Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-02-28
VAS PAROLE AND INDETERM!-
NATE SENTENCE LAW RE.
SUITS IN LONGER TERMS.
NAMosA AND FORT MADISON
INSTITUTIONS NOW CROWDED
rts Under the Law Pronounce Max
mum Sentences and Parole Board
Has More Business Than 1t Can
Take Care of-Extent of Recent
livestock Ruling Not Yet Known.
% Times Republican.

and t1deter-uiuate sentence law, des-
pite that iarger number of paroled
prisoners are returned in preparation
to the total paroled, has been TO
lengthen the sentences and to I'LL the
prison and reformatory TO their limit
Every cell at Fort Madison and Ana
mosa is now filed. There are more
than hundred more prisoners in the
keeping Of the state than a year ago
The number is steadily increasing and
unless there is some change, il Will
be necessary TO do some more build
ing.
short time ago, when the reports
from the two penal institutions showed
an alarming increase, there being six
ty-two more q Fort Madison and fifty
nine more al Anamosa than a year
before, the board Of control called for
specific statements TO indicate the
cause.
It was found that at Anamosa since
the parole board vas organized and
went to work the number received az
the prison exceeded the number dis
charged by sixty-four; while in eight
months prior 10 that time the num-
Der discharged had exceeded the num-
Der received by thirry-three.
At Anamosa there was received and
committed during the year 1909 a total
of ten less than in the year 1908; yet
the number in custody is steadily in
creasing.
The explanation is that under the
new law the short time men are miss
ing, that court must commit for the
full term or limit and leave il 70 the
board to reduce the terms TO an equal
" nS ha- IF eli ion
The average length Of term is in
creased This is just what was claimed
for the law when first proposed near
1y ten years ago, but the system was
defeated in two or there legislatures
on the theory that II was only a scheme
to empty the prisons and the effect
would be to lessen punishment for
crime
Another thing which has become EVIL
dent is that the work of the parole
board is much greater than it was sup
posed would be necessary, and the
board has been handicapped by not
having a home finding agent. It is nee
essary that before a prisoner is dis
charged he shall have employment, and
4his~has. been difficult to arrange. The
board has planned TO employ such an
agent who will also accompany the
board to the prisons and take down the
statements of prisoners and keep the
record Thereof, thus becoming familiar
with the status of the prisoners from
the start The board is looking for such
man but has thus far failed 10 find
: the right one. 1t is the belief OF the
{ wardens that as soon as the new law is
working in regular order there will be
slight reduction in the number OF
{ prisoners.
Representatives of the Iowa organi-
nations of shippers of livestock are re-
ioicfng over the news from Washington
which indicates that the interstate
commerce commission will order reduc-
ton in rates of livestock Until the
full text of the decision is received it
will not be known just how far it goes
in the matter of rearanging the rate
zones or whether the arrangement sug-
gested by the farmers and shippers mas
been adopted or the compromise 10
which the railroads consented. But IN
the matter of the rates on hogs the
dispatches indicate that the farmers
got all that they wanted, which was a
restoration of the rates to the old basis
which had been in force many years
and until the recent increase ordered
ty the roads The railroads made the
increase in hog rates at the time they
made some slight changes in the cattle
rates under the orders of the interstate
commerce commission. They claimed
that the increase in hog rates was nee
essary in order to offset the raise in
cattle rates and that the increase was
made solely in this account The re-
<iuctior in the rate on cattle viii affect
the price of ali cattle in the state
~,
ing rasuDmitted to the voters of the
state a proposed prohibitory amend
1nert to the constitution to be held here
next week. promises TO be a big affair,
ard TO bring to the city large number
of persons. The committee in charge
Of the convention states that all indl-
cations point to one of the most eff
fec-ive movements ever started It IS
axpecte6 that several thousand per-
sons will come TO the city to attend TINS
meeting A fine program has been ar
ranged. including addresses in support
of the amendment by Senator Proud
foot OF Warren county Representative
Meredith of Cass county Governor
Carroll and others who are active tenn
perance workers Headquarters are
ma;ntained by the allied forces here
and much work is being done out in the
state
frank o. Stuart Of Charlton, who
asnires to be congressman In the
Eighth district aitho formerly well
= krown newspaper editor and an ex-
ceptionaIly good writer. has engaged
The past dozen years in the practice
bf law. He made the campaign for
congress in the district once before
but as an Independent, and one OF the
blanks which he had was that Of favor
me a law abolishing all legal tender.
The suggestion of Judge Prouty that
iowa is to ask several millions OF
(ederal money for public Improvement
SHAH be devoted rather to building
rood roads than to building dams and
nclks in the rivers, met with a warm
pesponse amor the boosters who have
- ..i.sniyc the good Of the state
figures II t that with the money
at would be needed, according to the
estimates OF the engineers. to make
steamboating possible on the Des
Moines river from Des Moires to keo-
fu1. there could be built 400 miles OF