Omaha daily bee., 1900-01-29
The Original Idea.

The Original Idea.
The first thought in respect of supervision
Of the institutions, by other than their sep
arate controlling bodies was that a board
should be established which should have au-
thority to inspect at pleasure the several in
stitutions and supervise their management
without, however, authority over them. The
first step in that direction may be found in
the act passed by the Fourteenth general as
sembly in 1872, providing for the appoint
ment of a committee to visit the hospitals
for the insane with power to hear COM
plants, administer oaths and even to dis
charge employees or attendants who should be
found TO merit it. On this committee Gov
ernor Carpenter appointed former Governor
Ralph p. Lowe of Keokuk Mrs. NJ. A. p.
Darwin OF Burlington and DR.. Luther l..
Pease of Mount Vernon. 1t was an admir-
ably selected committee, and it's members
entered upon the discharge of their duties
with zeal and earnestness. The superin-
tendent of the hospital at Mount Pleasant
was very indignant because of the enactment
OF such law; and, although kindly and
courteously treated by the committee, he
made virulent attack on it, or, rather on
the law authorizing its work, speaking of it
in his next report to the board, as an act
which warranted concerning it such express
sions as these quoted by him from others:
"A calamity that has come TO the insane of
Iowa. "a most absurd and wicked law"
IAN absurdly Ignorant and pillainous enact
ment,' 1.-The most absurd lunaCy legislation
which has, perhaps, ever been heard Of"
These remarks (Which appear to have been
mainly uttered at a meeting OF superinten-
dents of hospitals for the insane), appearing
in an official report addressed to himself
ELECTED from Governor Carpenter criticism,
or rather an eXcoriation, which was one of
the severest any governor of Iowa has LIt
into an official paper. He said:
An Executive Ronst.
That the evils which were. anticipated as
an effect of this law have not followed, so far
as the experiment has been tried, is proven
by the fact that the percentage OF cures and
of cases improved in the Mount Pleasant
hospital has been as large during the last
two years as ever before in the history of
this or any other hospitals 1t is not strange
that a convention composed entirely of su-
perintendents, jealous of their powers. and
engaged in the innocent amusement of
mutual admiration should have nattered
the professional vanity of each other by
criticisng with coarse epithets a law and a
legislature that constituted a tribunal with
the powers and duties of this committee; but
that one of these gentlemen should, months
dtter the eDullltlOn or the occasion might be
supposed to have cooled to better reason,
introduce epithets which were thrown out in
eXtemporaneous and self -glorifying speeches
into grave report to a legislature, is an
other evidence of the evil effects of many
years OF unrestrained power over those in
capable of self-direction, even upon cult
waited mind. This committee will have proved
itself of great utility If it accomplishes no
other good than to rid the state for the
future of such arrogance"
The severity of this rebuke was intensi-
fled by the fact that it came from one of the
most mild hammered OF men. AS intimated
the superintendent left the state; but the
statute which so aroused his ire was not
sufficiently repulsive 10 him, although it re-
mained entirely unchanged, TO prevent his
returning to the superintendency of the hos
pital several years afterward and assuming
its superintendency
Divided Responsibility.
In his retiring message to the Sixteenth
general assembly Governor Carpenter, re-
terrng again to the visiting committee, thus
commented on its work
The committee has gone thoroughly in
tellgently and conscientiously over the
ground connected with its duties and has
made report which should be read by every
citizen and thoroughly studied by every
legislator. Without summarizing its facts or
it's arguments | refer the entire document IA