Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1900-11-22
NOTES FROM THE CAPITAL
Des Moines. November 10. 1909.

Attorney General Remley disagrees.
with the people of Iowa on the hien-
NAL elections proposition. He aays
il the biennial elections amendmsnt
carries and the constitutional con-
vention fails, and latest returns IN
dictate that is the way it will stoAd,
some sorry complications will result.
Biennial elections, the attorney gen
eral says, demand that the tcrn OF
state officers should be made four
years. Under the Titus amendment
il will be possible for complete
change of officers to be made at the
state house and chaos would result.
The attorney general also thinks the
constitution of Iowa needs fixing,
1t was made forty-three years ago,
and the state has outgrown it. The
law on corporations, he says, is very.
bad, and in many respects a change
is desirable. He holds a convention
would not be dangerous, as delegates
are elected by the people and what
they do must be ratified by them.
An attempt would be made by the
woman suffragists and prohibition
lists to have the constitution amended
to their liking. but it would be q
straight fight made in the same way
it has always been made before Che
legislature.
An action has been brought in tho
district court, presumably in tho in
terest of the Mutual Telephone COM
pany, to GUST the Iowa Telephone
company from the streets, alleys and
public places of the city OF Des
Moines. 1t is charged that the Iewa
Telephone company is now maintain
ing poles, wires, cables and condsits
through STREETS without color Of
right, that it has no franchise. and
that it is enjoying privileges to which
it has no right and is unlawfully ear
rying on its business. The title Of
the case is the state of Iowa, ex rel,
c. L. Campbell and +. M. Hubben Us.
the Iowa Telephone company. Attor-
ney McLennan, in whose name actions
of this kind are generally brought.
refused to bring the suit and this
placed the plaintiffs in a position
they desired. They represented the
conditions to the court and an orsaer
was made forthwith. authorizing the
commencement of the suit b. Messrs.
Hubbe1l and Campbell, both of whom
are stockholders n the Mutual Tele-
in its success. The company win re-
sist on the ground that the city coun-
ell has repeatedly reco nized its ex--
istence since the franchise expired.
and also on the ground of vested
rights, having more than $foove09
invested in its plants.
Steps toward most impoi kant
changes in the National Guard sr-
CARNATIONS of the different states
will be taken December -. at meet
ing of the Interstate National Guard
association at Washington. Adiutant
General Byers will attend this meet
ing from Iowa and the adiutants
general of nearly all the other states
will be present, these officers being
ex-officio members of the Interstate
association. At this time the adult
ants general will confer with General
Miles, with Adiutant General Corbin,
with many leading officers of the
regular army and the navy and witt
members of congress for the purpose
of promoting national legislation
that promises to work sweeping
changes in the national guard OF the
country and convert il into nothing
less than a reserve force for the reg
ular army.
After a personal inspection of every
county and private institution in the
state in which insane are kept, the
board of control has adopted rules
by which hospitals shall be governed
in the future. While the new rules
cannot be called radical. the board.
having made an exhaustive study Of
the situation. has attempted to make
some needed reforms. There are
1920 insane patients in county insti-
lions and several hundred more IN
private hospitals. In not more Than
ten of the county institutions were
the insane found to be well cared
for. The rules will go into effect at
once, but managing cfiicers are given
until January l and boards of super
visors until February to make the
required changes. Under the new
rules paupers and insane patients
will not be permitted to mingie and
male and female patients will have
TO be cared for separately. Female
attendants will have to be employed
to care for patients of that sex and
only men shall care for male pa
tients. Night attendants will be re-
quired, and one attendant will be de-
manded for each twenty insane per-
sons. The new rules are very ex-
plicit regarding care of the pa
tients and sanitary conditions Of the
buildings. The best physicians only
can be employed, and physicians will
not be allowed to furnish their ewn
drugs. Not less than two fire es-
capes will be required on each build
ing. The board also demands that
records of the institutions be kept.
The supervision of county and pri-
vate insane hospitals was put in the
lands of the board of control by the
Twenty-eighth general assembly be-
cause of the deplorable conditions i'm
which many of them were known ~
be.
The monthly report OF the state board
Of control shows that there is credit
balance in the support fund of $l07, l54,
which is but $1,000 less than in Novem-
Der, 1899. This is regarded as very cred,
liable showing, in view OF the notable
rise in prices in the year that has lust
passed. The report also shows that there
has been an increase of thirty-six in tho
number of eonvicts at the state prisons,
due, OF course, to cold weather and the
feconvening of courts. There are now
$50 convicts. 46l at Anamosa and GO at
Fort Madison.
MKINLEY LIKES HIS CABINET.