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

l VARCW0eW u0 OU1001WH o.
oecorating the Asylum. Il il plain, sabsssn.
0ai structure. With ~ iron root - near DIRE
PROOF - Il could well be made, With ! yer,
plain and cheap finish both inside ana ont ant
embracing all the valuable modern improve
nsnss. The Northampton, Mass, Asylum, buil
Of brick, as the same time with this and on u.
same plan, cost moro than THE win when com.
p'eted, and those who have examined both -
that the Iowa Asylum sill be intrins,eally worth
q least e7HOO0 the most. On tbis snb;ect /
can attention 70 the letter OF NJ. wipslov. a
the 18th inst.
VINO ADvocArrD IN vorED APPROPRIATION,
4 Foa II. 8fc8
NO one ever conceived the idea Of eonnect;ns
sne Asylum with politics until last year. Everv
appropriation that has been made for i. h..
\ oeen advocated and voted for by The moat
prominent men Of both political parties In the
ueneral Assembly. Such democrats a. Cool
oaugh, Brigham, Allen, Fisher. Stewart, Trim
Die. Belknap, Samuels, Clarke, Tracy. Love,
have invariably advocated aud voted for TIN
highest appropriations that were named. Al
Legislators they have exhibited humane and
commendable zeal for the success Of the ipsti-
sstion, aud one Of them, my neighbor and i'm
mediate representative, has been freely consult
cd, and has as freely given his advice in regard
to every material act Of the commissioners.
WHEN WILL IT BE coMPLErEDs
large part is already finished, another large
part Is nearly completed, and the whole can be
speedily finished st comparatively small ex
pense. 1t was thought that the appropriation
last made would be sufficient, but it fell short.
The former Commissioners assumed some re.
spousibilisy, personal and official, in the hope
that the building would be prepared for the re.
ception Of patients before this time. Their sue.
cessors would have done the same but for this
foolish attemps to mingle politics with the Asy.
ium and its management. Although have had
no official connection with it for nearly two
years, yet, when saw the attempt made last
year to make the Asylum an element in the DO.
lticai canvass, advised the Commissioners to
assume no responsibility in connection With it,
and let the blame for its non.completion fall
where it belongs.
think have shown that the Asylum was
established, the Commissioners appointed, aud
the plans for the building approved by Legis-
lature OF which one branch was democratic and
the other anti-democratic, and that all appro-
priations for the work done upon i. we're voted
for by members of al parties without the slight.
est regard to their political predictions. And
thus falls to the ground the charge that amy
political party is responsible, AZ a party, for
anything that has been done in connection with
the Insane Asylum. II the Commissioners have
been guilty Of any malfeasAncs or mis, feAsance.
it they have perpetrated fraud upon ahe State
or upon individuals, let them be made to re-
spond for it before the proper tribunals.
have heard no charge of this kind. n they
have managed imprudently, unwisely, that will
be . proper subject Of comment when they be-
come cadidates before the people. But do, as
. citizen, protest against the precedent now
sought to be established of making the humane
institutions Of the State shuttlecocks to be
knocked back and forth between the two polit.
ical parties.
have made this statement that the people
may know the exact facts with regard to the
Asylum, and not by way of an apology. am
proud Of my connection with that Institution,
and the time is not remote when the democratic
party will be. proud that their representatives
stand SO unanimously recorded in its fsvor.
One word more. read last year, in the
speech Of q candidate for a State office, state
shak sba k.vl Il l. IL.
Commissioners at Mt. Pleasant specially for my
benefit as = large owner Of real estate in that
city and its vicinity. The law of the State al
ready cited, shows that the location was made
by the General Assembly, and the records Of 1
Henry county will show to whoever examines
them, that never owned but one lot in Mt. |
Pleasant, which 1 sold long before the Insane |
Asylum was established there, aud that do |
not. and never did, own any property in the !
vicinity OF that place. II must have required y
that the proximity Of Lunatic Asylum would
enhance the value of real estate.
JAMES w. GRIMES.
Burlington, Aug. l7th, 1869.
Mt. Pleasant, Aug IA, 1859.
DEAR SIR,-In answer to your inquiries of |
this date, win say, that l am acquainted with
all of the Insane Asylums north of the Potomac |
and Ohio rivers-their cost, sixe plans, accom-
modations, &C.. and am well satisfied that no |
one of them is SO thoroughly constructed as the |
Iowa Asylum, no one Of them has been built for |
SO little money in proportion to its accommo-
dations, and no one of them contains so many
improvements upon older asylums. The North
ampton Mass Asylum built on the same gen.
eral plan with this, Of the same size, and at the
same time, cost more than this will when COM
pleted, and this will certainly be worth 81, 900
more than that. DR.. l.. V. Bell, so long con-
nected with the McLsne Asylum Of Massachu-
sets, as its Superintendent, visited this last
week, and after thoroughly examining it, pro-
nounced it to be incompsrsbly better than the
Northampton institution.
This Asylum will accommodate when COM
pleted, about three hundred and sixty patients.
The amount already expended upon it for all
purposes whatever, including barn, out.build- \
ings, machinery, cattle, horses &C., &C., is
S252, 200. The building is nearly completed
The rear part. including all that part designed
for domestic purposes, is entirely finished. The
east half Of the building is finished, and all the
doors and windows ready to put up The other
half is ready for the plasterers The entire |
Asylum building, aside from the heating appa-
G1tuS 0uu sOWc uOu pipes tuE tuV "otct CtVseses
can be thoroughly completed, according to the
original plans, for $4,000.
This Asylum has been visited by several Su.
perintendents Of Asylums in other States. and
has been pronounced by every one Of them -
very superior in its structure and finish, and oil
expressed their surprise that SO much had been |
accomplished at SO small an expense.
According to my information, and my means |
for correct information on this subject are very |
good, there are quite enough insane people in |
the State TO gil the Asylum to i:s utmost capac-
ity. There have been nearly one hundred ap- |
plications for admission already made to me |
from remote parts Of the State, and no applica- !
tons have been made from the most populous |
counties where IL was known that the Asylum |
was not completed.
win say in answer to your other inquiry, |
that I never employed or discharged . man on |
account Of his politics. never inquired as TO the
politics Of any Of the men employed, and never, |
either directly or indirectly, attempted to infiu-
encs the vote Of any one of them.
4 am very truly yours, yours, &c.