Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1912-10-20
POOR FARM Will
Be IMPROVED IN
NUMBER Of WAYS
Probable, However, That
superintendent Will Be
Retained Until Present
Board Goes Out Of Office.

Definite improvements will be made
in the Ada county poor farm. The
place will be cleaned from cellar to
garnet. Some of the buildings may be
reInodeled to a certain extent. Better
provision may be made for the caring
and protection of the inmates Of the In
stftution.
1t is possible. however. that neither
Edward Evans, the superintendent. nor
DR.. G. E. Shawhan. the county phys
ician, will be discharged. The county
commissioners have not yet determined
their course of action but they seem to
have in mind a plan that will put the
poor farm in better condition under the
present management
The grand jury's strong statements
and charges relative to the farm have
aroused the commissioners into action.
While the grand jury demanded the
immediate and unconditional discharge
of the county physician, 1t Is possible
that the commissioners will absolutely
disregard that recommendation. 1t Is
also possible that the board will pay
no attention 20 the grand jurys de-
mand for the dismissal of the aperin-
tendent, Edward Evans, buH will con-
tinue him in office during the rest Of
their administration and until they
themselves go out Of office Jan. s Of
next year.
None Of the commissioners have yet
committed themselves upon definite
lines Of action about the poor farm. It
Is apparent mat they do not know
themselves just what they are going to
do. The charges of the grand jury
were so strong and eXprt ;sed in such
positive and unequivocable language
that they feel they must do something.
They, therefore, have about decided to
take some steps toward the improve
ment of the general conditions said to
be existing at the institution.
Commissioners Have Free Hand.
1t seems that the commissioners can
disregard even the strongest demands
punity. While the law requires the in
vestigators to probe into the condition
of every public institution within it's
jurisdiction, it does not seem to give
the grand jury the authority to force
county boards to follow out it's recon-
mendations. The best that the law does
is to give the grand jury the right to
show the board where it has erred, IL 1t
has, or where there has been neglect.
if there has, or where carelessness and
neglect have been responsible for in
tolerable conditions, If they have.
The grand jury is, to the county COM
missioners merely a guiding hand, APP
parently. The publicity that its report
gets is the only factor that can move
board into doing something to rem
edy conditions, apparently. The
aroused public sentiment Is the only
thing that the board has to meet in
any county if the conditions of the in
stitutions are such as to arouse that
sentiment.
The grand jury can merely start
something" and then it seems to be up
to the newspapers and the people of
the community to take the matter ap.
II the commissioners decide to disre-
gard and ignore the demands of the in
vestigators, they seem to have the per-
feet right to do so. The law max es
them responsible for the condition 1T
the institutions under their jurisdiction
but 1t does not seem to make them re-
sponsible to the grand jury.
Eight Positive mmend atoms.
This peculiar condition Of affairs has
been discovered since the grand jury
made its report In that report were
eight distinct and positive recon-
mendations. Strongest among these
We're demands for the discharge Of the
county physician ana the superintend-
eLt. The demand for the latter was.
however, qualified by the statement
that If his "bucolic attachments" were
such as to make him indispensable to
the institution that some one else
should be placed In direct charge Of the
inmates. The grand jury spoke of
'.callousness of mental attitude" and a
general carelessness Of the condition Of
the inmates of tn farm on the part Of
the superintendent.
1t strongly condemned the county
physician for his apparent failure to
make reports of the alleged absolutely
insanitary conditions at the institution.
1t demanded clean bedding, clean beds,
remodeled buildings, general repair
and a host Of other things that would
make the lives of the inmates more
comfortable and bearable. Some of
these things will probably be done.
Others may not.
The grand jury itself will meet again
tomorrow morning for another session.
1t Is reported that the members have
been hard at work during the recess
gathering data on questions that may
be submitted at the sessions this week.
Just what these matters are is, Of
course. uncertain. 1t is probable that
another batch of Indictments will be
returned after the Jurors have been in
aeSaion for q foVv f1auu