Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1915-12-23
WHY ARE STATE
WARDS INCREASING?
State Official in Flying Squadron In
Address at Rockwell City Urges
Regeneration of Social Con-
ditions IN Order TO Shape
Alright the Lives OF

Future Citizens
Henry E. Sampson, formerly of
this city but now assistant attorney
general of Iowa, during the course of
his address at Rockwell City recently
said that the State Board of Con-
'trol of Iowa has under it's manage
ment fifteen institutions which the
state has been compelled to provide
for the care of its insane, it's feeble
minded, its inebriates, its epileptics,
its criminals within our pentitentiar-
les and reformatories, it's delinquent
boys and Maynard girls in our in
dustrial schools and it's orphans and
dependent children of the state. Dur
ing the last biennial period over Is,
900 wards were cared for by the state
and the resident population in its in
situations was over 10000. But worse
than this is the fact that the numbers
are constantly increasing. The tax
payers of this state have invested in
these institutions about $4,000, 900.
They contribute biennially over four
and a half million dollars toward the
expense and maintenance of these
institutions.
"The presence in our state Of so
much poverty and pauperism, sick
ness and misery, feeble-mindedness
and insanity, idiots and inebriates,
crimes and criminals, all indicate
that there are some unsatisfactory
conditions in our commercial and in
dustrial life, some unhealthy places
in our social life, and some menacing
influences actively at work undermin-
ing our efforts for social betterment.
las citizens and public officials we
are all alike deeply concerned in
these questions of political, indust-
rial and social welfare. AS self
governing people. we occupy a re-
spoDsible position. We, the people,
have taken the sceptor of authority
from the ruler and now occupy the
seat upon the throne. Our RESPONSE
bility, therefore, for the miseries and
the crimes of men today rests far
more largely with society than may
be generally supposed. We who per-
NIT in our commonwealth q condi-
ton which fills our penitentiaries, our
jails, our asylums, our poor houses,
out potter's telds are guilty of SER
ious neglect. And until we begin an
affirmative movement to improve
those conditions responsible for such
evils and which threaten to engulf
mankind, we are inviting disasters
which may overwhelm our common
wealth and her beloved people. He
who contributes to the solution of
these social problems contributes
alike to the cause of society, human
ity and religion.
when an epidemic breaks out in
community we are not content to
provide medical and hospital service
for the afflicted, but set about at
once to locate the cause of the troub-
lie and to stop its dreadful effects. As
citizens we should care for the un-
fortunates of our state, but we should
also set in motion influences which
will remove the causes for the ever
increasing number of such unfortun-
ates and dependents.
Permit me to mention one of the
baneful influences at work in our
commonwealth which should be re-
moved is the use of that habit
producing drug in liquid form; that
seductive poison which breaks down
the vital processes of the body, de-
stroys the capacity to resist disease
undermines intelligence, strength and
health, impairs the moral senses and
transmits hereditary faint that hand.
leaps posterity-the enemy of virtue
honor, manhood, all that life holds
sacred and true. Do you know that
seventy-five percent Of our prostitutes