Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-10-07
Possibility of States Buildings
at Knoxville Being Made
Into Reformatory
GREAT NEED OF INSTITUTION
The State Board Of Control Will Un-
doubtedIy Recommend in Their Bien-
nial Report That Such Action Be
Taken-chairman John cownie
States Necessity Of Institution,
Special to Times-Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, Oct. What will the
state of Iowa do with its idle and al
most crumbling property located near
the city of Knoxville?
| The question is one that will have to
be met finally and definitely by the
Thirtieth general assembly at the ses-
sion which will commence in January
next. The last legislature was con-
fronted by the question, but succeeded
ladroitly in evading a direct or final
answer. This time the question Will
have to be met without evasion. While
the states property is not actually
crumbling. the fact that the buildings
are empty and idle means that they
are becoming something Of an ex-
pense to the state for repairs and that
unless they are used 1t will only be a
short time until the loss by decay and
nonuse will be considerable. Some
thing must be done at the next ses-
sion.
There are several things that may be
done with the former institution for the
| Industries of the blind. The buildings
might be sold for the state, or they
might be used for a state inebriate hos
pital, or for a state reformatory for
women, or for a state normal school.
! hut as for the normal school prop
osition that has been all but aban-
doned. Representative Warren. who
represents the county in the legislature,
| did everything possible to induce the
| last legislature to establish a state
normal school there, and he failed. The
situation is not as good as it was two
| years ago for a normal school. for the
| last legislature provided for perma-
nent levy for building fund for the
normal school at Cedar Falls, and the
next legislature would hardly be Jus
titled in establishing school at
Knoxville that would soon call for mil
lions in appropriations for new build
ings. In fact the buildings already
erected q Knoxville would ro- be OF
much use for another normal school.
The state board of control Will un-
doubtedly recommend in their bien-
nial report that the Knoxville buildings
be made use of for a state reformatory
for women. There Is great need OF an
institution for the inebriateS OF the
state, but Knoxville is not exactly suit
ed to that, for the buildings are in
Inappropriate and such an institution,
according to the view OF members OF
the state board should have farm
and stone quarry attachment as part
OF the reformatory and curative idea.
But the buildings are large enough now
fr,r ~, rot FL al n
en-. As the necessity for such an
institution Chairman John Cownie
says:
Il am quite positive that the state
ought to do something to establish and
maintain a reformatory for women.
Such an institution is now provided
for by law, but the law is imperative.
The reformatory was established by
the legislature as part of The state
lpenitentiary at Anamosa. We have
never been able to make beginning
and yet it is not because there Is no
need of such an institution. But judges
Of the district court will not send wom-
en- to Anamosa except on conviction OF
crimes. That is penitentiary, and no
matter what might be the status Of the
women sent there to fill reformatory
they would go forth as penitentiary
convicts. But even II they should be
sentenced to the state reformatory we
could not open 1t. A judge here In
Des Moines had two cases he desired to
commit to the reformatory. But to
send two women there would entail
an expense greater than the law al
lows We would be allowed only SIC
per month for their support and 1t
could not be done.
But the women's reformatory is ac-
tually needed 1t would be an
stitution between the industrial school
for girls and the state penitentiary. A
girl goes from the industrial school
on attaining her majority and goes to
the bad. She can not be sent back
10 the school and commits no crime for
which she may be sent to. the peni-
tenttary. and she is allowed to drift
about corrupting others. A girl in
Des Moines, for instance, is found to be
leading a life of sssame. She could
be reformed in a proper institution
Her parents seek to have her sent tc
the school at Mitchellville. But she
lis Just past sixteen. and is yet a mere
girl and the door at Mitchellville is
closed ny ldN oSdiiiSt IN. " 1As~e St''-
be done? Nothing at ALL as our laws
are at present AS matter OF fact
girls are really entered at Mitchellville
that are older than 16, because their
parents have testified falsely as TO
their age that they might be saved from
the penitentiary.
Now what is wanted, what is i'm
peratiyely needed, in this state. is
state reformatory for women. and l
have become convinced of this by much
study of the conditions which surround
the young women in the cities. We
are doing nothing at all In this state
for a large class of women who need
help. The state reformatory would be
laade use of Immediately and would
receive large number Of women be-
tween the ages of 16 and 30--women
of wayward lives and who might be re-
formed. or at least be kept from con-
dominating others, but who are today
allowed to go on in their wicked ways,
dragging down others and innocent
ones thru the neglect of the state. such
a reformatory must be a separate in