Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-12-12
NONE Bio FOR LOCATION OF
PROPOSED STATE EPILEPTlc
COLONY.
CONTROL BOARD SURPRISED
At TIER ATTITUDE
Investigation Shows Colonies. in Other
States Are Removed From Pepulous
centers-Wats supply and Drain.
age Important Points to 30 censid.
cred in Selecting Site.
Special to Times-R Republican

Special to TimeS-Republican.
Des Moines. Dec. 12.-Should the
Iowa epileptic colony be located near
should 1t be strictly a farm somewhat
removed from any large trade center?
That Is one OF the first questions
which the board Of control will have
to come up against when it gets down
to consideration of actual location Of
the colony farm. 1t is a matter of
much Importance.
Practically every such farm now in
operation in n state Of the union is
away from any large city. It is shown
by the records that very few Of the
residents of any such colony are given
permission at any time to leave the
farm. They are supposed to all be Of
a class subject to seizure Of c%onvulsive
spells at any and at any place,
so that 1t is impracticable to allow
them to roam at large. That is why
SO many of them are kept on the
county farms while they are really able
to do much manual labor.
Senator McColl, Of the state board,
lived when a boy near to the farm on
which the famous Craig colony of New
York is located, and has been all over
the farm many times. The Craig colony
is away up state, the nearest railway
station being a town OF about 800.
Cities Not Bidders.
The understanding in Des Moine
has been all along that the state does
not desire to locate the farm near any
big city, hence there has been no in
terest whatever taken in the matter in
Des Moines. Colonel ,McConlogue is
quoted as saying that the Indifference
Of Des Moines to rhe matter was such
as to indicate that Des Moines people,
like those at Iowa City, would rather
not have the farm near the state cap
ital.
TT has seemed a little strange" said
Representative Dixon, of the board.
that none Of the Des Moines boosters
or organizations have manifested the
slightest interest in the matter. We
have not heard from a single person
in Des Moines on the subject. The
pressure on the board has all come
from the smaller cities and large
towns and there is a fierce rivalry
among them. We have had the Flynn
farm in Polk county offered US by the
wners but it has not been urged on
us strongly and the price is high"
Conditions Demanded.
One argument in favor of locating
the farm close to some good city or
town is that it will afford opportunity
for the patients to attend church IN
the town and thus relieve the state OF
Its responsibility, to some extent, FOR
| chapel services. 1t is especially de-
, sirable to afford inmates a chance to
have choice of several different de-
nominations. There is also some chance
| for amusements for the inmates near
a city.
On one thing all the members of the
board are fully agreed, and that Is
that a good supply Of water is a first
| essential on a farm of this kind. they
also recognize that opportunity LOT
drainage is a prime requisite. But as
to cost of the land it is probable that
the board will not buy any farm sim
plv because it is cheap. w are buy
ing a farm not for next year or ten
years from now" said one member,
"but for all time, and what we must
consider is what the state Will want
q hundred years hence"