Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-10-31
iNgsRlATE hosPlTAt --LATEST
osJEcr OF ATTACK IN COURTS
OF STATE.
MIGHT SERIOUSLY HANDICAP
MOST WORTHY ACTIVITY
Coed Work Of Institution Nsvsr Ex-
plotted and Occasional Failure 20 e..
feet Cure Given Puhlieity-knexviiis
Lawyer Attacks Methods Of Commit
mont.
special to Times Republican.

l Des Mcines, Oct. 31.-If attorneys
for unwilling patients at the hospital
for inebriates succeed in compelling a
reversion to discarded methods at the
institution at Knoxville and that
seems to be about all that Is likely
ito result. II anything, from the suit
started-they will have put serious
handicap on one Of the most worthy Of
the state activities. Occasionally there
is sighting reference to the work
being done; at Knoxville, as when some
one who has been there, demonstrates
! that in his case no cure is possible;
but. as superintendent Donahue has
frequently said. the good. the institu-
! ton does is kept hid from view and
only the failures are exploited. The
person who goes back to his commun-
i.ity cured never says anything about
it. and frequently it is rever known
he has been there. but If one who has
been to Knoxville goes wrong then it
is known to every one that he has been
ait the state hospital.
State officials have little fear of the
outcome Of the suit started by Attor-
ney Van der Ploeg to secure habeas
corpus for L. l. Aldrich. Of Cerro Gordo
county, on the theory that the whole
scheme for commitment, detention,
cure and release, at Knoxville, is con-
tracs' &c the sta tie constitution The
methods followed as to insane and 9TH
ers irresponsible are followed as to
Knoxville. Van der Ploeg insists that
2 grand Jury should bring indictment
before one can be sent to Knoxville for
a period of more than thirty days.
| that a jury trial should be had to de-
.termine, whether a man should go
there. and that jury or some other
tribunal should have power to say
whether a man is cured and this not
be left to the superintendent. But the
same things could be urged. and have
been urged, as to commitments to the
other state hospitals.
Only recently, under new laws, the
Knoxville hospital has been put on a
right and sensible basis and it is de-
clared now to be doing most excellent
work.
Suit in court in Polk county to de-
! termine who shall stand the loss on a
shortage of something over $1,000 in
the office OF the county auditor causes
no real surprise here. II one may
Judge. from the statements that have
been made there is controversy as
to just how the business was con-
Quoted, and whether or rot the chief
deputy, not nowstin office, was fully
resp 0nstble for the integrity Of the
icash sdrsRe But it il recalled that
last year q hard effort was made to
secure change in the office Of county
auditor and that a great many harsh
sta tements were made public about the
office and how badly it was managed.
The people believed that these were
campaign canards and reelected the
present officer. It is expected that when
the suit is called in court some new
light on county. methods will be shown.
Some persons are just discovering
that while the Iowa railway commits
sion has much authority about order
ing things done it can not so very far
in preventing some things. For in
stance. when the old station of the
Milwaukee railroad at Amana burned
some years ago, the railway commits
sion was petitioned, on behalf Of other
trading cetners not to permit the COM
pany to rebuild and to require 1t to
abandon the station. But the company
went ahead and rebuilt. The railway
commission couldn't prevent the build
ing Of station out in the midst Of a
corn field if company desired to put
one there. Recently persons inter-
ested Lave sought access to the petit
tons and as the records of the COM
mission are and always have been pub
lie property at all times the names
have been counted, and the number
was surprisingly large. But Amana
has station house.
The state educational department is
keeping pretty close tab on the work
done in the state aid normal schools,
or normal departments Of high schools.
Not only are reports required and Sc
cured regularly but record is made
of the employment of those who have
graduated from these state aided nor
NAL courses and correspondence is had
with them direct as to their work and
suggestions they have 10 make as to
Nnnrusan vI4TnnaRu