Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1877-12-14
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Last Friday was tho regular meeting
Of tho Trustees Of the Iowa Hospital
for the Insane, and among other bus
mess, proper to the occasion, was the
election Of . Steward, to serve the regu-
lar term Of one year. As our readers
are aware, Mr.. G. B. Smeallie, Of this
city, was last spring elected for the va
cancy caused by the resignation of Mr..
Josselyn, and it was naturally expected,
unless some tangible and sufficient
cause for his displacement should ap-
pear, that Mr.. Smeallic would be re-
: elected. No evidences or complaints of
Mr. Smeallie's unftness having come to
the knowledge of the community, it
may be judged that some surprise, not
unmixed with something else, was ex-
pressed by the public, when it became
known that the choice had fallen on a
Mr.. Appelman, son Of the lady member
of the Board of Trustees. This feeling
of surprise, and-to put it mildly-dep-
reactions, was not allayed when the
further facts came out, that there was
no specific objection raised in the Board,
against Mr.. Smeallie's administration of
the Office; that his fitness and faithful
ness were, in fact, cordially endorsed by
the Superintendent, DR.. Reynolds; that
his successor, Mr.. Appleman, owed his
election, almost wholly, to the persist
ent solicitations and influence of his
mother, and that no member of the
Board knew him personally, or anything
concerning his qualifications, except as
they had been informed by Mrs. Appel
man.
Now, we do not propose to discuss this
action of the Board, in it's personal as
pect, though it certainly looks as
though wrong has been done
Mr.. Smeallie by this summary proceed
ing. 1t is not impossible that the new
Steward may prove himself as efficient
and faithful in the discharge of his du-
ties as the last. We are not going to
judge him in advance and assume that
he will not. But there is principle of
administration involved in this matter
that is above all personal considerations.
and needs attention. We refer to the
abuse-it is nothing else-too often
practiced by members of the Boards
governing our State institutions, of
using their positions for the advance
ment of members of their own families,
or the special interests of the towns in
which they respectively reside. There
is in the public mind an instructive aver
sion to nepotism in any form, and the
figuring and scheming for local interests
sometimes exhibited in the Boards of
our charitable institutions, not less
reprehensible.
The Legislature should choose for
Trustees of its great charities, men and
women who can divest themselves of
narrow and selfish consideration of
their own households and localities; who
can realize that they are acting for the |
whole State, and will conscientiously |
keep the interests of the State in view
to the exclusion of all other interests. !
Amy departure from this rule, any |
scheming to get relatives into positions
of trust Or responsibility, any lobbying
for special interests or localities, should |
secure pointed rebuke from the press
whenever manifested.
The vote on the election of Steward
stood 3 to 2 The trustees voting for |
Mr.. Appelman were his mother, Mrs. |
Mr.. Fisher and Mr. Morgan. |
DIR. House, of this city, and DR.. Robin
son, of West Union, voted for Mr. |
Smeallic. On former occasion when !
Mrs. Appelman pressed her son for the |
same position, she recognized the pro-
prieties of the situation and refrained |
from voting. The same exhibition of
good taste on this occasion might have
been fatal to her darling project, but her
action would have appeared in better
light. If there is any weight in the ar
gument for an equitable distribution of
the prominent positions in the Hospital,
it will be well enough to bear in mind
that Fayette county we'll nigh monopo-
Lies them at the present time She has
two of the Trustees, the Matron, and
now the Steward.
Mr.. Smeallie retires from the position |
with the full confidence and respect of
DR.. Reynolds and the other officers and
employees of the Hospital.