Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1916-05-19
The State Board of Control


First of a series of twelve articles
on the states institutons.)
In March, 1897, the legislature of
this state abolished the board of
trustees, respectively, of the state re-
form school, the western hospital for
the insane, the eastern hospital for
the insane, the state soldiers home
and the board of directors of the
state penitentiary, and created state
board of audit and control for the
government, control and maintenance
of the said institutions.
This board was to consist of five
citizens of the state, four of whom
were to serve without compensation,
and the fifth to be specially appointed
and to be known as the commissioner
of public institutions. The governor
was to appoint the members of this
board and to himself act as ex-officio
chairman. The board was instruct
ed to visit the institutions whenever
necessary, but the commissioner of
public institutions was compelled to
visit each institution at least once in
every quarter. His salary was to be
500 per annum.
Governor John r. Rogers thus be-
came the first ex-ofiicio chairman of
this board, and Ernest Lister, the
present governor, became the first
commissioner of public institutions
The other four members appointed by
the governor were w. M. Ridpath of
Spokane, Henry J. Sniveley of North
Yakima, John c. Stallcup of Tacoma,
and DR.. Eugene Jordan of Seattle.
At that time there were but the five
state institutions which the board had
control over. The total population
of the institutions then was 1,457,
and the expenditure for maintenance
was $439,768.1O for the biennium.
Work of the First Board.
This board in it's first report rec
furnished for each institution. They
then proceeded to systematic the
work of the institutions and to adopt
records and reports in nearly the
same general style for all of the in
situations. Stock books of a similar
style were made; monthly reports
were ordered forwarded to the board
from each superintendent; duplicate
copies of every voucher were ordered
kept on file in the Office of the board;
and Immediately after the first of
every month the vouchers for the ex-
penses of the month previous were
prepared at the institutions and for
warded to the Office of the board, and
If found correct, were approved
After being approved they were for
warded to the state auditor for the
issuance of warrants and when issued
the warrants were mailed to the per-
sons in whose favor they were drawn.
In the second biennial report Of
this board, John B. Slater of Colville
and Thomas F. Dougherty of Tacoma
had succeeded Messrs. Stallcup and
Ridpath as members. The popula-
ton of the institutions in the two
years had increased to 1881 and the
cost for maintenance to $488,868.37.
During the biennium a new wing for
male patients had been erected at the
western hospital at at cost of $4O,-
900, a new greenhouse built and a
new ice machine installed at the same
institution. At the eastern hospital
a new infirmary was built and at the
state penitentiary a new dining hall
and kitchen were erected, also a new
cell wing, the latter being paid for
by the federal government. A dormi-
tory and amusement hall were erect
ed at the state soldiers home. The
legislature Of 1901 also did away
with the state board Of audit and
control and created an act establish
ing the present system OF a state
board of control, and added the in
stitution at Vancouver, known as the
school for defective youth to the con-
troll of this board.
The new law made the board BIZ
partisan, to consist of but three men,
bers, not more than two to be men,
bers of the dominant party in poll
tics, and this is the law today.
Unless he is appointed to fill va
cancy, each member of the board of
control is appointed for term Of six
years, but any member can be re-
moved by the governor in his discre-
ton. The chairman of the board for
each year shall be the member whose
term Of Office first expires. At the
time of the creation Of the board the
so1ary was fyed at 80 600 Der annum