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About The Conservative (Nebraska City, Neb.) 1898-1902 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 27, 1900)
A1 Conservative * Two years ago ADOPT IOWA PRECEDENT. the state of Iowa became convinced of the mismanagement resulting from the system , then in vogne , of controlling state institutions and , very sensibly , agreed to make a radical change. The chief difficulty there was , as it is now in our own state , the mixing of politics with business. Party service determined the choice of the head officers and em ployees of the various institutions. In selecting one to take charge of a hospital for the insane , the individual's fitness for the special work , his knowledge of mental diseases was of infinitely less importance than the extent of his party service as shown by the endorsement of campaign committees. Faithful and diligent ante-election work in behalf of the appointive power graciously com pensated for any lack of medical knowledge or experience. The tax-payers of Iowa , wearying of paying for incompetency and mal administration , in 1898 elected a legis lature which enacted a law to correct abuses by placing the responsibility of managing and controlling state institu tions in the hands of a non-partisan Board of Control. Believing that a similar statute is needed in Nebraska and many other states , THE CONSERVA TIVE gives the following epitome of the Iowa law , in the hope that our law makers will give it diligent and careful perusal : The board of control shall consist of three members , appointed by the gover nor with the consent How Appointed. sent of two-thirds of the senate. Not more than two mem bers of the board shall belong to the same political party. The members of the initial board shall be appointed for terms of two , four and six years re spectively , subsequent appointments to ba made for the full term of six years. Nominations , before consideration by the senate , must be referred to a com mittee of five , not more than three of whom shall belong to the same political party. The salary of each member of the board is $3,000 per annum , payable monthly. While the legislature is in session , the governor may , with the consent of the _ . senate , remove a Removal. member of the board for malfeasance or any other cause which makes him unfit to hold office. "When the legislature is not in session , the governor may suspend the officer and make an appointment to fill the vacancy , subject to the action of the senate at the next session. All ap pointments made during the interim of the legislature shall expire thirty days after the convening of the same when they shall be filled in the usual manner. Members of the board must take an oath to faithfully perform the duties of their offices and Oatli. , . . % 11 i. shall devote all their time to the same. They are re quired to give bond in the sum of $25,000 and are disbarred from holding any other lucrative state position during their terms of office or for one year thereafter. The board of control is subject to examination by the joint committee on retrenchment and reform created by the Iowa code. No person shall be excused from testifying at such an inquiry on the ground that his testimony might incriminate himself. The board shall be provided with offices at the seat of government and Ofllccs. nmy . employ . a secretary , at a salary not to exceed $2,000 per annum , and such other clerical help as may be necessary and may purchase the needed office supplies , presenting to the legisla ture an itemized statement of such ex penditure to the end that the legislature may in the future fix the maximum amount. The state shall defray the traveling expenses of members of the board and clerks in visiting the various institutions and other places in the state on official business. For all trips out side the state the board must first agree upon the expediency of the same and the written permission of the governor must be secured in order to charge the expenditure to the state. The board shall have an official seal and affix same to all official papers. It _ , , _ . , . shall have full Exclusive Control. power to manage , control and govern , subject only to the limitations contained in this act , the soldiers' home , the state hospitals for the insane , the college for the blind , the school for the deaf , the institution for the feeble-minded , the soldiers' orphans' home , the industrial home for the blind , the industrial school , in both depart ments , and the state penitentiaries. The board shall prepare an annual statement , showing the cost of main taining state institutions , making im provements , etc. , itemizing same as far as possible and showing the cost of the various kinds of provisions and supplies. The board or a committee thereof shall , at least once every six months , visit and inspect various state institu tions , investigate financial conditions , carefully examine into all the details of management , talk with inmates , giving them an opportunity for private hear ings if requested. The board or its authorized agents shall visit monthly the hospitals for the insane. The board shall make a biennial re port to the governor and legislature , . . . _ . upon its observa- Biennial Report. tions and conclu sions relative to the various institutions and shall include with it the reports of the heads of institutions. It shall keep in its office a complete account of all the expenditures at each institution and shall prepare a biennial estimate for the legislature , showing the amount of appropriation required for the succeeding bieunium and suggest such legislation as it may deem helpful to the better con trol of the several institutions. The board shall not in any case expend more than the amount appropriated by the legislature. A violation of this pro vision shall constitute a misdemeanor. The superintendents of the various institutions shall meet every three , months with the Consultation. , , , . , board at its office for consultation in regard to bettering the efficiency and improving the economy of management of their respective institutions. The board shall employ an architect , at a salary not to exceed $8,000 per annum , skilled in the most improved methods of sanitation and competent to prepare plans for buildings and improve ments , who shall attend to the work usually performed by an architect. In exceptional cases the board may em ploy a consulting architect at an expense not to exceed $1,600 per annum. The board shall appoint the chief executive officers of the various institutions - _ . , _ . . . . . tions for terms of Heads of Institutions. four years , who may in turn be removed by the board for incompetency or neglect of duty , but only after written charges shall have been preferred and a hearing granted. The removal , when made , shall be final. The board shall collect data relative to the best methods of caring for the various classes of individuals under their control , encourage scientific investiga tion for the treatment of insanity and publish from time to time a bulletin of \ the same. < , No member of the board or officer or agent thereof , and no superintendent , $ officer , manager or ; employee.of any of \ the institutions shall directly or indirect ly receive for himself or any institution , a gift of any description from any per son or corporation who are dealers in goods which may be used in such insti tution. A violation of this provision shall constitute a misdemeanor. Members of the board or officers or employees of the several institutions . . . . , , . , under the control Political Influence. , , . . . . thereof shall not directly or indirectly seek to influence , politically , any other officer or employee or contribute any money or anything of value for election purposes. A violation of this provision means dismissal. The superintendent or chief executive officer of the several institutions shall appoint all assistants and other em ployees , the number of whom shall be determined by the board and their salaries fixed by the governor and board.
