Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-05-28
SUGGESTED PLAN.
BOARD OF CONTROL FOR STATE
INSTITUTIONS FAvoRABLY
REPORTED IN 1873.
Samuel r. Caldwell, Representative
From WapeIlo County, Member OF
Investigating Committee Plan is
Adopted in 1893.


Adopted in 1893.
The late Samuel T. Caldwell who
represented Wapello county in the
state legislature in 1878 was a mem
per OF the Investigating committee
Whlch recommended a thorough over
hauling and reorganization for the
state institutions and suggested a
plan for managing them similar to the
one which was adopted in 1898 and es-
tabllshed board of control Among
the interesting old documents which
have been dug up in the basement OF
the state house at Des Moines, incl
dental to the removal of all state doc
uments to the new building recently
erected by the state house improve
ment commission, have been the re-
ports of various investigating commit.
tees since the organization of the com
monwealth.
or these not the least interesting is
the Proceedings and report of the
joint committee of the adjourned ses
sion Of the fourteenth general assem-
bly, of the state of Iowa, appointed to
examine the financial condition of the
state institutions" The report was
published by G. w. Edwards, state
printer. in 1873 or more than thirty
years ago. To this generation, there
fore, it is entirely new.
Recommends Board Of Control.
While the report Of the commission
ho,. x>f IL
icisms on the management of some
of the institutions. notably the educa
tional ones, the chief interest at this
time attaches to the fact that the com
mitee practically recommends board
of control for all of the different in.
situations.
Numerous people have claimed
credit for having first suggested the
board of control plan for the state in.
situations. No one so far as known
has gone back to 1878. 1t has been
said that Cyrus C. Carpenter was the
first man to propose the single board
scheme of managing them. He was
governor in 1915. But in the discus.
sion attending his share in making
the first discussion nothing ever has
been said about the credit which ap.
pears to be due to the legislative com.
mission which in 1873 investigated the
institutions and reported to the extra
session of the assembly that winter
taking but single month to do the
work
Need overhauing.
The committee recommended in its
report that at is full time to have a
full and thorough overhauling and re.
organization of all these state institu.
tions," and proceeds to say:
Instead of the present multifarious
and diversified forms of government,
there should be the utmost uniformity
attainable, SO that comprehension of
one would embrace all. a
"The fiscal affairs should9be entire.
ly divorced from the management of
the respective functions of the several
institutions. Simplicity in the form of
government is most desirable.
Too Many Treasurers.
another difficulty is, we have too
many treasurers in this state. When
not prohibited, the appropriations are
ury, to be in bank as standing temp
tation.
Provision should be made to pre-.
vent this in all cases, and bill has
now been presented looking to this re-
suit, by instruction of the committee.
No money should be permitted to be
drawn from the state treasury except
for actual and immediate USE and a
system of checks and counter checks
should be adopted, which will not only
correct errors and abuses, but in itself
compel those having the control of
funds to observe the utmost care and
eXactness in the manner of keeping
their accounts.
ITO accomplish the purpose of these
suggestions, will require no little la
Dor, and patient and searching ex-
animation into the affairs and pur-
poses Of each institution; a generaliza.
ton which shall bring them all under
one system, and practically unite
them, so that they may be controlled
by one or several arrangements, as
wisdom and experience may dictate.
Whether this duty will be entirely
RENTED to the next general assembly,
or 1t is expedient to appoint a commits
sion with view to preparing a form
OF government, as herein suggested, to
be submitted at that session, rests in
the judgment of the body to whom this
report is respectfully submitted"
Adopted in 1898.
This program was never carried out
on the recommendation of the com
mittee, but in 1898 it was renewed by
another committee and was forced
| through the legislature. The PROPOSE.
ton submitted by this committee way
back in 1878, that the management of
the institutions be so generalized by a
sufficient system in government, that
they might be brought together under
single management, is equivalent to
recommendation that single board
OF control for all of them be created
| and IL it had been it would have been
much on the plan of the one which
was established in 1898.
The Committee.
The committee which made this rec.
concentration was composed of Sena-
tor Robert Lowry of Scott county, Sen.
ator Samuel H. Kline Of Allamakee
county, Representative Samuel T.Cald-