Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-02-01
IOWA CARES WELL FOR ITS UN-
FORTUNATES.

management of the parties in charge
of the Illinois charitable institutions
and the evidence secured of cruelty III
the treatment of their inmates, has
reused Illinois to the necessity of pro-
viding better management for these
state institutions. Illinois has found
that its asylums and retormatorjes
have been woefully mismanaged, and
this it is believed is due to the fact
that there is no Capitalization of man.
agement.
The latest report of cruelties in
these institutions was made last night
when committee which investigated
conditions at the Bartonville insane
asylum reported that there were 705
accidents at Bartonville during the
year 1907, five of which were fatal
A large number of these were traced
20 careless management in not keep
ing watch on tho inmates and not TAX
ing proper care of them.
Illinois in seeking about for meth
cd to provide better management for
these institutions has decided that the
Iowa plan with it's Capitalization If
authority and responsibility is one
that might well be adopted by Illinois.
The Chicago Tribune, reviewing the
results attained in Iowa and asserting
that the plan should be given careful
thought by those who are wrestling
with the problem in Illinois, says:
The Iowa plan stands out IN striking
contrast with the Illinois plan. Here
there is state board of commission
ers of public, charities, the members
of which have no salary. Their duties
are advisory and investigative. They
are supposed to visit the various in
situations twice year at least, but
their recommendations may or may
not be effective in securing desired
changes or improvements.
Each separate institution has a
board of trustees, ordinarily composed
of three members, who are selected
for political reasons and not for any
special interest or aptitude for the
particular work committed to their
charge Their duties are prescribed
by statute and their responsibility
clearly defined In the case Of each
OF the institutions a large measure Of
power is vested in the superintendent,
who is, in sense, the executive Off
5-7. 1t is easy enough for the conf
missioners to declare their lack of
power. The trustees are not held
strictly to account. The system In
it's practical workings has proved it.
self vicious one
The Iowa plan carries with it a
state board of control composed of
three members These men are sup
posed to devote their entire time to
the work in hand. AS result they
are enabled to study the various ques-
tions of management which arise FROM
time to time much more intelligently
than is possible under the Illinois Or
ganization. AS many of these prob
lens are common to the several in
situations the gain from concentra-
ton of interest is apparent.
There is an added saving in the di.
rection of efficiency in connection
with the purchasing of supplies. All
of these are bought by one board,
which thus secures the benefit of
close prices. The advantage of such
a system is readily apparent when
compared with the wasteful plan Of
division of interest used in Illinois.
Along with this goes the uniformity
of bookkeeping which enables the
members of the board to check up any
one OF the institutions in a few min
utes.
The Iowa plan is one Of centralizs-
ton of power and localization of re-
sronsibility In Illinois no one seems
to have much power and it is easy to
find a scapegoat to protect those
supposed to be held responsible. IN
Iowa one member must be of different
political faith from that Of the other
two. The law is severe in it's restric-
tons designed to divorce the institu-
tions from politics. In Illinois politics
has been far more important that eff
ficiency. 1t is safe to say that the
charities of this state never will be
managed properly until they are en-
tirely free from the baneful influence
, of political patronage.
y The Tribune believes that the leg
,yislature should adopt the best features
of the Iowa plan in framing a law for
the future management of Illinois in
situations, and urges that no improve
ment in conditions can be made unless
the Capitalization of control and re-
sponsibility provided for by the Iowa
plan is secured
HARMOMIOIJS HOOSIERDOM