438 



IOWA. 



pires, than is the case at present, if it were not for the 

 contaminating influence of older, vicious, and hard- 

 ened convicts with whom they are compelled to work 

 day by day, during their term of service. The theory 

 of the law is that criminals are punished not only for 

 the crime committed, but as an example to others. 

 The reformation of the criminal is at the same time 

 incidentally forwarded by means of opportunities for 

 education, religious teachings, and consolation, and 

 an ample supply of books, all of which accord with 

 the true theory regarding the reclamation of criminals. 

 Another step in a humanitarian direction would be, 

 after the State has been reimbursed its outlay on ac- 

 count of the convict's crime, to allow him his propor- 

 tion of the surplus earnings, over and above the cost 

 of his support. It is not in accordance with the dig- 

 nity of the State to make money out of the convict's 

 labor, or to enter into competition with free labor. 



The Governor also remarks : 



During the past four years there has been brought 

 to Iowa, under the auspices of humane societies, for 

 the purpose of finding them homes, a large number of 

 children of both sexes. These children have been 

 picked up on the streets, kept in some charitable in- 

 stitution for a short time, and then sent West by the 

 car-load, and bound out to our people. While the ob- 

 ject sought by those managing this work is a good one, 

 yet I am sorry to say that the results, in the main, are 

 not such as could be desired. Manv of these children 

 are of the "hoodlum" type, criminals by heredity, 

 and, almost immediately on their arrival in the State, 

 leave the homes provided for them, and take to vicious 

 practices, and, because of the superior acumen super- 

 induced by their former method of living, exercise 'a 

 bad influence on the children they are brought in 

 contact with. A notable example of this was seen in 

 the recent successful attempt to throw a train from 

 the track of one of our principal railroads, whereby a 

 valuable life was lost, and all the passengers on the 

 train imperiled. How many of these children have 

 been brought to the State I am not aware, but of those 

 brought here there are at this time in the Reform 

 School eight boys and one girl, and two are at present 

 inmates of the Additional Penitentiary, and the war- 

 den informs me that he has had as many as ten at one 

 time in confinement in that institution: This matter 

 demands such legislative action as may be found 

 practicable toward preventing the State from becom- 

 ing a harbor for the criminal youth of the sea-board 

 cities. 



The number of convictions for crime during 

 the biennial period was 2,451. This is a dimi- 

 nution, as compared with the prior term, when 

 they numbered 2,979, of 16| per cent, and with 

 the term ended September 30, 1877, of 25 per 

 cent. The amount of fines imposed for the 

 period was $137,707.33, and the amount col- 

 lected was $34,959.42. The court expenses 

 of the ninety-seven counties making returns 

 amount to $715,035.48, being $38,443.92 less 

 than for the former period, a reduction of 

 about 5J per cent. The average cost of each 

 conviction during the period was $291.81. 



The number of registered pharmacists in the 

 State is 2,241. There are in operation 457 

 mines, employing 6,176 hands. Coal is mined 

 in twenty-six counties. There are in the poor- 

 houses of the State, or receiving aid in counties 

 without poor-houses, 1,304 persons. 



The amount of property insured against fire 

 for the year 1880 was over $102,000,000, on 

 which the premiums paid were $1,279,245.07. 

 The amount insured under life policies for the 

 same year -was over $28,000,000, costing the 



policy-holders in premiums paid for that year 

 $127,091.66. 



The construction of railways is rapidly in- 

 creasing in Iowa. At present there is a mile- 

 age in the State of fully five thousand five 

 hundred, and there is in process of construc- 

 tion and partially completed fully one thousand 

 miles more. All of the counties in the State 

 save two have railway facilities, and these will 

 be reached bylines now in process of construc- 

 tion early in the spring of 1882. 



Among the lines under construction during 

 the year were the following: 



ROADS. Milet. 



Des Molnes and St. Louis ............................. 70 



Des Moines Northwestern ............................. 80 



Des Moines Northern ................................. 48 



Des Moines, Osceola and Southern ..................... 68 



Des Moines and Fort Dodge ........................... 60 



Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul ...................... 270 



Chicago and Northwestern ............................ 180 



Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern ................ 60 



Keokuk and St. Louis ................................. 50 



"Wabash and Chicago, Burlington and Quincy, from 



Humeston to Shenandoah ............................ 80 



Central of Iowa ...................................... CO 



Total 



Drake University, to be located at Des 

 Moines, has been incorporated. It will be 

 under the control of the Christian denomina- 

 tion, and will absorb the former Oskaloosa 

 College. It is intended for the education of 

 both sexes. The total taxable property of the 

 State amounts to $418,481,472.50. Excluding 

 Polk County, this is made up as follows: land 

 and town-lots, $295,016,392 ; personality, $87,- 

 007,400 ; railroad property, $25,356,073. The 

 number and value of live-stock reported are 

 as follows : 



The number of live-stock in 1875 was as 

 follows : 



Cattle... 1,421,719 



Horses 698,205 



Mules 37.937 



Sheep 724,204 



Swine 8,086,161 



"Which shows a gain in every class of animals 

 except sheep, which have been reduced 287,- 

 898 head. 



The number of public schools is 11,244, of 

 which 503 are graded ; teachers, 21,776 6,546 

 male and 15,230 female; school-houses, 11,221, 

 including 10,210 frame, 701 brick, 237 stone, 

 and 73 log ; volumes in district libraries, 26,- 

 757; value of school-houses, $9,533,493; of 

 apparatus, $205,130. There are 137 private 

 schools in Iowa, with 522 teachers, and 15,098 

 pupils. The total debt of the counties of the 

 State amounts to $2,745,678, of which the sum 

 of $2,592,222 is bonded. Of the counties, 

 forty-one have no debt, fifty-two no bonded 

 debt, and seventy no floating debt. The follow- 

 ing figures show the progress of the State in 

 manufactures : 



