The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1860-03-08

when completed should not cost much
over 100000. The report Of the com
missioners, of Dec. Is, 1856, stated that
if sufficient aid was granted by the leg.
islature the asylum would be completed
in two years, and recommended an ad-
dilional appropriation of 800, 700. The
Legislature did not concur, but voted
$4,000. The amount of the Saline
Land Fund, which had been voted TO the
asylum, was, however, Sl+.l3O 81, ma
king total amount Of S154.l3o 67. On
the lst of January, 1853, the commiss-
toner's again reported, and asked a fur
Their appropriation of 100000, which
they though, would be sufficient to COM
plete the building, improve the grounds,
&c. Agreeable to this report the amount
was voted, although it was $4,000
more than originally contemplated. In
stead of this being the case, however, in
their last report they use the following
language. 1.-The Superintendent esti-
mates that 100000 in addition will be
necessary to complete the entire building
and add such fixtures as will be necessa-
ry to put it into successful operation"
Thus. instead Of $500, 900, as intend
ed, S354,OoO was asked for, and it was
therefore highly proper that a commit
tee of investigation should be appointed.
Our own member, Mr.. BEMIs, is on that
committee, and it is needless to assure
our county readers that there will be no
covering up SO far as he is concerned
that if there is anything wrong it will be
developed. no matter what party, or what,
individuals, may thereby be affected
The report has, doubtless, been made to
the Legislature before this. OF the char
acter of that report we have some inkling,
through reliable private source, and we
believe that although it may accuse the
commissioners of some deception in keep
ing back full statement Of the amount
necessary to complete the asylum, yet it
will fully exonerate them from any charge
of corruption or extravaganza in the dis
position of the appropriations. The build
ing is a monster structure, and contains
all the improvements which long expe-
rience has suggested, to fit it the mos,
fully for its purposes. 1t will be, un-
doubleday, the best appointed institution
of the kind in the country, and will be
noble monument to the charity and lib
erality of our young state. Our cores
pendent says he is satisfied, from exami
nation, that there has never been build
ing Of equal size erected in the United
States for SO little money, although it
will take 100000 more to finish it, and
$4,000 to furnish it. The commission
ers can, with no kind of justice, be &C
cused of working for their own aggran-
dizement, for they have not received. for
all their services, quite $1,000. They
are culpable only in having kept back the
facts relative to the cost of the structure.
In reference to the political significance
Of this matter, we are at a loss to see how
it can truthfully be urged as reflection
upon one party more than upon another.
1t was not, Of course, conceived as par
ty measure, nor has it been prosecuted as
such. Each appropriation has been urg
ed and voted for alike by Republicans
and Democrats. and nothing like part-
zan spirit has been manifested in the acts
Of the commissioners, as is evident from
the fact that the superintendent, Mr..
WISsLow. is firm Democrat. We GER
tainly object to the disregard Of instruc-
tons which is so often manifested by
such boards Of commissioners, as was
done both in reference to this and the
Blind Asylum, but we can see no reason
why any one other than the commission
ers themselves should be held response
BILE for such dereliction Of duty. 1t is
manifestly unjust, as the Democracy have
attempted, to hold the Republican party
Of the State accountable for such acts,
and we have no doubt the people will
think SO.
RI Our Lieutenant Governor, whom