Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-11-16
WORK FOR lawmakers.
CONTINUED From First Page.)

ion or control, making awful abuses
possible. A law is asked placing these
institutions under the control of the
board and making it unlawful to incar-
cerate any person in such an institution
that has not complied with the require
ments of the board.
Legislation is asked on the disposition
of the pension money taken from the
inmates of the Soldiers Home; remov-
ing the limitation of age, q years, of
persons admitted to the institution for
feeble minded; asking the allowance of
a per capita sum per month for the
school for the deaf and the college for
the blind, and for provision for cloth
ing needy inmates of the industrial
home for the blind.
The necessity of the establishment of
an epileptic colony is strongly urged as
being the best manner of caring for the
300 epileptics now in the state under
public care. OF these, about 400 are in
the Institution for feeble-minded and
the hospitals for insane. producing a
bad effect upon the rightfu inmates of
those institutions and upon themselves.
Others are in county poor houses
The board recommends the establish
l
ers between the ages of Is and 30 years,
to separate them from old and hard
ened criminals, and it is suggested that
one of the penitentiaries be made into
a reformatory with a capacity for 700
men, fully equipped for Industrial and
mental and moral training.
In the girls Industrial. or reform.
school, where nearly 100 of the girls re-
Gently engaged in riot and seventy
four We're placed in the county Jail, the
board asks legislation to prohibit the
entrance OF married women, prosti-.
tutes. etc, authorizing the board to
transfer bad cases to the penitentiary.
providing means of keeping young girls
apart from older ones, and restoring
! the age a which they are discharged 90
li6 years. it being now u years, a
lchange made by the legislature two
| years ago. Superintendent Miller is
exonerated from blame for the OUT
! break, and the damage is said to have
been repaired for 500. The trouble was
loaused primarily, the board says, By,
1.-THE presence of so many old and vicious
Igirls in the institution.
The hospital at Mount Pleasant was
found by the board TO be in an ex-
tremely bad condition upon the death
lof DR.. HI. A. Gilman, the former super
intenaent who was short about $1,000
lin his accounts with friends of the pa
tients who had sent him money for
their benefit. OF this only about $1,000
lean be recovered from his bondsmen, as
the bond was not required until the
board of control law Went INTO effect
THE institution was in frightful sani-
itary condition, without decent system
Iof ventilation or closets, endangering
the health of patients by the foul con-
dition Of the atmosphere in many of
1.-THE wards Since DIR. Frank C. Hoyt,
formerly superintendent of the Ciarin-
Ida hospital, has been in control here
the board has made such repairs and
SANITARY alterations as We're possible
4 with its limited means, but the whole
institution must be thoroughly over
4 hauled. This condition has been gem
lerally known TO but few, for it has been
kept from the public by the board, lest
it might excite alarm. Now the facts.
Ionly limited a here, must be laid before
/ the legislature to show the need of the
large appropriation asked for repairs.
The discipline of the institution was in
as bad condition as the sanitation.
and DR. Hoyt has been obliged TO re-
move a large majority of the former
Iemployes on account of incompetency
#Ior INSTRUMENTATION. Several strikes
5Ihave been organized on him. but all
have been anticipated by the discharge
Iof the intending strikers. their places
being filed before they had a chance to
lstrike The board of control regards
III
emergency, for he has brought order
time. considering the long established
1 friends of DIR. Gilman have been sur
Iprised and panied beyond expression by
the disclosures since his death, which
was undoubtedly fastened by the dis
grace which he saw was coming Out
atof charity for his memory and his
many good qualities of heart, the board
has refrained from allowing these facts
to reach the public, and newspaper men
who knew DR.. Gilman have done the
same. Now the matter can not longer
be kept out of sight. though not a frac,
ton has been limited at The institu-
ton is now. under the capable man
lagement of DR.. Hoyt. in as good con
dition as it can be until these improve
ments and repairs are made.
The report shows that the dietary ir
all the institutions has been improved
since the board assumed control or
July /. 1895. Many improvements ant
reforms have been instituted and yet
the cost has been reduced by the sys.
tenn of purchasing supplies for all the
institutions together by advertising fol
bids. The cost of supporting the insti.
tutons for the biennial period ending
June 30. 1899, was s2,567213 of which
: S452.000 was for new buildings. repair:
and improvements The amount for tn,
last year. during which the board o
; control was in power. was $751; 33 les:
!, than the previous year under the trus
| tee system, though the service has beer
improved in almost every way TIL,
value of institution property is PLACED
at sS.3S0,71S. The total number of In
mates in the institutions is $3.50.
i Z .~. ~