Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-08-25
Knoxville Institution Not De
signed to Cure Migrants
and Deadbeats
POLICY MAY BE CHANGED
Only Business Men and Others Who
Have Fallen Into Evil Of Drinking
To EXCESS, But Vino Are Susceptible
Of Cure Should Be Sent
There.
special 10 Times-nepubllcan.

Des Moines, Aug. 25.-The states
new inebriate asylum at Knoxville is
failure at curing Migrants, but
success at curing the working man or
business man who falls into the evils
of drinking To excess. This is the
universal verdict of all the members
of the board Of control. 1t is beiev-
ed that the report of the institution
reports of the various superintend-
ents of the insane hospitals where the
inebriates We're kept 'prior to the
completion OF the inebriate asylum.
For this reason unless the state
changes it's policy as to the class of
inebriates sent to Knoxville the show
ings will not be as good as they
should be. And for this purpose it is
practically sure that there will be
a revival of the movement to give
the district court judges discretion as
to the persons sentenced to Knox
vile.
The theory on which the inebriate
asylum is run is that there is some
bodily ailment of an inebriate which
causes him to have an abnormal
thirst for stimulants. Once this is
cured it is claimed that the ineb-
riate is cured and his future then is
solely case of his own deliberate
choice and ne will have no excuse
for getting drunk This rule it is
claimed applies to all classes Of peo-
pie except Migrants and tramps. These
classes 1T is now claimed drink be-
cause they are shiftless Migrants and
because their idleness leads them to
it, and not because of any physical
disease or ailment. This class can only
be cured of being inebriates by cur
ing them of being Migrants and tramps
but as the tramp microbe has not been
identified yet making impossible the
discovery Of an anti toxin, the state
has no method of treating such at
any of it's institutions and especially
at the Knoxville asylum
District judges all over the state
have been sending tramps and va
grants to the inebriate asylum and it
is suspected the sentence is given
more often as punishment rather
than with the hope Of cure. The
inebriate asylum is an institution for
cure and not punishment and has no
means Of punishment The big per-
centage of Migrants sent to the asylum
keeps down the per cent of cures. At
the last session Of the legislature IT
was proposed to pass law directing
that only cases where there was rea-
sonable hope Of cure be sent to the
asylum and providing a place for pun
ishment for the vagrant. Members OF
the legislature attacked the bill and II
was defeated. Now so many Migrants
are sent to the Knoxville asylum In the
winter time that workingmen and bus
mess men who have acquired an ap-
normal taste for liquor because 81
some disease are barred out of the in
stitution because of the lack of room!
The only beneficial results obtained
from sentencing Migrants to the insti-
tuition is that after being denied
drink of whiskey during the period OF
their confinement there they leave the
state Immediately on being released
for fear of being sent back again.
The next legislature will be asked to
make small appropriation to improve
the facilities for preventing the inepr1-
ates from escaping and will be asked
also to correct the evil of sending 10
the institution the classes which give
no hope of being cured.
The hearings by the legislative IN
surance commission will close about
Tuesday OF next week. There are re-
naming but two or three phases of the
insurance business that the commits
sion has not investigated. 1t will take
but short time to complete this work
and the commission will then begin the
work of preparing the report. Because
of the fact that three Of the members
of the court are lawyers and must at
tend the September terms of their dis
trict courts to take care of their cases.
the commission at this time will De
able to continue only till about sep
TENDER 10. 1t will then take recess
until probably October. In the mean
time as much of the work of preparing
the report as can be done without a
meeting will be done by Secretary
Burkett and the members OF the com
mission at their homes. They will then
return in October and complete the re-
mort. The commission has had prepar-
ed a form Of policy for fire insur-
iance companies Some changes will
likely be made in it, and before IL Is
finally decided upon it will be submit