Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-03-12
RELOCATE THE prison
Proposition to Abandon the Fort
Madison Penitentiary is Ser.
iously Entertained.
Would Make Anamosa the State
Penitentiary and Build New
Reformatory.
Latter Would Be Located in Cen.
trail or Western Part Of
State.
Special to Times-Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, March IA special
sub committee of three members of the
house is hard at work on the propo-
sition to relocate the state peniten-
tary, or rather to abandon one of the
penitentiaries and to locate the pro-
posed reformatory for men at q new
place in the central or western part
of the state. Complaint was made in
the appropriations committee as they
were engaged in considering the board
of control bills that too much has been
asked for what might be called re-
pairs and replacement at Fort Madi-
son. The item of rebuilding an old
wall opened the eyes of some of the
members. The question arose also
whether or not it would be possible
to ever take from the institution at
Anamosa the stigma of its being a
prison. The suggestion quickly fol-
lowed that the right thing to do was
to make Anamosa the prison and es-
tablish a reformatory at new place
more accessible to the state than Fort
Madison. A special committee was
appointed to look into this question
and report to the main committees.
That committee had conference with
members of the board of control and
obtained the basis of the information
they will need on which to make an
intelligent report. Members of the
committee state that they found out
that fair estimate of the cost of
building a new penitentiary on modern
lines to accommodate 1000 conNicts
would be about 100000, and this could
be distributed over a number OF years.
The old buildings and grounds at Fort
Madison might be sold for $4,000 or
more and there could be saved for the
state about $4,000 worth OF stuff
There would be also, if the institution
was placed near the center of the state.
great saving in the cost OF trans
portation of convicts to and from the
pen. for the state of Iowa pays every
convict his fare back to Des Moines or
what would amount to the same thlng,
when he is discharged. The fact is
that the institution at Fort Madison,
as the committee states, is old ana out
of date and the buildings which were
begun in territorial days will have TO
he torn down and rebuilt soon. There
is not room for the penitentiary there
and in every way it is badly located
and poorly equipped. The only real
advantage is that the contract convict
la Dor factories have been built up there
and the state gets larger revenue
from them.
1t is suggested that the right thing
to do would be TO move the institution,
or rather to build the reformatory,
near the center of the state. 1t ought
to be near stone quarries, but the only
stone quarries are near Earlham and
are not first class. Another thing
might be done and that is to establish
the reformatory where there is abund-
ance of clay for brick purposes and
have the state go into the paving brick
business in opposition to the paving
brick combination which rules things
with high hand now. 1t is probable
that a committee will make still fur
Their investigation and may go to Fort
Madison for an inspection. If the re-
formatory is to be built at new To-
cation it Is suggested that it's construc-
ton be entered upon at once and that
the change be made slowly, the state
taking several years to abandon Fort
Madison and corresponding time to
get into the reformatery and have 1t
fitted up as 1t should be and after the
style of the more progressive states of
the union. The board OF control esti-
mates that If the policy of abandoning
Fort Madison is to be formally entered
upon bill can be passed afterwards
reducing the appropriation for that in
stftution for the next two years about
SIS. 900 to $4,000. On the whole the
seems to have been started
in earnest but it is uncertain what
will become OF IT,