Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-05-03
FORTY YEARS SERVICE
Passing of E. L. Smith, United
States Express Agent for
81 Years.
Drunkards and Spendthrifts May
Be Sent to Insane Asylum
by Judicial Decree.
Major Byers' Prize Scheme
Full Value Assessments In
Keokuk Unsatisfactory.
ecial to Times-Republican.

| Moines Register of May 3, 1865, just a
few days after the assassination of
President Lincoln and at time when
the state and nation were in deep
mourning, there appeared the follow
ing news item:
Express Agent-The Eddyville Star
says that E. L. Smith. postmaster and
express agent in that place for the past
four or five years, is coming to Des
Moines to take charge Of ths' United
States Express Company's affairs. The
Star adds that Mr.. Smith will make
valuable citizen wherever he may To-
cate"
| The Des MoineS newspapers Of this
4 morning, just thirty-seven years later,
contain the announcement of the death
of e. l.. Smith, United States express
agent in Des Moines. The assurance
| of the Edyville Star as to the kind Of
citizen Mr.. Smith would make were
realized in Des Moines many yeals ago.
4 Mr.. Smith was one of the old style SER.
| wants of great corporation. He had
served one employer for more than for
| tys years. fairly, intelligently, honestly,
untiringly. Two others entered the
service of the same company about the
same time as Mr.. Smith-Mr. Quick,
| the superintendent, with headquarters
| in Des Moines. and Mr.. Shepherd, the
Superintendent in Chicago. Both start
ed in eastern Iowa. Eddyville was for
a long time the end of the old Des
| Moines Valley road, and 1t was from
that point that Mr.. Shepherd shipped
I a dozen stage loads of arms for the
4 government westward across Iowa and
| into Nebraska during the war. 1t was
from Eddyville and Davenport that the
stage lines radiated for many years in
| to Iowa and the express agents for
warded valuables at a time when the
mails were far from being as efficient
as now. The passing of Mr.. Smith is
taking from Des Moines one Of it's old
landmarks.
! % The Hughes case In relation to the
keeping OF inebriates at the state hos
pitfalls for cure has brought to mind the
fact not generally known in the state
that there is a law by which either
drunkard or sendthrift may be sent
to any state institution by any judge
of the district court. The law is wide
open. 1t was passed by the twenty
second general assembly and tncorpor-
porated into the code of 1897. 1t pro-
vides that any court may appoint
guardian for one addicted to liquor or
spendthrift and have them committed
to any state institution. The court
might send spendthrift to the institu-
ton for feeble-minded or the school for
the blind. The only county in the
state that has availed itself of this law
is Polk county. Inebriates and those
addicted to morphine have been sent +.
the insane hispitals from other coun
ties, but they have been first adjudged
insane and committed as such. In fact
there are several such at Mt. Pleas
ant-persons who are not insane at
all. but are in need of the care given
all patients there. From Polk county
quite number of inebriates have been
sent to Mt. Pleasant by the judges and
have been kept there while being cured
Of their malady. It is expected that
the special department for dipsomani-
acs and such will be opened In one of
the hospitals very soon The super1n-
tendents of the hospitals are not COM
peting for the honor Of having this de-
partment. They all agree that 1T will
be difficult task and more expensive
than the keeping of insane. Ihe legls-
lature did not set apart any special
ward for spendthrifts and the FOLK
county courts have not yet committed
any such to Mt. Pleasant.
The secretary of the state executive
council has received notice that the
paper for the new edition of the Iowa
code has been shipped from the fac
tory. 1t is expected the new edition
will be printed as soon as the press
work can be done.
Next Wednesday an interesting event
will occur in the state historical rooms |
in the hall of history. A handsome oil |
portrait of Judge Francis Springer will
be presented to the historical depart
ment. the gift of the sons of the late
Judge. The presentation will be by Rev.
DR.. Salter, of Burlington, on behnlf OF
the family, and Gov. Cumn1ins will re-
spond on behalf of the state. Judge
Springer was a distinguished district |
Judge in southeastern Iowa for many
years and was president of the consti-
tutional convention of 1857 which franz
ed the present Iowa constitution.
The famous Iowa poet, Major Byers,
has hit upon novel plan for includ-
ing the people of Iowa to assimilate his
Song of Iowa. 1t has been sung by
glee clubs, at conventions, at pink teas
and soirees for many years, but yet 1T
doesn't go as it ought to go. So the !,
enterprising major is going offer prizes
to get his song into the throats Of the
children of the state His prizes will go
to teachers of schools who induce the
children to commit his song to memory,
the one reporting proportionally the
largest number of pupils thus doing, to
get gold watch, and ninety-nine oth-
ers who do next best to be blessed with
copies of one or the other of Major BY
ers famous books, Iowa in War
Times" and Twenty Years In Europe"
AS result of this generous prize offer
ing it is confidently expected that the
Song of Iowa" will be heard In many
places where it's wonderful beauty has
hitherto been ignored. 81