Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-09-16
Legal Proceedings Against the
Doctors "Trust" Sole Topic
Of Conversation
i. DIS SPORT AUTOMOBILES
Every Physician in Town Has Grown
Wealthy = History of the Fight
Against Lone Doctor Which Led to
Neutrality-suspicious. of Politics is
Charged.
8

d
| Special to Times-Republican.
Waverly, Sept. 16.-Our doctors con-
tinue to occupy their position right In
the. limelight. 1t is not vanity which
keeps them in such a conspicuous
place, for there is no doubt but that
they would be very willing to retire
were it not that the indictment of
fourteen of their number forbids.
For weeks the principal subject OF
conversation on the streets and In the
homes has Deer the doctors and their
fee bill and their fight against their
lone brother who declined to enter the
trust" There was no argument con-
corning the matter, for the reason that
all were n unit in their condemnation
Of the doctors course. The only ap-
proach to a defense was a series OF
articles furnished by the doctors
themselves replying to Editor Miller OF
ltiS llSillQSAdlb WIN NHhiAS VII iiS ~
against the doctors without the assist
ance of his editorial brethren, who of
all the community stood mute. Now,
however, the Issue is a different one,
and there are a few who tho c%ontinu-
ing to denoupce the fee-bil1 and the
boycott, regard the indictments as be-
ing an attempt to apply a too-drastic
remedy, and there are others who are
jekingly.
The physicians of Waverly are
up-to-date, highly successful profess
sionally and won their way to the pco-
ple's confidence on their merits. And
they reaped their rewards, financially
as we'll as professionally. Almost with
out exception, they had begun their
practice here penniless, and without
execution. they have since enjoyed the
comforts of q competence. Even the
last years models of automobiles
were entirely too Anticipated. and MOTH
ing but a new machine of higher
power and better finish could meet
their requirements annually. Had
they not discovered, however, that the
range of prices for materials and>serv-
ices generally had risen In these latter
days, they might have continued to
grow rich and buy bigger automobiles
every year. But, whether thru their
own observation, or thru the tuition
of the American Medical Association,
which is now interesting itself to such
an extent in legislation of interest to
the profession, the local doctors be-
came alarmed at the increased cost
of living and entered into a combin-
alton designed to ward off the threat
ened danger of financial ruin. The new
fee bill was promulgated. 1t raised
the prices all along the line and In
many items the prices We're increased
several fold.
One doctor-a new one-declined to
''sign up" Vigorous measures were
resorted to, it is currently reported, to
compel him to observe the ethics or
the profession, and in two or more
cases the unethical brother had great
difficulty in getting competent assist
ance in operations of the most serious
character, where the patients life was
in grave danger and delays cut dow
the already too-slender chances for
life. In one case, a doctor from Ma
shua was obtained to repair a frac-
tured skull, and later vas prevailed
upon to withhold his professional as
sistance to the erring doctor, who
chose to remain outside of the asso-
citation, and this after some hours OF
waiting for the promised appearance
Of the Nashua doctor.
While it may be that it should not
have been so, yet 1t is a fact thai the
public charged this course of conduct
against not a few but all of the assoc
ciated doctors, and it. was just at this
i,incture that the grand jury met. 1t
is understood that the charge of gen
'eral conspiracy was ignored and the
specific charge of conspiracy to fix
prices preferred against the doctors,
and indictments returned against four
teen doctors residing in Waverly and
other towns of the county. DR.. Ben
nett, of Denver, secretary of the .asso-
citation, is not among the indicted,
neither is Miss Morton, of Waverly, nor
Iowa's oldest physician, the venerable
DIR. Oscar Burbank, of Waverly, nor
the doctor at Readlyn, and there may
be others not included.
If current rumor of the offense
charged in the Indictment is correct
the state must establish an unlawful
combination to regulate or fix the price
of some Commodity" to use the IAN
guage of the statute, and the first
Question that would arise is whether
professional services are a "commod-
.ity."
1t is charged here also petty spite
and politics have inspired the fight CONF
menced against the physicians by Edi-
tor Miller, who happens to be chair
man of the democratic state central
committee. The physicians recall that
a close friend of Miller's was among
those quarantined some time ago dur
ing an epidemic of a contagious dis
ease, on order Of the state. board Of
health, and hat Miller's fight is in
reality an attack on the state board.
The physicians have retained all or
nearly all of the lawyers of Waverly,
and County Attorney Stencil called to
his assistance the attorney general,
who sent a representative to assist the
county attorney in the proceedings this
week..
GoIdfield.