The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1915-10-01
DIR. PATTON CHOSEN
HEAD OF new BODY
Board of County Visitors, Recent
ly Created, Organizes Here
Mrs. Hays Secretary.

DIR. W. c. Patton yesterday after
noon was elected chairman of the Cape
Girardeau County Board of Visitors,
a body recently appointed by Judge
Kelly of the Circuit Court to inspect
all penal and eleemosynary institu-
tons in the county, at meeting in the
Common Pleas Court room.
The meeting was for the purpose of
organizing the boards work. Mrs.
Edward D. Hays, wife of Probate
Judge Hays, was made secretary of
the organization and general plans for
the boards work this winter were dis
cussed.
The County Board of Visitors is an
innovation in Cape County, although
the State law authorizing the Circuit
Court to create such body, has ex-
listed since 1903. At that time the
Legislature passed law empowering
the Circuit Court in each county of the
State to appoint board of six men,
bers.
The duties Of this organization are
TO make quarterly visits to each penal,
corrective or eleemosynary institution
which is supported wholly or in part
by the funds of the county or of any
municipality in the county.
In Cape County this means a visit
to the County Farm, the Jackson Jail
and the Jail in Cape Girardeau, as well
as smaller .ails and calabooses in the
other towns within the county.
The visitors are TO examine the eco
nomic management of the various in
situations with a view of protecting
the tax payers who support them, and
to examine the sanitary, moral and So
cial conditions for the benefit of the
inmates.
The Circuit Court till this year never
made the appointment in Cape County.
Recently the secretary of the State
Board of Charities and Corrections in
vestigated the situation here to learn
from county officers something of a
prospective personnel for such board
in Cape County.
Subsequently, the secretary called
the attention of Judge Kelly to the law
creating the Board of Visitors and ask
ed him to make appointments. The
law stipulates that there are to be
three men and three women and that
not more than three are to be of the
same political faith.
In getting the board started, two are
appointed for one year, two for two
years and two for three years. Re
appointments are made at the May
term of court, two members being APP
pointed each year.
Judge Kelly recently announced the
appointment as members of the first
| board: DIR. Patton, Mrs. Hays, of the
Cape; Mrs. Frank Burroughs, of the
Cape; L. A. Goodwin, of Jackson;
Wash Miller of Oak Ridge, and Mrs.
John l.. Stout, of the Cape.
Following their Investigations at the
various public institutions in Cape
County, the board will make a quarter
/ " report to the County Court and to
the various municipalities in the cOun-
ty. In this will be contained the state
ment of their findings along with Sug-
gestiOns and recommendations for I'M
provement and changes.
An annual report of their work is
to be made to the State Board of Char
tiles and Correction.
The members of the board who have
been named for Cape County are en-
thusiastic in their work. They believe
that there is opportunity for a great
constructive work by the proper exer-
else of their power. All the members
of the Cape board are well known in
the county for their interest in mat
| ters of that character.