Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1903-04-24
BEHIND IN THEIR Payment
Counties Fail to Pay for Maintain
ing 1nebriates Sent to State
Insane Hospitals.
SOME SAY THEY WILL FIGHT CHARGE.
Increase in Pay Draws n Professor
Away from Agricultural College
Seed Corn for Farmers-Importan
Supreme Court Decision - Other
Notes of General Interest.
Especial Correspondence

Especial Correspondence
Des Moines, Ia, April 2O.-Some of
the counties of the state are behind as
much as $4,000 in their accounts with
the state for the expense of maintain
ing the inebriates sent from them to
the state insane hospitals. The ex-
pense is charged by the state to the
counties just as the expense of keeping
insane persons is charged up to the
counties at SO much per capita. The
counties have been reluctant to pay
these bills. Polk county has intimated
that it will fight the charge on the
ground that the law does not permit
the state to charge the expense of
keeping inebriates at the hospitals on
the same basis as the expense for car
ing for the insane. The auditor of state
expects to collect the money, however.
j. +. Wall, the deputy auditor of state,
is in charge of the matter.
Leaves the College.
Prof. +. II. Marshall of the State Ag-
ricultural college at Ames has yielded
to the temptation of an excellent offer
from the proprietor of the Cook farm
at Odebolt and will leave the employ
ment ofthe college.to become manager
of the farm. He receives very large
ly increased salary with which the
trustees of the college found they could
not compete. He will also gain much
practical experience in the scientific
management of the farm, which is
about 5000 acres big. The state in
situations generally are embarrassed
by their inability to meet the high sal
aries offered their best men by private
employers.
| Seed Corn for Farmers.
The Iowa Corn Growers association
plans on giving to every farmer in the
state package of pure bred seedcorn.
There are about 100000 of these farm
ers and the quantity of corn which will
be presented to them will amount to
many hundreds of bushels. The breed
will be Reeds yellow Dent, the only
corn which has been bred scientifcal-
ly during half a century. George s.
Forest of Miles, Iowa, is distributing
the packages. Prof. Holden at the
state agricultural college at Ames can
procure it, also. The packages sent out
will plant a fourth of an acre The
recipients are asked to make special
observation. of the results and,report to
the corn growers association.
Important Decision.
The supreme court has decided that
an independent school district which
becomes less in size than four sections
Of land by reason of the creation
of new district which takes part of
its territory is not unlawful, although
the statute says that an independent
school district cannot be formed with
less than four sections. The case de-
cided' was one involving the right of
Kelley, Story county, to form district
OF its own by taking part of the ter
ritory of an independent district along
side. The latter fought it on the
ground mentioned, but the courts held
against the Independent organization.
Will Not Contest.
The insurance companies have con-
ceded the right of the auditor of state
to compel them to keep within reason
able bounds in the matter of expense
/ and will not contest the case. The au-
ditor of state had referred the question
to the attorney general but before an
opinion was rendered the insurance
companies affected acknowledged the
right of the auditor to dictate in the
matter of expenses. The auditors OBJ
lection was to salary expenses.
Delay Building.
The regents of the state university
have decided to delay the construction
of the new fre-proof library and mu-
scum at the university until after a
new assembly and gymnasium have
been built. The library burned about
six years ago and the finest natural
history collection outside of the Smith
sonian institute in this country has
been housed in the top story of fire
trap building for ten years. Three
weeks before the library burned with
its 10000 volumesState Superintendent
Henry Sabin insisted that the work of
constructing fire-proof library be I'M
dertaken Immediately. He had been
urging the same thing for years pre-
viously. When the matter came before
the board of regents recently they
yielded to the football spirit of the in
stitution and decided to erect a gym
nasium.
The Pension Roll.
About $4,000 of the $4,000 pensioners
on the roll at the Des Moines agency,
which pays for the Iowa and Nebraska
district, are the younger veterans of
the Spanish-American war. This fact
was revealed by the quarterly pension
payment which has just been made. The
difficulty in most of the cases was stom-
ach trouble, which became chronic
through the Philippine service. Con-
gresham j. A. L. Hull returned from
the Philippines with the same trouble
and has been under physicians care
ever since. The theory is that much of
the smallpox which has prevailed in
the country in the last three or four
years was due to the conveyance home
by soldiers who served in Cuba and the
Philippines.
Step In Advance.
The trustees of the state normal
school at Cedar Falls have taken def
mite step in advance by adopting a
resolution requiring all students to
keep up their standing in spelling,