Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1898-01-21

| used to turn over his DOCKS. 10 HiS s si
| cessor, and other manifestations VI "'
Even since the home was established 1t
has been drawing illegally from the sup,
humber of inmates on the books, ana not
the number actually domiciled. 1t mas
drawn a per capita for men VINO nave
never received any support t 1,o III ' cIoth
The commissioners said had they ,, kho own
of the practice they would not have per
mitted It, The committee cailea ah t,r a.
ice He secured an opinion or tne atlor-
ney general and the home Is nov unaer-
stood to be getting its proper s 5 was
drawn in excess of the legal amount our
ing the period covered by the invesilga-
ton of the committee The comnanuanti;
Of commissioners. said he simply foi-
lowed the method employed by his pred;
ecessor and had no knowledge OF 1t until
| he became cOmmandant. ., ~.
| There is no system OF competitive plu-
ding for the purchase Of supplies. CON-
mandant Ratekin and Quartermas,tte,r
Langley ey ma IN the use
of supplies. which is highly commences 1sa
as the most perfect found at any OF the
estimated BY th c nar Vear
| The committee doubts this. but says the
reduction is unusnali The other books
are severely criticised; ou,,so tor dwarf
|
ing an appropriation from the purposes
for which it was made $1,000 Of the con-
tingent fund was transferred to salary
and wages account and never returned:
| Other instances Of the same violation are
cited. For instance. the Twcntyosixth
general assembly appropriated $1,000 for
sioners expended over $1,000 for the same
purpose, drawing the sum of $1,000 from
the support fund.
The committee listened to certain
charges and complaints against the quar-
| termaster but after careful consideration
found no Foundation for them. holding
| that his participation in securing a more
chasing department of the home is cred
liable. Finding that much litigation has
resulted from the action of the tSa of
sions received by the nmates-the courts
having decided that the commissioners
have the power to make the regulations
| now in force-the committee is Of the
| opinion that vesting in the cOmmandant
the power to determine who are depend
ent relatives and should receive all of the
| pensions in excess of Sc per month, pro-
vokes discomfort on the part of the in
mates and relatives 1t says the lesisla
ture should definitely name the parties
| who are entitled to excess money.
The committee ascertained that the
| great bulk of supplies is purchased in the
| city of Marsh;iiito"n. and believes the
| ident trustees being subjected to great
| influence from local dealers The home is
charged with an eXtravasant drug bill
during the last year It amounting i to ST.
| purchased to the amount Of $500.
The committee believes the law should
be amended so that member of the
! eligible to the position of commandant
I during the term for which he is elected
| and two years thereafter.
Institution for Feeble Minded.
At Glenwood the resident trustee is
frl
| which is against the law, and besides re-
| ceiving Il compensation as such has
drawn the largest per diem which. any
| trustee is known of receiving. and re-
| the treasurer's biennial report Suisse
| quently when, the state warrants were
! at a prem UNI he sold about $4,000 in war
rants. and appropriated premium and ac-
! cumu.ated interest. The committee says
! that since then he has reimbursed the
| state for the same
Peniteutiaries.
! The most glazing evil pointed out in
| the two penitentiares is the guard SER
vice, which involves large outlay yearly
and is influenced wholly by politics. The
| O ia warden be taken out of politics. when
| that officer will be free in. the appoint
ment of guards and be enabled to appoint
better men and reduce the number. At
Anamosa there is q chance for improve
ment in prison discipline as shown by the
number of convicts that escape yearly.
| Hero some OF the EtuTuS nave Ilau INA III
c il transactions with the convicts. The
| committee listened to complaints against
p w. Madden, the now eX-warden at An
amosa but found most of them unfound-
ed. finding nothing in the records. finan-
| cial management. or in the accOuntirgs
for expenditures to reflect upon his integ
Schoo, for the Deaf
The school for the deaf is in debt to
the amount OF $!S.O5SG9 Before the revis-
ion of the code last year little attention
had been paid to its management. At
| the requsition for quarterly allowances
, be based on the average attendance dur
ing the preceding quarter Up to that
! time the management had been in the
habit of basing it upon the largest single
attendance during the quarter. The state
auditor discovered the habit and refused
to honor the requisition. which resulted
in the new law. This it is believed will re-
| duce the expenses Of the institution from
four to seven thousand dollars annually.
| pay off the Indebtedness of the institu-
ton and put it on its feet again. Then
radically change its methods and practices
so that 1T can live within its income
which the committee says is now mad
The Orphans Home at Davenport IS
| commended as the most economically ac-
| ministered government among the state
| institutions. The educational institutions
are not found to be as radically wrong as
that can be mended. For instance. one CT
The schools employs teachers that are re-
lated to members of the board of trustees.
The industrial sch 61, nave po rss a
than any other of the institutions.
Reorganization and IsecOmncnda-
ton.
In the rccaptulation the committee
| says: Entertaining the opinion, however,
that the major part Of our criticisms re-
fer to abuses inhering to the trustee sys-
TEN a thorough measure Of reform is the
care to prepare a list of proposed stat
utory amendments, but on reflection 1t
was ascertained that the greater number
Of such amendments can properly form
| Il part of a measure creating central
or supervisory board.
The different methods of amendment of
the different institutions. the COMMITTEE
says induce extravaganza. Different
| funds are mingled in violation OF law.
| Statutory limitations on expenditures Tor
specific purposes are not observed: II. IN
| many places there is no auditing OF dis
and at others the auditing Is only mad
after the bills are paid Institutions of
the same kind pay different salaries for
like services. Appropriations are secured
from the legislature on eX-parte state
ments. The costs of the improvements
arc therefore unknown. And it is only
made. This vicious practice will deplete
| u treasury"
In speaking of the rlvlary and d:strust
of the different institutions the committee
closes by saying: I'm one instance at
! least a management employed members
of the board at considerable expense to
the state to attend the assembly sessions
and prevent the state from enactinE
what was termed hostile legislation
This was an expenditure for a purpose
wholly inexcusable.'
I'VE submit that the legislature should
consider the suggestions amending the
statute so the support fund shall not be
drawn until it is required by the institu.
ton. and failure to draw at the stated
| intervals shall not deprive the manage
ment of the annual per capita allowance.
but it will remain a credit in the state
treasury until needed. The benefits Of such
a provision are many and obvious.
"lhe state Treasurer Should be author