Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-01-13


special committee of the last general
assembly charged with the duty OF
making a report on the subject will
have the report ready in a few days.
Senator Saunders and Representative
Temple are preparing the report This
repolt will go far toward crystalizins
sentiment in favor OF real reforms.
-
The report of the special committee
will condemn as a disgrace to the state
penitentiary at Fort Madison and rec
ommcnd that q new one be built, either
there or elsewhere: will recommend
that the board of control be directed
that from this time on all work at An
amosa be with view to changing that
to a rcformatory after the Elmira plan;
that q board of pardons be created
with abundant power to keep all pris
on records and to recommend to the
governor paroles. etc, that the indetcr-
inmate sentence rule shall apply and in
other respects the laws of Iowa be
made to correspond with those of more
enlightened states.
when ] was named on the special
committee" said Colonel Temple. II
really felt disappointed. | had never
given much attention to criminal law
and knew nothing OF prisons and their
methods. l was not Interested in the
matter. But we visited various insti
tutions and we found what is being
done in other states and l am enthus
iastically in favor OF bringing our laws
up to date. We believe a board of par
dons should be created which would
have entire charge of all paroles and
pardons. The Illinois system may be
followed. In ten years the governor
has only once declined to follow the
decisions of the pardon board SEN
fences would be merely to the penitcn
tiary and the statute fixes the maxi
mum and minimum period the convict
may remain But the pardon board
would have the right to take the case
and deal with it according to the best
judgment of the board, always with n
view to securing the actual reform of
the individual.
Our committee visited Mr.. Brock
way, the venerable founder of the in
stitution at Elmira. We asked him
what per cent of prisoners he regarded
as ncorrigible. None. sir he prompt
ly responded. He gave us an llustra
ton, citing the case of a man who
had been twice graduated from the Ell
mira institution. and who is now under
a changed name, the superintendent of
a large factory at $4,000 a year one
might have supposed that man who
had to go to the institution twice WAS
a poor subject for reform. The pres
ent superintendent at Elmira estimates
that not over 5 per cent o. those who
are committed are incorrigible.
Our committee found that the state
of Iowa is disgraced by the institution
at Fort Madison. 1t is not the man
agement but the Institution itself that
is all wrong. 1t is an old building
and the cells are only by feet and 8
feet high, the walls of stone and no
conveniences. 1t is a crime to incar-
cerate men in such a place. 1t is an
impossbility to keep it clean or to pro-
vide in any way for the ordinary COM
forts or the health of inmates. We
would recommend the building OF a cell
house with not less than 720 cells and
of modern construction, this TO be for II
prison while the institution at Anamosa
should be converted into retormatorY
as soon as possible.
"There is no more important thing
before this legislature than this Very
question of establishing the reforma-
tory idea and bringing our prison sys-
TEN up to the requirements of modern
ways We cannot too soon get the state
started right
There is no assurance that the Retail
Grocers' Association will agree to legis-
lation for pure food. One who has
been close to the organization states
that the majority of the retail gfocers
of the state favor the legislation and
will welcome it. but that the officers
who are getting a living out of the or
ganization have been opposed largely
because they get some of their sup
port from jobbers who do not want any
legislation. But this week after pub
LEGATION was made of the fact that the
local association is a trust In fact and
thru it's officers fixes prices of some
staple commodities. officers of the as
ISOLATION have assumed righteous IN
dignation and are now declaring that
they will make a fight on the pure food
legislation.
Senator Hughes says that the Hanna
pass bill is unconstitutional The same
scheme OF discrediting anti-pass legis-
lation has been tried before. In the
office of the railroad commission it is
figured out that 1T would take at least
$4,000 to pay the fare of the commits
sioners travelling on official business
each year in case their right of free
transportation is abridged.
General Thrift has called to meet in
Des Moines next Tuesday the commit
tee of officers of the national guard to
determine what legislation shall be Civ
en- for the benefit of the guard.
But very few of the Legislators have
been left i'm the city. Those not Oh the
visiting committees went to their
homes.
MARRIED sIxTY-TWO YEARS.
Mr.. and Mrs. w. 3. Ford Are Now Re.
sidinu in Riverside.