Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1872-07-19
From the Mt. Pleasant journal.
Self-Defence an Inalienablc RIGHT.


From the Mt. Pleasant journal.
Sels-Defence an Inalienablo Right.
G. G. Carpenter, the present
humane Governor of Iowa, in his
defence Of the Bill to Protect the
Rights of the Insane, remarked, 81
want the right of sclf-defcnce my
self, and l also want every citizen
of Iowa to have this right; but un-
der our present legislation every
citizen Of our State is constantly
exposed to lose this right by an in
generation in an Insane Asylum,
since these institutions must neces-
sarily be based upon the principles
of an autocracy, under which gov
ernment the right of self-defence is
annihilated. Now simply for
misfortune to place any citizen out
side of the pale of justice, while in
side an Insane Asylum is not only
unjust but inhuman. There should,
therefore, be. a superior power in
augurated by this Legislature by
which this autocratic power can be
held amcnable to the laws of our
republic, when abused"
And the Senate Of Iowa argued
in defence of this bill as follows:
"Since there now exists no link to
connect the inmates Of our Insane
Asylums with the laws of our re-
public-thus leaving them wholly
at the mercy of an autocrat-there
should be one, and the committee
this bill creates forms just such
link; and we can well afford to pay
our committee for fidelity to this
important trust-that of extending
to this unfortunate class the protcc-
ton Of the law, when needed"
1t was not assumed that DR.. Ran
ney, as an individual autocrat, need
ed to be watched any more than
any other individual invested with
unlimited power; but it was argued
that no absolute autocracy should
be created and sustained by re-
public, whose foundation princi-
pies require that every citizen shall
be held amenable to the laws, and
be able also to seek the protection
Of law, when needed, in defense of
their inalicnable rights. Now the
insane have the same inalienab!e
right to be treated with reason,
justice and humanity as the sane;
therefore the insane ought to have
the same protection Of the law as
the sane But under the present
rule of Asylums they have none at
all. No matter to what extent
their right to justice is ignored,
there is granted them no chance
whatever Of sclf-dcfencc.
The single and only object of
this committee is to ascertain if any
individual, among all this unfor-
tunate class, can DC found who needs
the protection of justice, and to
administer it when found without 4
question to be entitled to it. This
law gives to the committee power
superior to that OF the Superinten-
dent, in that he himself is now held
amenablc to the laws, in his exer-
else Of power over his patients,
through this committee For exam
pie, if this autocrat should be found
to have been guilty of assault and
battery, manslaughter or MURDER"
in his realm, he can now be held
accountable to the laws like any
other criminal found guilty Of like
offence outside Of an Asylum, and
this committee constitute the only
link between him, as the Superin-
tendent, and justice, as they do
between his patients and Justice.
It is humane law. 1t is a much
needed law. 1t is an honor to the
State Of Iowa to have passed such
a law, for it places Iowa where she
ought to be placed, rs the banner
State in humanitarian reforms.
She has thus immortalized herself
as the pioneer State in thus admin
istering to her afflicted ones the
right of self-dcfencc while confined
outside the pale Of justice.
1t is fondly hoped this bright
example will speedily be followed
by all the States in the Union, thus
demonstrating the fact that this
American Government is Chris
,ian government, in that she can
then claim, and be entitled to the
honor of protecting by its laws, the
right Of sei.dctence even to that
most unfortunate of all classes of
its citizcns-the inmates of Insane
Asylums.
TIE pRfsoNER's FRIEND.
Mi. Pleasant, June 20, 1872.