Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-04-20
Eldora Correspondent Corrects
Judge Cownie's Statement
About Industrial Farm
HIS THEORY HAS BEEN TRIED
And is Found to Fall Short Of the
ReaIity-Farm Consists Of $40 Acres
Instead Of But 200 Acres as Set
Forth = Correction For Taxpayers
Benefit.
,ecial to Times-Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Eldora, April 20. The interview
with Judge Cownie, member of the
board of control, as published In the
Times-Republican Tuesday evening,
was a decided surprise to the citizens
of Eldora and vicinity.
In his article he stated that the in
dustrial school farm located at this
place was composed Of 200 acres of
land, and stated that the farm should
consist of at least section Of land,
as a large number of the boys We're
capable of driving team and doing
farm work, and that there was no
good reason why the institution should
not be self-supporting, be maintained
without cent of tax to the state. The
inference to be drawn from the article
was that the founders of the institu-
ton had been extremely short sighted
in not making adequate provision for
the numerical increase of the inmates
of the institution.
The facts in the case are that in
SlSdu VI u ldIlH VI OuS wv oSASS SAsS
farm consists of $40 acres, which We're
acquired by. donation from the c1ti-
zens of Eldora and by purchase from
various parties as follows:
From L. F. Wisner, August Il, 1872.
240 acres.
From H. c. Webster, August %, 1872.
so acres.
From l.. f. Wisner, June 1, 1874,
$40 acres.
From c. B. Davis, April 81, 1884,
80 acres.
All of the above comprises section
10, township 81. range 20-64O acres.
From Henderson Fagg was purchas-
ed on August II, 1872, 40 acres in sec
ton 16, township 81, range 10, this
latter tract being timber land south
of this city.
From w. j. Mor was purchased on
August 10, 1872, so acres in section l.,
township 81. range 20.
From Reuben Richard was purchas-
ed on May 8, 1905, so acres, in section
10, township 81. range 20.
1t will be seen that all of the above
land was purchased long before the
board of control came into existence.
the assumption is that either Judge
Cownie is woefully ignorant of the
states property at Eldora, or some one
is trying to get fling" at the found
ers of the institution.
1t will also be seen that the insti-
tuition has had under it's control and
ownership 76O acres of land for more
than twenty years last past, and last
year the state purchased so acres more,
making total of $40 acres.
The thought to be drawn from the
article is that if the school had had
$40 acres the institution would have
been self-supporting. The article and
the theory read we'll, but the facts are
that the experiment has been tried for
more than twenty years and peEusal
of the biennial reports of the institu-
ton issued during those years Will
show how far short the theory falls
of meeting the reality.
When the board OF control took
charge of the institution in 1898, the
allowance for each boy per month was
IS. Since then 1t has been increased
to SO per month per boy, and it now
seems plain that this amount must be
again increased in the near future.
The number of boys in the institu-
ton at the present time is 493, with
AZ officers or about So boys less than
there were when the board of control
took charge of the institution.
This article is not intended to cast
any reflections on any one, but is writ
ten that the. facts may be known as
they actually are and let the tax pay
ers Of the state draw their own con-
illusions.