Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1900-02-09
STATE 70 PAY EXPENSES.
Bill Before the Iowa Senate to Care
for Public Institutions by
General Tax.
RECOMMENDED BY BOARD OF CONTROL
Work of Appropriations Committees
simplifed-Time for Voting Mny BE
Extended-Nominati on OF Col. Rood
Rejected-Other Legislative Notes
of General Interest.
Especial Correspondence

of General Interest.
Especial Correspondence
Des Moines, Ia, Feb. 5.-The mos
important bills introduced this session
/, were those presented by Senator War
rem Garst, of Carroll, chairman of TIL
appropriations committee, in the sen
i ate Thursday. These bills carry ou
the recommendations made by thu
board of control in its recent report
The first and most important bill, ant
the one which Senator Garst hopes t.
pass, makes all the inmates of the stat,
institutions wards of the state, sup
ported by general state taxes, instead
of being charged to the scounty of theil
residence, as is now the law. The car
i of the feeble minded at Glenwood il
charged partly to the state and partl,
to the counties from which they come
under the present law. AT the soldiers
orphans home the care of the soldier:
| orphans is charged to the state, while
the other orphans are paid for by the
counties from which they are sent. A
Mitchellville and Eldora the entire ex
| pense of maintenance is borne by the
state. The bill provides that the ex
ecutive council shall, in 1901, and an.
nually thereafter, cause to be levied
upon all taxable property tax which
will produce in the aggregate not less
than $1,316,O00. The money realized
from this tax is made available on July
| /, 1901, and at that time is to be appor.
toned by the board of control among
the several institutions.
Board of Control Responsible.
The passage of this bill would simpli.
fy the state institution problem to a
great extent and would reduce the work
of the legislature more than anything
else that could be done. This appropri-
alton would be for the purpose of pay
ing all institution expenses except
large buildings and extensive perma-
nent Improvements. 1t would place
upon the board of control the respon-
sibility for the entire management of
the institutions out of lump sum of
money and would enable the board to
make the best use of the money. I'm
der the present law, when an appropri-
alton is made for an institution for
some specific purpose, as is always the
plan, it cannot be used for any other
purpose, even in the same institution.
If an appropriation for certain thing
is made and only half the amount is
necessary to accomplish the purpose,
the balance cannot be used for any
other need in the institution, no matter
how great that need may be.
The Chief Result.
But the chief result of the proposed
system would be to absolutely eliminate
the discussion of county or state care
of insane. This would be done in an
indirect way, but none the less effect
lively, by removing the object of main
tanning county institutions. With the
state paying the bill for all inmates,
no county would find it profitable to
maintain institutions unless they were
supported by state revenues. 1t has
been suggested that in some counties
where decent asylums are now in ex-
istence they may be used to limited
extent and under proper supervision
and the counties paid out of this fund
for the care of chronic insane who can
not at present be cared for in state in
stitutions. Thus the investments of
counties in their asylums would not
be wasted.
Another Plan.
Providing this plan is not adopted, it
is then proposed to appropriate lump
sum of $125,ooo for repair and con-
~, 60 oil he cd 10
tions, instead of allowing each sep
arate sum, limited to the use of each
institution. No committee can tell two
years ahead what will be necessary for
contingent and repair expenses in any
state institution. The allowances made
by the legislature are mere guesses. In
some institutions they are too high
and in others too low, but the board
of control does not have the power to
adjust the differences. The board can
not take a dollar from one institution
and spend it in another, no matter how
urgent the need may be. The board is
given discretionary powers in the dis
tributon of this fund, providing this
plan is adopted.
Per Capita Allowance.
Still another bill to be resorted to
in case neither of the other two is passed
provides a per capita. allowance for sup
port and maintenance, clothing and
transportation and contingent and re-
pair fund of each institution, and fur
nishes a fund to erect the necessary
outbuildings at each. The allowance
for each of the institutions per capita
per month under this plan is as fol-
lows:
Soldiers orphans home ............. s11
College for the blind (for nine months
Industrial home for the blind .... Il
School for the deaf (for nine months each :,
Institution for feeble minded children 10
Industrial school for boys ................. 10
Industrial school for girls ................ II
State hospital at Mount Plea sant ........ il
State hospital at Independence. .......... IA
State hospital at larinda................. Il
State hospital at Cherokee. .............. IA
Penitentiary at Fort Madison ............. IL
Penitentiary at Anamosa .................. II
The balances remaining unspent at
the end of any month or year are to re-
main in the state treasury to the credit
of each institution 10 be hereafter used
for its benefit in the judgment of the
board of control.
Work SilppIifed.
The work of the appropriation COM
mittees is greatly simplified this year
by the Investigations and recommends.
tions made by the state board of con