Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-03-01
INVESTIGATION MADE REGARD
ING SENATOR HARPER's 81.
8 ENNIAL ELECTION BILL.
THE STATE SANATORIUM
Or. w. 3. LaForce Addresses Letter to
Each Member of Legislature Urging
Action for Care of consumptives-
= Buchanan Wins on Floor.
IBY LEON BROWN
/, Des Moines Bureau of the Courier.

ooHe one TdlSeQ The question OF
whether or not the Harper biennial
election bill was not defective and a
repetition of the Titus troubles of three
years ago was imminent. 1t was said
that some one had advanced the the
DRY that the numbers of joint resolu-
tons for the submission of constitu-
tional amendments must bear identical
numbers in the two general assemblies
through which they pass.
2 Senator Harper Immediately began
an investigation into the matter. He
discovered that none Of the amend.
ments which have been added to the
constitution so far have borne the
same numbers in the two general as
semblies through which they have
passed.
For instance the amendment, chang
ing the time Of elections in Iowa from
October to November was No. IL in
the nineteenth general assembly and
No. Is in the twentieth general assem-
bly,.
The amendment withdrawing disa
bility from black voters in Iowa was
No. 5, in the seventeenth general as
sembly and No. 6 in the eighteenth
general assembly. ~
The biennial elections amendment
5, in the twenty-ninth Assem-.
bly, and went through as No. /. in this
assembly.
Senator Harper decided after inves-
tigation, that the matter was not
worth calling the resolution back to
change the number. OF course no man
M 70 TO "a to1>
They are essentially human. But de-
cision against the constitutional
amendment on the ground mentioned
would be technicality gone to Seed
Dr.. w. B. LaForce of Ottumwa has
sent to all of the members Of the as
+ sembly his argument In favor of the
establishment of state hospital for
consumptives. He accompanied his
paper with a personal letter in which
he calls attention to these facts
That one-tenth of the deaths in Iowa
are caused by consumption.
That the cause of the disease is the
dissemination of a germ thrown of
in the spittle of afflicted persons.
There are sixty homes for consump
tives in Germany, alone.
Twelve states of this country have
undertaken to build sanitariums fol
the treatment OF persons affected with
: tuberculosis.
DR.. Summers of the house commit
tee on public health who has charge
of the measure for the appropriation
of 100000 for sanitarium of this
character in Iowa believes that the ap
preparation committee will give the
matter favorable consideration. There
were those who imagined that he
would not be able to get his proposition
Through the committee. on public
health, even. but this he did without
material opposition. He has many
warm friends on the appropriations
committee. also and thinks that the
measure will be given favorable con
sideration.
DR.. LaForce's letter to the individu
al legislators is as follows:
Ottumwa, Iowa, Feb. 16, 1904. :
Dear sir:-I am DESTROYS of presenting
before the members of the legislature
some of the facts regarding the recent
knowledge about tuberculosis.
read paper on the subject before
the society OF Iowa Health Physicians
last month and the statements were sc
in accord with the ideas Of each mem
Der Of the society," that they have re-
quested me to send copy of 1t to each
member Of the legislature, and I have
done so, and as the paper treats of the
question of the state sanatorium for
consumptives, and concerning which a
bill has been introduced in the pres
ent legislature trust you will find in
the paper mentioned he--statement OF
some facts which might help you in
forming definite opinion on the sub
ject.
The main points in the paper might
be summed up briefly as follows:
/. tuberculosis causes about one
tenth of all the deaths occurring in
Iowa. an6 larger per cents in other
places.
9. The cause of the disease has beer
proven to be live germ which is
thrown off in the spittle Of consump-
tives and the drying and spreading OF
such spittle is the cause Of nine-thnths
Of all the new cases.
8. With the discovery of the cause
a few years ago and the knowledge
Of the chief ways in which the disease
AS Good as Ever.