Hodges nor Samuel Seaton- the gov
/ ernor's pardon clerk, made the slight
| esr effort to secure better facilities for
| the states prisoners In May, there
was q big fire AT the penitentiary-
Governor Hodges was urged 70 call a
I special session of the legislature to
make an appropriation for Il brand
new plant. He refused to call the
( legislature together. Yet just before
/ leaving for Colorado Springs to at
/ tend the governors convention. the
Kansas executive announced that he
would urge the executive council to
visit the Lansing plant within the next
two weeks and to suggest remedies for
present conditions But there was no
intimation that anything would act
uaIly be done at this time, further
than to advise the voters that the
1914 legislature would consider the
question after the 1914 election
There has never been the slightest
dispute in Kansas about conditions at
the Lansing prison. If Kansas we're
to point a finger of shame to one OF
her institutions. every Kansas official
admits that the penitentiary would be
r 81 slz-r
disgracefuI and unsanitary in Kansas
The same conditions were true under
Republican rule as under Democratic
rule. But neither the Republicans
nor the Democrats have made the
slightest move to actually remedy
conditions.
Thomas w Morgan. warden of the
federal prison at Leavenworth. former
chairman of the state penal board and
a widely known Democrat, declares
that the Kansas penfteutiary IS
shame and a Disgrace Morgan knows
conditions at the state prison as well,
perhaps as any man in the state.
This talk about improving condi-
tions at the penitentiary is a joke.
said Morgan last week. as he sat in
office at the LeaveuvOrth prison and
read the uewspaper reports about I'M
proving conditions at Lansing Why
the machinery has been just so much
junk for many years and we recon-
suits Look at the prison boards
1911-12 report and you will find that
the very best things that are being
suggested now are the things which
We suggested then We pointed out
to the state at that time that many
state had thrown away better prisons
than the one that Kansas owns But
the suggestion hasn't been acted
upon
Morgan then told of his visit to
state penitentiary twine plant was
burned.
THE fire was Saturday afternoon
said Morgan SUNDAY morning the
board had a long conference with
Governor Hodges I urged him to call
the legislature together and ask for
an appropriation of 100000 or $500
600 for a new prison The report had
gone out that the state had lost s700.-
900 in the fire and half million
dollar appropriation would have been
easy to secure and by this time the
state would have new penitentiary
plant under way. But Governor
Hodges refused TO call the legislature
and the state still needs a new peni-
tentiary
Many reports of alarming condf-
tions at the prison have been an
uounced recently by Pardon Clerk
Seaton The public has been advised
that the state is working to improve
these conditions But with the leg1s-
ature in Topeka last winter. nothing
was done at that time which to any
great degree indicated a deep desire
for prison reform. And at that very
time the following report on prison
conditions was in the governors
hands:
we desire to call the attention of
your exceIIency and of the IegisIa-
ture to the fact that the physical
plant of the Kansas penitentiary is
for the most part in poor condition
and thoroughly out of date The state
Of Minnesota has abandoned a peni-
tentiary equipment that IS better in
many respects than ours Those who
are charged with responsibility in this
matter should realize that it will be
necessary either to make a large ap-
preparation each year for term of
years. beginning at once. OF else TO
appropriate a lump sum of from
sS5O.Ge6 to 100000 70 build a new
peuftentiary-'
This report was filed in July, 1912.
It was in the hands of Governor
Stubbs for six months and in posses
sion OF Governor Hodges from the
day he took his oath of office until
now The same report was also
placed in the hands of every MEM
Der of the state legislature But
prison conditions haven't improved
one bit.
Now Governor Hodges announces
that he wants the executive council
to go with him TO Lansing and in
vestisate conditiOEs- Kansas voters
will probably hear about these con
ditions'' in the next campaign But
II will be up to the 1915 legislature
to do something-and there Is no as
surance that the 1915 legislature will
appropriate one penny more than did
the legislature which came to Topeka
last winter
Took Kansas City Girls Home.
Not content with Kansas City, two
1S-year-oId girls left there last week