The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1882-01-19

tOau anu DoHIlu Ofl VI our ppople NHlte tue
object by those managing this work u good
ono, yet mn sorrs to say that the results. IN
tho main, arc not such as could hc desired.
Many or tlicac children are of tho ahaodum"
type. criminals by herudity, ani almost immc-
diately Oh their arrival IN the State leave the
homer provided for them aud take to vicious
PRACTICES. and, because OF tho superior acutncn
superinduced by THUR former method Of living,
exercise had influence on tho children they
Aru brought In contact with. A notable exam
pie of this was seen In tho recent successful
attempt to throw train from the track ri ono
Of our principal railroads, whereby = valuable
life WAS lost and oil tho passengers on tho train
imperilcd. How many Of tho children have
been brought to the State am not aware. but
OF those brought here, there are nj this time IN
tho reform school, eight boys mi one girl,
and two arc 1t present inmates Of the Al
dtional Pententiary, and the Warden informs
me that hc hss had m many ~ ten NJ one time
In confinement In that institution. Tbis mat.
tor demands such legislative action M may be
found practicable toward preventing the State
from becoming harbor Tor the criminal youth
Of the soaboard cities.
nrfoKMAroHy ron CRIMINAL WOMEN.
have been requested by the philanthropio
women Of the State 10 call your attention to
the expcdiency Of erecting reformatory for
criminal women. There are, at present. at tho
pcnitcntiaries OF the state. no accommodations
established, the females convicted Of crime
could be sent there. In place Of bcing incarcer-
ated In the pcnitentiaries and jails OF the State
The system has worked well In other states,
aud doubtless would DO equally productive Of
beneficial results here.
CRIMINAL RETURNS.
Tho Secretary Of state submits the usual hi.
ennlal statistics ofnthc convictions for crime.
They show the number Of convictions for the
period was 2,45l. This Ia \ diminntion. as
compared with the prior term. when they NUM-
bered 2,937, Of l61a per cent, and with the
tern, ended Sept. 81. is77, Of as per cent. II
Il fair to assume that these figures indicate
marked decrease In the number Of violations Of
tho sta utes. This is perhaps, due to the en-
HANGED general prosperity. prcvalen. through
out the country. The amount Of fines im-
the amount collected was "a. $50 A.
The court expenses OF the ninoty-scycn
counties making returns amount to Sis .0a5iS.
being t3S. 443.g2 less than for tho former
period, reduction Of about five and quarter
per cent. While this decrease Ii, OF course,
gratifying, yet even these lower figures show
our crlminal expenses to be enormously high.
the average cost Of each conviction during tue
period having been $a9i.Sl. II il no wonder
that many Of the counties complain at the large
proportion OF the taxes collected, that is OK
pended In criminal prosecutions, 30 large in
decd as frequently to hinder the payment Of
other county expenses. One cause. aud proba-
bly, the most potent one, Of these enormous
expenses, il TO be found in the delays in trying
criminals, the courts, for one reason or III.
other, constantly postponing trials, thus often
causing failures Of prosecutions. while the
expenses are accumulating. submit that
this state OF affairs demands remedial lcgisla.
ton, in order that the majesty OF the law may
be more promptly indicated. Another serious
n avv IN in
count Of preliminary examinations. These ex.
aminalons are, or should be, for one purpose
only--tO secure the person OF . criminal when
desired by the prosecution for trial. and vet
large percentage Of examinations are held when
II 10 well known that the accused will be in the
county, when and where he can be arrested
whenever an indictment ia found. would
recommend that section 4, lS5, code. be amend
Cd no that the preliminary examinations for
which II provides should be lad only when
felony II charged, and not then except in cases
OF murder or rape, unless upon showing. sat
isfactory to the magistrate. that there is good
reason to believe the accused would otherwise
abscond before the sitting Of the Grand jury
would further recommend that IN cases OF
homicide. where tho Coroner's jury find the de
ceased came To his death BY the unlawful act OF
some person, the Coroner may issue his war
rant for the commitment OF such person Tor
his admission to bail the facts may warranty
the District Court. THIS would obyiate the ne
cessity for preliminary examination where the
same testimony l. necessarily repeated.
THE PLEA or INSANITY.
Owing to the recent commission Of 4 heinons
crime, which has brought grief to every family
in the nation, public attention has been very
largely directed to the plea Of insanity made hy
persons charged with homicidal crimes. and the
claim OF on-responsibility on aceoan, OF in-
ans.at.
The law Of this State provides that. If the de-
Tense be the insanity Of the defendant. the
jury must be instructed, il they aeauit hmm on
that ground, to state that fact in their verdict"
Should not this be rcsised2 II seems to me that
the plea Of not guilty should no; be allowed 10
cover the plea Of INSANITY, bnt that the latter.
when relied upon Shoud be specially pleaded ana
tried BY experts the inquiry being solely as u the
state Of mind OF the defendant; first. 1T the time
tho act Was committed. aud second, II neces-
sary. at the time Of the inquiry. the burden
Of proof being upon the detcn liant. II the
should ue found TO nave been insane
Ut the time the act was committed he should be
confined as dangerous man 10 society by
reason OF his INSANITY aud the possibility Of the
OF his malady.
II IL not little singular that. while in almost
every case OF murder where the offense il too
TO admit OF the doub. of guilt in
sanity is pleaded. il Il hardly ever heard OF in
with any other crime. THIS fact il
we'll calcGlsted to strengthen the popular esti-
mate 81 the farcical character or this plea
when II il made and cnforccs the demand for
leglsi ,tioa.
THE FISH COMMISSION
At the close Of the last biennial period there
remained, unexpended. OF the appropriation
made BY the Seventeenth General Assembly for
tho Fish Commission. t6ss.3O and there was
sembly Is, 900. making u total Ut Ss,6es. 81. .
There has been dsbursed during the pact Lien-
NAL period $3.433.oi. leaving ~. a65 10 un-
drawn and available for the purposes Of the
appropriation.
During the biennial period, large auan,it 6
of lAnd-lockcd salmon. lakc.truu, wastcli.h
aud hiook-tront have been deposited ia the
streams aud lakes OF the State. The Commits
sioner has succceicd in obtaining quite u large
lot OF European carp which have been dis
tribntcd. Good aud sufficient poais have
been constructed At the hxtehins-atnse lsr
these fish, and the time is Lear WHEN the State
Will receive the benefit II this cheap an easily
raised tish.
The Matching house in Dickinson county has
been Ia operation only STAGE December, 1850.
Its operations, even in that short period Of
lime. have given promise OF good results The
supply Of water IL unlimited, and the building
y well adapted for the purpose designed. The
appropriation of sraall amount Of money
49, SAsbuV-Ah1 uac NnuetIuCtluu III aIIuC1Al
ponas, will enable the Assistant Commissioner
to do good work in restocking the lakes and
rivers Of tho State with native nah At mere
y nominal cost
NINE INSPECTION.
Tho Office Of Nine Inspector was created by
chapter 202, acts of the Eighteenth General As
semlly. The law went into operation July 4,
1850. On the 2Sth Of that month appointed
Parker {, Wilson, OF Mahaska county. Inspector
al s.ss,im. His report shows the number OF
mines IN operation IN the State July /. 1881. to
be i57, in which there were employed GIG
men and boys The product Of the mines dur
lug the year for which the report il made il, a.
nearly ~ can he determined. little over
a50J,000 tons During his term Of office the
Inspector has iited eli the mines Of the State,
and most of them twice.
The production OF coal il constantly increas.
ing, and the mines are taxed To their utmost
capacity TO meet the demand for coal for heat
ing and manufacturing purposes. Coal ia lcinS
naned IN twenty-Six counties Of the State and
i now found in some localities where il was not
before supposed to exist.
IMMIGRATION COMMISSION.
The Eignteenth General Assembly, by chap
ter los, created The office Of Commissioner OF
Immigration, and among it, provisions made
il the duty Of that officer to use his efforts $50