Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1898-01-28
ONE BOARD OF CONTROL.
Shall the State Institutions of Iowa
Be Placed Under a Single
Management.
INTEREST SHOWN BY The LEGISLATORS

INTEREST SHOWN BY The LEGISLATORS
The Investigating Committee Favor,
the Idea-Move for Biennial Elec.
tions-The Woman Suffrage Move.
mont, Temple Amendment ane
Other Legislative Notes.
| Especial Correspondence
Des Moines, Ia, Jan. 24.-All other
| topics have been subordinated in the
discussions of the past week to the
board of control question, brought on
by the report of the committee which
investigated the state institutions
This committee, composed Of Senator
Healy, of Webster county; Represents
tives Merriam, of Delaware county, and
Porter, of Appanoose, filed its lengthy
report last Tuesday. The work Of the
committeewase evidently very thorough
It went into the details of the business
Of oil the institutions, taking each one
up separately and at length in the re.
port, which fills about 80 columns OF
newspaper type. The criticisms of the
committee are directed chiefly at the
system, and are calculated as an argu-
ment in favor of the single board OF
control to have absolute management
of all the institutions except the state
university, agricultural college and
state normal school.
Loose Business Methods.
The worst thing in the whole sys-
tenn, the committee says, is the loose
ness with which business is transacted;
the lack of system; the lack of a care
full check in the handling of supplies;
the failure to advertise for bids to the
extent that the committee thinks is
practicable, and the habit of the truss
tees in transferring money from one
fund to another, contrary to law. The
committee thinks that the selection of
trustees and wardens by the legisla-
ture is a bad thing, because it gives the
members O pull" on the officers so
selected, and interferes with the inde-
pendent administration of their Duties.
Mr.. Merriam did not agree with the
majority of the committee, but thought
that a central advisory board should be
created, similar to the one which has
worked so well in New York, and which
should have advisory powers over all
the institutions in regard to their
fnacial management, but that the adj
ministrative functions should remain
with the separate boards of trustees as
at present.
Some Opposition.
The report of the committee was such
tremendous broadside, and the argu-
ment was so ably prepared by the
chairman, Senator Healy, that for the
moment it swept everything before it.
It looked as If the board of control
wouldgo through with little opposition.
But a few days discussion has some
what changed the situation. The argu-
ments against the board Of control are
beginning to be urged, and the friends
OF the state institutions who think that
such policy would be hurtful to their
interests and would not result in true
economy are being heard from. It is
argued that 1t is too much power to
give to few men to allow them abso-
llte control of So ,0o0,O 900 OF money, and
that there would be too much oppor-
tunity for jobbery; that the interests
Of one institution might suffer to the
profit OF another; and that no board of
five men could possibly make itself IA
miliar with all the institutions suffi-
GENTLY to have entire control of them.
These are only few of the arguments
offered against the board of control.
It is generally recognized that some
thing of the sort must be done; that
the evils of the present system must be
remedied. The opposition to the board
of general powers is now practically
agreed upon the plan proposed by Mr..
Merriam, that Of an advisory board,
having financial control and leaving the
details Of management to small local
board in each Institution, this to in
clude the educational institutions as
well. Senator Kealy has gone to New
York to investigate the working Of the
law there, and Senator Carney, of Mar
shall, has gone to Wisconsin to see how
the board Of control has worked in that
state.
Preparing q Bill.
The report of the investigating COM
mittee was referred to the ways and
means committee in the senate, and the
committee voted II to s in favor of pre-
pairing bill carrying out the recon-
mendations Of the majority. A sub
committee was appointed to prepare
this bill. The committee Is: Senators
Funk, Berry, Healy. Junkin, Carney
and Overall, the latter democrat. The
house decided to have a special COM
mittee take charge of this subject, and
the speaker appointed ais such commit
tee Messrs. Nietert, Merriam, Whelan
and Van Houten, republicans, and Pen
lex, Porter and Alberson, democrats.
Biennial Elections.
The movement to secure biennial cleo.
tons has been started by Senator Titus,
Of Muscntine. He has introduced res
olution providing for change in the
constitution, to have the legislature and
other state officers elected in the even
numbered years, the same time that
congressman and president are elect
ed, and have the sessions of the legisla-
ture in the odd numbered years. It
would be necessary to extend the terms