The weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1858-1860, 1859-08-20

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suRLIHar0N NwREKLYHAwK-1Yl
a Card.
Attempts are made in certain quarters, 70 ia
;s,e The Republican party. on account Of Il
.l,.eed responsibility for building . Lunati
.,,lam las NJ. Pleasant. No one could obiec
! III, Il The statements made and the infer
.,c.s drawn from them had any foundation il
18th. II there has been anything done thu
:. wrong in regard 70 this Or any other mat.
:, and the Republicans did il, they should b,
ia 70 answer for IL Has wrong been done
s,A By whom!
Inropose to state, - briefly - possible, ths
-. history Of the location and erection Of The
.,,,au 1t Mt. Pleasant and shall ssats nothina
~, !. no. susceptible Of the clearest demon
ssssca. cx
The lnsaIs Asylum was established at, or
-, n. Pleasant in Henry County, by an
=, u ID. General Assembly approved January
=. s4,h, 1855, the Senate at that time being
n.mocr..ic and presided over By Aaturin L.
r;.h.,. Of Clayton County, and the House OF
R.Oresen.a.ives having. what was called an Anti
y.b,,,ks majority (See Session Lans 1854 IS,
oao. 1917 1t would seem therefore, that
,.,her usr,y was resposible for the location
Va man. al that time, thought Of politics in
.o,nsc,ou with this subject, as 10 shown by the
nrn.,,Ie,ea unapimity with which the bill
making the location and naming the Commits
,onsr. 10 superintend the erection Of the Asy-
INN vs enacted into law. The bill passed
the House Of representatives BY vote Of City
70 ar, (Ss Senate Journal 1855, page ssl, and
passed the Senate BY . vote Of 26 10 (See
Senate Journal 1856, page 1861
THE BUILDING COMMISSIONERS
We're Judge Edw. Johnstone Of Lee County,
sDemocrat, Dr. Chas. s. Clarke, now of Jeffer
son County, q Republican. and the Governor Of
the State. They we're named in the law above
referred to, and the responsibility for their ap-
poinlment was divided between the two political
parties in the same manner as was the respon
HbiIi,y for the location Of the Asylum. aver
that no one of the Commissioners was ever in
Auenced in the slightest degree, in his conduct
as Commissioners, BY political considerations.
lam veil satisfied that Judge Johnstone was not,
and 40 an evidence that the other Commission
s.s were not, will state that the man who was
selected to supervise 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 advocacy Of Democratic princi-
ples and his hostility to Know Nothingism. He
wSs employed by the Commissioners on account
Of What were believed to be- his merits as a
Superintendent, and they are happy to know
that bic conduct has justified the selection. Mr..
Winsow has employed, discharged and paid,
every man employed about the work, pur-
chased all the material and ssuperntended the
construction Of the entire building. Almest oil
Of the chiefs Of the carpenter, brick making,
brck-laying, stone cutting, stone-laying, etc.,
etc. departments, learn also, have been De-
mocra.s. viii say, however, that have only
learned this latter fact recently, for, really, no
one Of the Commissioners ever thought to in
quire to what political party any employee be-
louged.
PLAN OF TIE BUILDING.
The act Of the oath OF JAM, 1855, contem-
plated the construction of a small building at
an expense of $4,000, which, it was thought,
could be enlarged as the exigences Of the State
might require. The Commissioners thought SO
too. But they consulted Architects, Superin-
kndenis Of Asylums in other States, and ether
persons interested in institutions Of the kind,
and satisfied themselves that $4,000 wodd not
erect and complete an Asylum that would ac-
eOmmodate one half Of the insane people then
10 the State, nor, indeed, that it would com.
plete any kind Of an Insane Asylum. They be
came satisfied that the General Assembly when
they passed the Law limiting the amount that
the Asylum should cost to $4,000, knew a.
little Of the requirements of well constructed
institution Of the kind, as they themselves did
before they began TO investigate that subject,
and they therefore determined to adopt such
plan for the building as they believed the wants
and interests Of the State demanded. Massa-
chusetts was. at just about that time, commen-
chg the erection Of her third Asylum at North
amptOn, and had adopted plan which was said
70 embrace all modern and desirable improve
nents The Commissioners procured transcripts
Of that plan, with view to lay it before the
General Assembly, and secure its approval and
adoption, if possible, for the Iowa Institution.
In the mean time, however, they proceeded with
the excavation for the foundation, made some
brick, quarried some rock, etc., etc., but did
nothing by which the State would be injured q
thousand dollars, If the Legislature should see
f to disapprove their action and reject the plan
,ley proposed. The General Assembly of the
State was convened in extra session on the I'd
day Of July, 1856, which was before the founda.
uca Of the Asylum building were laid. The
Vounissioners appeared before the Committees
Hhe Legislature with their plans and specih-
cations, the merits and probable cost of the
shole thing we're thoroughly canvassed, and an
additional appropriation was asked, not because
tae money would be needed before the next
regular session Of the Legislature, but as an
endorsement Of the recommendations of the
commissioners. This endorsements was made,
ana an additional appropriation Of $50, 900 was
voted by this same Democratic Sennte, still
presided over by Maturin l.. Fisher, with only
sae vote in opposition. (See Lsss of srtra
s''''on, 1856, page so) The journals of the
senate and House Of Representatives would
Indicate that there were no dissenting votes, for
''efe was not opposition enough in either body
"0emand the ayes and nays. (Ses Sssdte
Journal Of extra Session 1856, page IS, and
'n'ass Journal, same Ssssion) There was,
Ao@e'er, one man in the Senate and three in
hs House Of Representatives, who declined to
support the proposition, and there were NO
mote.
SIZE OF THE BUILDING.
'sf! erroneous notions seem TO prevail in re.
k0fQ 10 tho 81. ~ AZ: Vs. staN