Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-02-14
IOWA BEHIND ! ZINES
ATTORNEY ossERAL .. cosso"
FINDS PRISON FACILITIES
INADEQUATE,
v,s,Ts MANY lNsrlTuT,ohs
II STATES OF EAST
Completes sstisations and Report Of
Commissions Will % Prepared Soon
- Anti. Presrsssivss Still Seeking
Candidate for Governer-Indstsrrni.
nate Sentence Law Uphold.


nate Sentence Law Uphold.
Special to es-Republican.
Des Moines, Feb. 14,--Attorney Cen
eral Cosson on his recent visit to
Washington took occasion to make
quite tour of prisons, and reforma-
tories and to meke an extensive inves-
tigation into modern methods to guide
him in the preparation OF the report
he will make on prison methods. Mr..
Cosson visited some OF the very best
institutions Of the country and found
out how far behind the times. Iowa is
in the matter Of its pe1al system.
At Washington he went out. to the
penal farm which ID maintained for the
District of Columbia, where some new
ideas are being worked out for the
short term men, all being given work
and all paid. -
In New York he consulted Professor
Written, of Columbia, who Is also sec
rotary of the national prison congress
and received many courtesies. He Wis
tied the George Jr. Republic" the arst
Of its kind In the world, then ent q
day at Auburn prison. He alsd Wis
tied the historic old prison at Balti-
more, oneaof the best Of the old kind,
where the old system Is inivogue. He
visited the famous Elmira reformatory,
where DR.. Mcdowell has interviewed
perhaps a larger number Of convicts
than any other man in the world
( An interesting visit. was to the
agricultural and Industrial school near
Rochester. where Dr. Briggs is working
CIT, the family plan" fc- boy. with
marked success. The boys 1--we in fami-
lies entirely separate and earn money
by cultivation of sthe soil.
At Detroit he visited for day the
great workhouse, one of the most sue
cessful in the country, where they have
worked out plan for making 1t pay
for itself and also for the original in
vestment and profit to the city.
In Mansfield, O.. he visited the new
institution there where some original
plans are being developed which are
attracting the attention Of the world.
This probably completes the invests
cations of the Cosson committee on
prisons and a report will be prepared
in due time.
The anti-progressives are somewhat
.perplexed over who they will back fol
governor. At present the choice is:
Zala Church, former district Judge
liberal In tendency. well located in pro-
gressive territory.
Aaron Pfoudfoot, radical standpat.
ter. supporter of Young in the legis'
lature; champion of constitutions
prohibition and opponent of the Iowa
mulct law. lives in standpat country.
One of the committee which man.
aged the Carroll candidacy last time
stated yesterday that either one would
be satisfactory but they will not per-
NIT both to- get into the race as that
would prevent either having any show
Of success; but thee are fully deter
mined that they must have a candidate
who will stand as a distinct opponent
of the progressives in this state.
The Baltimore Star prints in its
Washington correspondence a bit OF
gossip about q rising young man likely
to be added to the list Of Iowa men,
bers of congress. saying:
From page to congress. will be the
record of A. D. Sumner. of Waterloo.
should he win in his effort to be
elected to congress from the Third
Iowa district where he has announced
his candidacy for the national legis-
lature. to succeed G. Pickett Mr..
Sumner who holds an important Of
fetal position in the senate began his
services as &an employe In the upper
house as a page boy sixteen years ago.
He has rapidly risen thru his efficiency
and integrity until now: he is. looked
upon by the senators as Almost valu-
able official" III
: The article Sttates. however. that
there have beeIesethers. as the late A.
P. German and Representative slemp
and Representative Townsend and
Mr.. Sumner stands well in the Third
district and 1t is said he will poll an
immense vote in the primary.
For the 'steenth time the supreme
court Yesterday held that the inde-
terminate SENTENCE law is the law of
Iowa and must Sc observed by judges
as well as by otllegs. and that where
a convicted perso1 is sentenced for
any of the crimesl Which call for an In
determinate sent1hce the court can do
no other than to inf,ict an indetermi-
nate sentence. 1t not within the
province of the court to fix a limit to
the term Of Incarceration. as the law
fixes the limit for sach class Of Of
lenses. The wardensof the prison or
reformatory will thertfore not consult
the mittimus to find hout how long the
prisoner is to stay.s3but consult the
code. When this fact Is firmly estab-
lished in the minds OF the Judges there
will probably be a movement to revise
the limitations Of sentence.
HAUeEN PETITIONS CIRCULATED
Doubt a. 70 consrsssman's Intentions
pispsllsd BY Appearance Of Papers.
Special to Times Republican.
Mason CITY Feb 1l-All dor,hts "a