Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-02-28
Patients Take Advantage OF
Parole Provision In Dipso-
maniac Law
.MoNTH'sTREATMENT TOO SHORT
A Recommendation Will Therefore be
Made to the Thirtieth General AS
sembly That Dipsomaniacs be Re-
tanned Six Months at Least, With
out ParoIe-Indiscreet Promises.
Special to Times-Republican.

Des Moines, Feb. 2S.-The recon
, mendation will be made to the Thrift
eth general assembly that an import
ant modification of the new Iowa law
for the detention and cure of dipsoman.
tiacs be made so that every person who
tfor chronic drunkenness or the ex.
cessive use of morphine or similar in
4 temperance shall be kept there at Least
six months. The experience of the SUI
perintendents Of the three state hos
|pitals where dipsomaniacs are received
and treated is uniformly to the effect
| that practically nothing is gained fol
| these unfortunate people short of six
months detention. The present law
provides they shall be sentenced by the
judges of the district court for from
one to three years and that after one
month they may be paroled on the
report of the superintendent showing
| that a permanent cure has been effect
/ ed. The testimony OF the superinten-
dents is that it is not possible to effect
lany cure in 80 days nor to determine
whether cure is to be made. The law
works q great hardship on the dipso-
maniacs in that so many of them be-
| gin to feel better in about 80 days after
they have been weaned from their
/ whisky or opium or cocaine, and they
thaving knowledge of the parole provi-
sion of the law Immediately become
restless and clamor for a parole. The
superintendent are put to much an
| noyance for every one feels he ought
! to be let out at once and he can see
no reason why the superintendent does
not report cure Immediately. II the
| law prevented any parole short of six
months the case would be entirely diff
ferent with the care of the dipsoman :
liacs. The 30-days clause of the law
| is taken advantage of by some of the
disty..t judges also III nearly every
case where an inmate Of the hospitals
is demanding parole early it is found
on investigation that he has been left
With the impression that he will not
have to remain in the hospitals more
than 80 days. Many of the dipsoman
iacs state that when sentenced the
judge declared that it would be for only
80 days. They did not anticipate a
long term. When they have recovered
from their first shock on being deprived
OF stimulants and discover that they
are in for long term they get mad and
begin to make trouble. One of the in
caused a great deal of trouble and
sent out sensational statements about
what was going on IN the institution.
T,,1, ne<t y;<,, do al I1o
fessed there was not = word of truth
in what he had written ond that he
was only retaliating because he was not
paroled at the end of 80 days. He
testifies that the judge told him h.
would get out at the end of 80 days
This is the story of most of those who
cause the most trouble.
"'rhe law should be amended" said
Chairman Cownie of the state board of
control, after his return from Mt.
Pleasant the last time. THE dipsoma-
MACS should stay at least six months,
and have this understood right from the
start. The judges are a fault in telling |
many of them they will get out in thir-
ty days, for that causes hopes and eX-
pectations which can not be fulfilled !
However, not all the dipsomaniacs are |
At Mt. Pleasant there are
two large open wards occupied by these
men, and they come and go at will. The
ones easiest to get along with are me-
chanics. They have some trade and we
can put them at it and they are con-
up some old walnut bedsteads and
s,,tN
framing some mirrors. A blacksmith
there is glad enough to find work at his
trade. But the lawyers and insurance
men and clerks and bookkeepe epers-whas
,an we do to keep them busy? Nothing,
and they get restless and want to be
oaroled right away. But the treatment
ioes good 10 many OF them. talked
With one man who told me with tears in
his eyes how he wanted to remain and
De cured of the drink habit, and how
lie had only now realized what a brute
he had been towrrd his family. The
aw helps such men. But 1t needs some
A Washington correspondent for a
yndicate of Iowa newspapers has seen
it to cast doubt upon the publisher
statement that before Governor Cum
nins went to Washington he received q
PERSONAL letter from President Roose
'elt by asserting that Roosevelt wrote :
10 such letter. This is strange. for the ;
GOVERNOR certainly received 1t and ha!
ause to believe 1T was genuine. But !
here was no thought here In Des /
foines that this was such strange
hing. 1t was not felt that the presi-
ent belittled himself in the least by
ntering into correspondence with the :
overnor of Iowa, and the general view
ere of President Roosevelt is that he
5 a man who will choose his own COR
espondents in his own way and at his Il
wn time, without asking odds of any e
ne, eevn the members of his own cabi- q
ct. If he chos., to write Governor t
'ummins, either asking question or
making a suggestion, 1t would be re- &
arded as merely Characteristic of the n
IAN. But what did Roosevelt say to Il
ummins, and vice versa, In Washing Y
On? Why was the matter regarded as IL
such importance-more 50 than II Tilt