Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1860-02-16
Now and Then.


1t will be well remembered that dur
ing the campaign Of last fall it was
charged npon the opposition that among
the other flagfant expenditures of the
peoples money, they had contracted for
the building of an Insane Asylum at Mt.
Pleasant, for the moderate sum Of $50,
900, but through tho dishonest manage
inent Of those to whom the party had
entrusted the work, and through the I'M
principled acts Of the party itself, which
does not hesitate to squander the mon
ey wrung from the people for their own
venal purposes, or to borrow money on
the credit Of tho state, even to an extent
prohibited by constitution of their
own framing-tha under the dishonest
direction of this delec,able party, it was
charged that the full sum OF about S24O-
900 had been already raised and expcnd-
cd upon that building, and that even
with all that vast outlay there WAS not
a single room finished, aud that at the
next Legislature a farther sum Of $780,
600 would be asked for to DO squander-
ed in the same way.
In order to blind the people and get
them to believe that the building was
nearly completed, and that the Repabli
can party wa. economizing, Sam Kirk
wood procured letter from one Win
slow, who was then and is now supcrin-
tendent OF the Insane Asylum, which he
used for electioneering purposes, assur-
ing the people wherever ho read it that
Winslow was q Democrat himself,
therefore the letter must be unansw era
bic by Democratic speakers. This, Of
course, was all a base fabrication, gotup
for the purpose ofwoolng the people,
But Lerc is Winslow's letter. lie
says:
DEAR SIR :-Tho Asylum will accommodate
when completed. about 500 patients The
amount already expended upon it for all pur-
poses whatever, including barn, out-buildngs.
machinery, cattle. horses. ETC.. otc, is 1882 900
Tho building is nearly completed The rear
part. including all that part designed for do
mestic purposes Is entirely finished Tho east
half Of the building is finished. and all the
doors and windows ready to go up. The 9TH
er half is ready for the piasterers The entire
Asylum building, aside from the heating ap-
paratus, and some iron pipes for the water
elosets. can be thoroughly completed, accord
lug to the original plans, for twenty thousand
doliars
According to nv information. and nv means
for Information on this subjec, are very good,
there are quite enough insane people IN III.
state to fill the Asylum to its utmost capacity.
There have been nearly one hundred applicants
for admission Already made to M from remote
parts OF the state. and applications have
been made from the most populous counties,
where it was known that the Asylum was no,
completed.
Truly yours.
ii. WIssIow.
This letter was used on almost every
stump in the state, at least as often as
the subject of the expenditures on the
Insane Asylum were brought up. 1t
was portion, and a pretty largo portion
OF tho eleetionesring capital of the OPP
position. But after Kirkwool got into
the Gubernatorial chair how do we find
the Insane Asylum and the man Win
slow? A few short months, and his
opinion regarding the expense Of finish
ing that building has greatly changed
as it appears on paper.
Now, read the following taken from
the Report of the Commissioners of the
Insane Asylum:
Whether it will be advisable, under all the
circumstances, in the present condition of the
state resource and Of monetary affairs
generally III this state. to furnish q sufficient
sum for the immediate completion OF the
whole building, or OF only the center portion
and one wing, Ia question for the General
Assembly, In their wisdom, TO decide. There
are many considerations that seem to urge the
immediate completion of the whole building
and If the money can be spared for that Dur
pose. such woula certainly be the economical
course.
1t may be well for me to state that 10 COM
piete the whole building, according to it's orig.
ina dsslgn, would require an appropriation Of
100000; but to complete the center and one
wing, sa5 900 dollars may be sufficient.
Henry WIssLow,
superintendent
IL viii ba seen that the expenditures by the
Superintendent, NJ to The frs. iav Of Dee
1899, amount to S23s, II s So, and ,ha. he esti.
mates that 100000 in addition viii l.. rsco4-
s1ry IT, complete the entire building. and ada
saeh fixtures ami ap.urtenanaes u. viii b.
necessary TO put il into successful nneration
~''cA sum NAV be reduced 10 $4,000 ~
!eaEs tie we.. wing ofthe building un.ini,h
ei and IN IT. preser. .ta.e.
The under-i-L-d will o:ly ada n word y,
way OF slusion to result they should very
mneh dep}or- The failure of yonr honorable
body 10 MAKE the appropriated called for.uill
hol Oh J ave the Insane of the state ia their
present deplofabls condition, bu. will aso
leave The building. erected for their accommo-
Hetien at SO great an expense. for an indefinite
period, IN an entirely useless and profitless
state
RALPH 7. Lowe.
CHAs. 5. CLARKE,
Co,nrni ISL oners.
After reading these docum emit can any
one fail to see that the charges made