Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1878-03-01
Legislative Matters.

The Senate passed a bill to allow the
division of counties into Supervisor dis
tricts. This has been urged from year
to year, and seems to be a growing de-
termination of the people. 1t has good
points.
Bills are pending to create a State
Board of Charities, and a State Board
of Health-both very important meas
ures, if they can be organized free from
cliques, quackery, and red-tape. Why
could not the executive council be made
to select a scientist on health as secre-
tary, to act with the chemical and med
ical department of our Agricultural
College, and physicians everywhere, on
the health question. And on the char
ity question, the same authority select
a sound man as secretary, to act with
heads of all public institutions all of
whom should meet once a year to COM
pare notes and fix metes and bounds be-
tween the different institutions. Let
the secretary thus selected, under the
advice of the council be required to Wis
it all places where information could be
obtained, and report annually the result
Of his investigation, with statistics bear
ing On legislation. This would be vast
ly cheaper and possibly much more eff
fcient, as most of the officers are now
under pay from the State.
A resolution has been introduced pro-
posing to amend the Constitution by
striking out the word male" from Sec
ton l Article 2, and Section 4 Article 3,
of the Constitution, thus providing for
female suffrage. The subject will be
discussed.
Senator Harmon introduced a good
resolution adding the chairman of his
Ways and Means Committee to that of
Appropriations, and it was promptly
adopted. Let us have the means pro-
yided for all appropriations made.
An important act has passed the
House and should be promptly passed
the Senate. 1t vests title Of persons
who have purchased school lands of the
State, and died before patent was issued,
in the heirs and ~assignees of patentees,
the courts having decided hat patents
cannot issue to dead men.
In the House a bill has been intro
duced that has been called for by the
officers of our Insane Asylums for sever
al years, and provides for the removal of
incurable and harmless patients from
hospitals for the insane, and to provide
for their support. 1t seems passing
strange that the expensive occupancy of
a State institution should have been so
long given to this class of patients,-
even to the exclusion of durable and
eve dangerous cases. Now let the
other item SO loudly called for by both
DR.. Reynolds of this place, and DR..
Ranney Of Mt. Pleasant, be adopted,
and prevent the sending of criminals to
our insane hospitals.
The restoration Of the death penalty
is again undergoing discussion.
The local option liquor bill was de-
feated. There is a heated feeling
among the different classes of temper
ance men, that BODIES no good. The sue
cess of the new reform movement has
caused certain persons to be over-zeal-
Gus in securing more stringent legisla-
ton, and some of these parties have ev-
identity more zeal than discretion, and
also seem imbued with a selfish feeling,
or rule OR ruin" character. The NOR
al movemement now going on should
be fully recognized, as without it our
present law would be a dead letter. The
present law will doubtless be retained
with the additions contained in the De-
wesse bill, referred to in another part
of this paper.
The Fort Madison P~enitentiary is to
be investigated by a joint committee of
the two houses, at the instance of the
visiting committee that lately made
their report, 1t is to be hoped that no
just charges can be found against War
den Craig, who has been for many years
in the public service.