Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-04-16
NOV E INEBRIATES
Abandoned Knoxville State Build
ing May Be Used as Hospital.
SENATOR HARPER FATHER OF PLAN
Letter Written to Courier by Senator
S. H. Harper Favorng Segregation
of Iowa Inebriate Patients Starts
General Discussion.

Since the letter written to the Court
er several months ago by Senator S.
H. Harper of this city, in which plan
was outlined for converting the old
Knoxville Industrial school for the
blind into an institution for inebriates
there has been considerable talk in the
Iowa papers and this plan is becoming
generally favored. 1t is generally be-
klieved that the inebriates should not
be housed in the same building with
the insane patients Senator Harper
when asked what course would be pur-
sued in advancing the project of which
he was the father. stated that in his
opinion law would be enacted at the
next general assembly converting the
Knoxville property owned by the state
into hospital for the inebriates.
Senator Harper's Views.
This action would have doubtless
| been taken by the last general assembly,
:! had not the citizens of Knoxville hope
of securing a normal school in the
| abandoned buildings at that time. They
| failed in this however, and there is no
reason why the next legislature should
( not pass the necessary measure and
I give the fnebriate patients hospital
where IN living in isolation they might
/ be cured OF the drink craze"
Law is Popular.
| The inebriate law for sending drunk
ards to insane asylums for good care
and recovery, is popular all over the
state. Threats to attempt It's repeal
| are not worrying its friends, for the
people generally like it. a superin-
tendent OF one of the state institutions
recently declared it, in his opinion, the
most popular law the legislature has
! ever passed since the board of control
measure. 1T may need some changes"
he said, but can't be repealed except
by the supreme court, and there is Its
/ tie fear Of that"
i The Knoxville people made deter
mined effort two years ago to have the
/ abandoned institution in their town
converted into normal school, but
failed. As it stands. the establishment
could at small cost be converted to
the uses of an inebriate asylum much
cheaper than to normal school, 1t
would accommodate all the inebriates
in the institutions, but would have to
be enlarged greatly before long if the
number of candidates for such an in
, stltution continues to increase.
Favor Segregation.
Care of inebriates along with insane
is severely criticised, and by none
, more than by the officials of the asy-
, lums. They believe absolute segrega-
! ton would assure success of the new
| law; without it the plan might fail.
: The board of control is understood to
want a new institution, and there Is
good authority for saying it will rec
ommend the Knoxville plan.
THE good this law has done cannot
be measured by considering the people
: it has locked up or the question of their
determinations" said an institution Off
, cial In every county there are men
who have been scared into reform
since this law went into effect. i
know round score of such cases.
} About the time the second 'dipso' is
sent up from county the hard drink
ers see great light. They realize
: they are in line. | could, with a little
! investigation. | confidently believe.
E prepare list of reformed drunkards
literally scared into decency by this
: law. longer than the list of all the men
!, sent to the asylums under it,"
I 1t is an interesting fact that Just
$ about the same time that Iowa adopted
| this law, Austria passed an almost ex-
!. actly similar one, for sending confirms
i. ed drunkards to asylums for insane.
The Austrian law, like that of Iowa,
) is popular, but as vet according to re-
e ports, experimental. In Europe the
Austrian experiment is being watched
with as much interest as the Iowa ex-
pertinent is receiving in this country
| : 4 f