The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1859-10-06

building a Lunatic Asylum at Mt. Pleas
ant. No one could object to this if th
statements made and inferences draw
from them had any foundation in truth
If there has been anything done that wa
wrong in regard to this or any other mat
ter, and the Republicans did it, the,
should be held to answer for it. Has
wrong been done, and by whom /?
propose to state, as briefly as posi-
BILE, the true history of the location ant
erection of the Asylum at Mt. Pleasant
and shall state nothing that is not sus
ceptible of the clearest demonstration.
ITS LOCATION.
The Insane Asylum was established
cat, or near Mt. Pleasant" in Henry
county, by an act of the General Assem-.
bly, approved January the oath, 1855.
the Senate at that time being Democratic
and presided over by Maturin L. Fisher,
of Clayton county, and the. House ol
Representatives having what was then
called an Anti-Nebraska majority. See
Session Lars 1s54-5, page 1917 Ii
would seem therefore, that neither party
was responsible for the location. No man,
at that time, thought of politics in con-
nection with this subject, as is shown by
the unparalleled unanimity with which
the bill making the location, and naming
the Commissioners TO superintend the
erection of the Asylum, was enacted into
law. The bill passed the House of Rep
resentatives by a vote Of fifty to six.
{ See Journal 1855. page 351, and pass
ed the Senate by vote of 26 to { See
Senate Journal 1855, page 285.)
THE BUILDING COMMISSIONERS.
Were Judge Edw. Johnstone OF Lee
county, a Democrat, DR.. Chas. S. Clark,
now of Jefferson county, Republican,
and the Governor of the State. They
were named in the law above referred to,
and the responsibility for their appoint
ment was divided between the two politi-
cal parties in the same manner as was
the responsibility for the location of the
Asylum. aver that n>one of the Com
missioners was ever Influenced in the
slightest degree, in his conduct as Com
missioner, by political considerations.
am we'll satisfied that Judge Johnstone
was not, and as an evidence that the otL-
er Commissioners were not, / will state
that the man who was selected to super
wise the whole work, Henry Winslow,
Esq, ever was, and is now an uncom-
promising Democrat, who. never voted
any other than the Democratic ticket, and
was discharged from similar position in
the State of Maine on account of his ad-
yocacy of Democratic principles and his
hostility to Know Nolhingism. He was
employed by the Commissioners on ac-
count of what were believed to be his
merits as Superintendent, and they are
happy to know that his conduct has iusti-
fed the selection. Mr.. Winslow has en-
ployed, discharged and paid, every man
employed about the work. purchased all
the material and superintended the con-
siruction of the entire building. Almost
all the chiefs of the carpenters, brick ma
king, brick laying, stone cutting, stone
laying. etc., departments, l learn also,
have been Democrats. will say, how
ever, that l have only learned this latter
fact recently. for, really. no one of the
Commissioners ever thought to inquire
to what political party any employee be-
longed.
PLAN OF THE BUILDING.
Al II