Evening star., 1951-12-13
Senate Agents
|Laud Missouri
County Home
Plant Thut Beck
Formerly Managed
Is Toured in Probe
By Don S. Warren
Stor Stoff Correspondent

Truman's home bailiwick of jack
son County, Mo-, outshines any
thing similar in Washington.
The two agents reached that
conclusion after tour of inspec-
ton of the Jackson County in
stitution, 7 miles from Inde-
pendence, Mo-, the Presidents
home.
They went there pursuing their
inquiry into the background of
Earl Wayne Beck, it's former
superintendent, and President
Truman'S choice to be the new
District Recorder of Deeds, whose
confirmation has been held up by
the Senate District Committee.
Beck Resigned in 1910.
Mr.. Beck resigned the Jackson
County post in 1910 after a furry
of complaints over his manage
ment.
1t may be no proof of the quail
ity of Mr.. Becks 15-year manage
ment of that institution. the Sem
ate agents said, but they found
the spacious, well-planned, spick-
and-span plants of the Jackson
County Home for Negro Boys and
Girls physically better than the
National Capital can offer.
Both of the committee agents.
Gerhard P. Van Arkel, counsel to
the District Committee, and Rob-
ert Albrook, assistant to Senator
Case. Republican. of South Da-
kota, had previously made inspec-
tions of District welfare institu-
tions.
District Plants Compared.
The contrasts they had in mind
were the ancient Industrial Home
School, for white children on Wis
conSin avenue and with the In
dustrial Home School for colored
boys at Blue Plains.
Washington has nothing to
compare with this" the two Beck
investigators agreed.
Some plant expansion and i'm
provements have been made at
the jackson County home since
Mr.. Beck was pushed into resig-
nation IL years ago. But some
of the main buildings and the
farm are substantially the same
as in Mr.. Beck's days of direction,
the Senate agents were told.
Some of the improvements since
S then have resulted from a 50 mil
= lion bond issue that was voted
: several years ago. Circuit Court
|. Judge Ray G. Cowan, Kansas City
o School Board committees and
others had protested against for
a mer conditions.
;, New Center Planned Here.
;: Washington, after years of PLAN
ming and persuasion, now has OBJ
{ tanned congressional approval
and financing for the beginning
of new children'S welfare center
at Laurel, Md.
= The committee agents have not
= as yet come up with any sure
;, findings as to whether Mr.. Beck
: in his long management of the
Jackson County home was a
. fumbler. tempermental or at times
), cruel in treatment of inmates,
as was charged here before his
resignation.
( The bipartisan District Com
mittee team of investigators yes
e terday found that stenographic
notes had been taken of those 1899
r Kansas City School Board hear
ings that led to demands for Mr..
= Beck'S custer. Those notes, how
ever. they said. were never
transcribed, and the secretary who
took that testimony now is in
New York. An effort is to be
made to get her to send a trans
cription to the District Committee
Look at Court Records.
Kansas City grand jury reports
criticiSing the Jackson County
home during the Beck regime
| were among the reasons for his
custer demands and hearings. So
the Senate Committee agents took
look at the old files at the court
= house here.
The Van Arkel-Albrook team
> said they found that various of
the grand jury reports on inspec-
:, tions of county institutions. made
,, no criticism at all of the place
run by Mr.. Beck. Some others
did. they said, although COM
plants specified lacks as to build
ings or other physical needs.
rather than charges of Beck mis-
management.
They said the most severe grand
jury complaint they noted was one
for 1899 which consisted of the
following:
"The institution was under
stated. The recreational facili-
ties and well rounded program are
lacking. The food is very poor
: and not nourishing.
Food Quality Criticized.
"We recommend that the super
intendent be relieved of the farm
direction so that he may give
more time to the management Of
the institution; that a trained
farmer be employed; that the food
!. must be of better quality, the diets
more balanced and the food pro-
duce, such as butter. eggs, vege-
: tables, ETC., raised on the farm, be
used for the inmates, and that a
closer inspection be made more
frequently to raise the standard
of cleanliness.
James H. Herbert, colored at
torney, who helped in the Beck
. defense in the 1889 school board
7 hearings, told the Senate commit
tee agents yesterday that poll
tics" was the principal motivation
of the 1939-40 drive to oust Mr..
: Beck.
: ''They wanted to clear out any
l one who ever looked like Pender-