338 



IOWA. 



IOWA, a western State, admitted to the Union 

 Pec. 28, 1846 ; area, 56,025 square miles. The pop- 

 ulation, according to each decennial census since 

 admission, was 192,214 in 1850; 674,193 in 1860; 

 1 194.020 in 1870; 1,624,615 in 1880; and 1,911,896 

 in 1890. By the State census of 1895 it was 2,058,- 

 069. Capital, Des Moines. 



tSoTernment. The following were the State offi- 

 cers during the year : Governor, Leslie M. Shaw ; 

 Lieutenant Governor, J. C. Milliman ; Secretary of 



State, George L. 

 Dobson ; Treasurer, 

 JohnHerriott; Au- 

 ditor, C. G. McCar- 

 thy; Attorney-Gen- 

 eral, Milton 'Rem- 

 ley ; Superintend- 

 ent of Public In- 

 struction, Richard 

 C. Barrett ; Rail- 

 road Commission- 

 ers, G. W. Perkins, 

 E. A. Dawson, and 

 C. L. Davidson, 

 t he last-named of 

 whom died and was 

 succeeded in March 

 by David J. Pal- 

 mer ; Labor Com- 

 missioner, W. E. 

 LESLIE M. SHAW, O'Bleness ', Adju- 



OOVKBNOR OF IOWA. ^ General? jfo. 



vin H. Byers ; Dairy Commissioner, L. S. Gates, who 

 died Oct. 11 and was succeeded by Com. Norton ; 

 Board of Control for State Institutions, William 

 Larrabee, L. G. Kinne, and John Cownie ; architect 

 for the board. Henry Liebbe ; secretary, J. G. Jor- 

 dan, succeeded by L. A. Wilkinson ; Chief Justice 

 of the Supreme Court, H. E. Deemer; Associate 

 Justices, Scott M. Ladd, C. T. Granger, Josiah 

 Given, Charles M. Waterman. All elected officers 

 are Republicans. 



Finances. The Treasurer's statement to the 

 Legislature in February gives the following details : 

 The total revenue in 1897 amounted to $2,167,993.- 

 24. This was $134,150.61 more than was received 

 in 1896. This year (1898) another -jV mill is being col- 

 lected, the total State levy being 2.8 mills, so that the 

 State's income for 1898, considered solely from the 

 point of view of the State levy imposed on the taxable 

 property of the counties, will be greater by $180,- 

 000 to "$200,000 than in 1896. This estimate ex- 

 cludes the special levy of -fa mill for the State 

 University. There will be increases in the revenues 

 from other sources. The new revenue law will 

 augment the taxes to be obtained from insurance 

 companies. The increase from this source will be 

 from $30,000 to $40,000. The State will also 

 receive revenue from the tax on collateral inherit- 

 ance. The entire increase in the revenues will be 

 absorbed in the redemption of interest-bearing war- 

 rants now unpaid because of lack of funds. 



At the close of February the State was in debt, 

 above all cash on hand, $652,748.88. 



The valuation for 1898 showed a decrease of $9,- 

 979,186 from that of 1897, the loss being in valua- 

 tions of land and personalty. That of railroads 

 increased. The total was $544,247,782. 



The tax levy was fixed at 3.2 mills, besides the 

 fV mill for the University. 



The assessment of telegraph and telephone com- 

 panies was placed at $930,338, an increase of about 

 25 per cent., and the levy 3$ per cent. 



In September it was announced that the floating 

 debt had been nearly half paid, all the 6-per-cent. 

 warrants having been redeemed. Others were out- 

 standing at an average of about 4 per cent. 



Charities and Corrections. The Legislature 

 at its special session in 1897 appointed a committee 

 to examine the State institutions and report at the 

 regular session this year. The committee reported 

 in January, charging upon the management loose- 

 ness of methods, unbusinesslike ways, open dis- 

 regard for many statutes, diversion and intermin- 

 gling of funds, speculation on State warrants, lack 

 of uniformity in bookkeeping, purchase of supplies 

 and construction of buildings, accumulation of 

 State funds for the sake of interest, and a general 

 lack of economy. Their conclusion was that the 

 institutions were costing the State at least $150,000 

 a year more than they would under proper manage- 

 ment. Following are the statistics of the institu- 

 tions as given in the report: The Independence 

 Insane Hospital contained 986 patients and 176 

 employees besides the officers and medical staff. The 

 pay roll was $40,000 a year, and $14 a month was 

 drawn for the support of each inmate. A large 

 proportion of the bills were paid without having 

 been audited by any member of the board of 

 trustees. 



The Mt. Pleasant Hospital for the Insane had 884 

 patients, an increase of 49 for the biennial period. 

 Within four years salaries were increased by 

 $5.000. 



The Clarinda Hospital for the Insane had 658 

 patients, with capacity for 300 more. Its construc- 

 tion and equipment have cost about $930,000. 



Within two miles of Cherokee $24,000 has been 

 used in the purchase of 600 acres as a site for 

 a Hospital for the Insane. " Of the entire appro- 

 priation of $460,000, $75,000 was expended in the 

 construction of the foundation for a building 

 planned to accommodate 600 patients. The balance 

 has been expended in constructing walls, inclosing, 

 and roofing. The appropriations available have 

 been exhausted and certificates have been issued by 

 the building commissioners against the appropria- 

 tions available for 1898 and 1899." 



The inmates in the Soldiers' Home at Marshall- 

 town in July, 1897, were 644 ; those actually domi- 

 ciled were 563. " The commissioners have drawn 

 per diem, although it is doubtful if they are entitled 

 to it. None of them have observed the limitation 

 of 5 cents a mile for expenses. The increase in the 

 commissioners' expenses for 1897 was at least $2,500" 

 over that of 1891. The statute allows $10 a month 

 for each inmate. Since the home was established 

 this has been drawn upon the number of inmates- 

 on the books and not on the number actually in the 

 home. Drugs are purchased exclusively of one 

 house at Marshalltown,the bill last year amounting 

 to $3.600. A part of the year the whisky bill was 

 $100 a month. The physician at the home informed 

 us it was the practice to give whisky to many in- 

 mates at the physician's office for rations at spcc-i- 

 fied hours during the day. The drug bill has been 

 about ten times that of the Illinois home for last 

 year." 



The Glenwood Institution for Feeble-Minded 

 Children has 700 inmates, 350 of whom received no 

 educational or remedial treatment. The salary of 

 the superintendent, $2,400 per annum, is larger t lian 

 that paid by other States. 



"The compensation for mileage and per diem for 

 the three trustees of the Knoxville Industrial Home 

 for the Blind, for the biennial period ending June 

 30, 1897, was $2,107.65, equal to one seventh of the 

 total expenditure for support of the inmates of the 

 institution for the same period, there being 47 in- 

 mates, and 7 others given employment. It is the 

 home for the adult blind." 



There are 492 children enrolled at the Orphans' 

 Home and Home for Destitute at Davenport, about 

 300 of whom are soldiers' orphans. "Nearly all 



