Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-03-02
Open BUILDING
BIDS MARCH X
- ~.
Additions and Improvements
Planned For Soldiers Or
phans' Home at Davenport
FEES AMOUNT TO LARGE SUM
About $500 Year Resulting From
Small Admission Fec to State Pen-
tentiaries, Expended In Buying
Books for tho Penitentiary Libraries
Books Added at Other Institutions.
Special to Times-Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines. March 2.--The bids for
the new buildings and improvements
at the Soldiers Orphans Home ut
Davenport will be opened March Is.
The estimated cost of the improve
ments will be about $4,000. The pres
ent laundry building there Is adjoining
latter for the comfort and convenience
of the inmates. The kitchen is nearly
in the center Of the institution and Is
much too small for the purpose. 1t
was arranged at a time when there
were but fifty inmates and there are
now about 500. III is planned in the
improvements to use the laundry for
kitchen for which 1T is admirably suit
ed, and to use the present kitchen for
library for which 1T is quite we'll
suited and well located. The new
laundry building will be a separate
bdildng, away from the others to suf-
ficient distance.
Libraries are coming to be a very
important factor at the state institu-
tions of Iowa. Before the board of
control was created there was, accord
ing to legislative enactment, a twenty
five cent fee required for admission to
the two state penitentiaries. They are
the only Institutions where such
charge was made. But until the board
Of control was created this requirement
was not lived up to with strictness.
The fee was charged to strangers, but
not from those known to the peniten-
tiary officials. The members Of the
board of control found that very little
was collected from this fee and at once
required that the statutes be lived UP
to- strictly and that the fee be charged
of every one entering the penitentiary
other than convict or person ex-
cepted by the statutes. This charge
has not worked a hardship. on any one
and has brought in about $1.500 year.
According to the state law it was ex-
pended in buying books for peniten-
tiary libraries and good libraries have
been now furnished both institutions.
Go
On recommendation Of the board of
control the last legislature made the
surplus, which amounted to about 81
OOO available for buying books for the
other institutions of the state. Some of
this money has been spent and now
there are quite good starts toward IL
braries at Mitchellville, Eldora, Dav-
export and some of the other fnstitu-
tions as we'll. More books are being
added continually. Books, especially IN
the Eldora, Mitchellville and Davenport
institutions, where children are kept,
are great factor in the reformation
OF the youths. In some of the eastern
states the library commissions are
called in to advise as to the selection
and also as to the use Of the books in
the institutions and trained librarians
are employed to supervise that work.
sss
Seventy boys will go to Washington
from Iowa to represent the high
schools in the inaugural parade. The
number is three times that from Him
ois and is giving the educational fore
es over there some chagrin. 1t Is un-
derstood that the number from Iowa
is the largest Of any Of the states and
it is expected the delegation will be
given the honor Of marching at the
head of the high school division Of the
parade. 1t is intended to propose to
the boys when they are all together In
Chicago that they go to one of the
big department stores and get black
sweaters with the word Iowa across
the breast, in white. If the boys take
kindly to the idea this will be done.
Banners were prepared in the office Of
the state superintendent which will be
carried in the parade. John Briar left
last evening for Chicago and intended
to meet the boys there this morning.
At Q O'Clock the train was due to leave
Chicago.
The abstract in the biennial election
case reached the supreme court yes
terday afternoon. There has been an
impression in some quarters that the
case is one to restrain the township
trustees of Richland township in Story
county from changing the voting
place. For this reason some failed
to see wherein there was any test of
the biennial election law. While the
change of the voting place Is involved
the case is one also to restrain the
clerk from posting notices of an cleo
tion to be held this coming November.
The trustees instructed John w. Cook,
Jr, to post notices Of the election to
be held the Tuesday following the first
Monday in November, 1905, the elec-
ton to be held at the Modern Wood
men hall in Fernald. w. L. Lobaugh.
one of the trustees brought the suit
to restrain the holding of the election
on the ground that he would be de-
prived of one year of his term as trus-
tee to which he was entitled under the
biennial election law. The other pap
ers in the case. will be filed soon and
the case advanced so as to secure
decision possibly this month.
The decision of Judge Bollinger OF
Scott county in the Beuthien bank
matter is causing some thought on the
part Of the auditor Of states office.