The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-02-09
DENIsoN, IOWA, FEBRUARY ., 1 90.
Des Moines Letter.
Dies MONIES Febrr

UeS MONIES Letter.
DIES MONIES, February 8, 1900.
Another visit to Des Moines with an
eye to Denison's interests, shows us the
legislature under full sail. The sessions
are short, but have more of a business
tone than they did in the first part OF
January. The meetings are only from
10 tc u, bat the afternoons are fully
occupied with committee meetings. 1t
is in the committee rooms that the
main work of legislation is done, the
open session being devoted largely toI
grand stand plays for the benefit of
constituents.
il
The house passed bill this morning
of which we doubt tie wisdom. It
provides that sub directors of school
districts shall have absolute authority
to employ and make contracts with
teachers. We fear that one of the re-
suits of this bill will be that many dir
ectors will have a member of their
VI
or at least part of the compensation
will be that the teacher boards at the
directors house. If the sub.director is
good man, who has the interest of
the school at heart, and is intelligent
enough to carry it out, the plan is a
good one, but if the director is either
selfish or not thoroughly competent, the
schools are very apt to suffer.
Senator Titus of Muscatine has in
PRODUCED bill preventing convict con-
tract labor. This is being opposed by
the Board of Control, and by those who
| have intimate knowledge of the peni-
tentia1y. The bill was called forth by
the letting of the contract for laboyin a
Pearl Button Factory, an industry in
which Muscatlne is largely interested
There are fifty-fve convicts so employ
ed at compensation of fifty-fve cents
a day each, this money going to the
state. While 6fty-fve cents is appar.
antly very low wage, yet, the fact is
that the number of hours in which con-
victs can be employed is very limited,
from the fact that they are not allowed
out of their cells until broad day light,
and this, in winter, limits the hours
very greatly. Then too, the convicts
are careless workmen, often through
| ignorance and more often through
spite. 1t is estimated that the same
number of free men will produce twice
as much as can be manufactured by
convict labor. The warden of the peni-
Tertiary, Mr.. Jones, informs us that
since the employment OF the convict
labor system in Fl. Madison Peniten-
tiary, the convicts have ear1ed over
$500 000. which, of course, has gone to
lessen the expense of the institution,
and consequently to tighten the burden
on the tax payer, besides teaching the
convicts some useful employment.
There is. however, another side to the
question based on broad, economic
principles, that the free men of low a
ought not to be brought into COMPETE
tion with convict labor The question
is one which has caused much trouble
in every state in the Union. If con-
victs are left idle, insanity increases to
an alarming degree. For ourselves, we
can say we never saw a much more
pitiable sight than the idle shop. as it
is called, in the penitentiary. When
we were in the penitentiary a few years
ago. we noted the fact that the men at
work we're much more cheerful, more
healthy, and of be ter morals than the
men who did the work.
H.
MIR. Brers of Shelby county, has in.
troduced resolution for adjournment
on March /. This would leave Tut
three weeks for additional legislation.
We do not believe the resolution will
carry, but it will have tendency to
hurry business, and in that way will be |
good thing.
II =
The Normal School legislation is at
standstill. A majority of the members
seem inclined to oppose any legislation
on the subject. They recognize the
necessity for another school but desire
to avoid the necessary appropriation
and to get out of the scramble for loca-
tion.. One member of the house sug-
gested a plan which, on it's face, seemed
to be good one 1t is that the state
establish a normal university having at
its head board who should prepare a
course of study to be applied to all nor
NAL schools. Any normal school com
ing up to these requirements should re-
ceive state aid according to the number
of students. The plan would further
provide that after a certain humber of
VIC oh "a