The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1869-08-21
Northern Insane Asylum.

Northern Insane Asylum.
It is known to most of our people, that, after
the commissioners to locate the Northern In
sane Asylum had agreed on Elgin, the people
interested in having it located at other points,
in view of the obvious Partially shown by the
commissioners in favor of Elgin, even justify
ing suspicious of corruption, and in further
view of the palpable fact that the location at
Elgin comes short in several very important
particulars of meeting the requirements of the
legislative act, determined to make the effort
to defeat the decision of the commissioners by
applying to the courts. Accordingly bill Of
complaint, suing for an injunction, was pre-
pared and filed in the Lee circuit court, before
Judge Heaton, and the name of Mr.. F. L.
Fiske, chairman Of the committee of the City
Council of Ottawa to solicit the location of
the asylum at this city, was inserted in the
bill as relator A hearing of the case was
had before Judge Heaton on Monday, o. G..
Gray, Esq, and Eustace, Barge & Dixon, APP
pearing for the complainant, and a couple of
full hearing of the case, the injunction was
granted; so that the erection of the asylum
at Elgin is stopped, at least until the injunc-
ton is dissolved by the Supreme Court, or
there can be more legislation on the subject
The main reasons alleged in the COM
plant against locating the asylum at Elgin
are embraced in the following paragraph:
That there IS not supply of pure water on
the premises, as the law directs, the spring
from which the city of Elgin proposes to
bring water being the property of private
citizen, who may at any time absorb all the
water for his own use; that the provisions
of the law in regard to cheapness and con-
venience of building material had been dis
regarded. That the location does not admit
of "the most approved plan of construction"
as the law requires the plat being too narrow
and exposed; that the committee failed to
secure a sufficient amount of land; that it is
liable to be encroached upon from the north,
and is exposed to public road on the west {;
that there is not tree or shrub Except
small orcharD upon the premises; that the
thing savors of public exhibition of the in
sane, which is simply monstrous and inhu-
man; that the commissioners refused to get
the opinion of physicians, and refused to &C
cept the teachings of authoritative reports
and letters presented; and that if the hos
pital be built upon this site it will be in total
Ignorance or disregard of the proper wants
of the patients.
We notice the Chicago Times makes itself
very unhappy over the issuing of this injunc-
ton, and attempts to say unpleasant things
about Mr.. Fiske, intimating that lie objects
to Elgin because he has farm somewhere
else which. he would like to sell to the state
&c. The Times need borrow no trouble on
that score. Mr.. Fiske has no farm to sell,
and his name appears in the complaint mere
" as q matter of form, hundreds of other
names being quite as ready as his to appear
in its place, which would have answered the
purpose as well.
The truth is, the location of the asylum at
Elgin was Chicago affair throughout, and
this accounts for the gall of the Chicago
editors over this injunction. Two of the
nine commissioners are actual residents of
Elgin, and two others, living ostensibly in
Chicago, have country residences and own
property in Elgin, the town being, in fact,
but suburb Of Chicago, and surrounded by
the private residences of Chicago bankers
and merchant princes. Thus of the nine COM
,nissioners four were as good as residents of
Elgin or Chicago, whichever you prefer, in
terested in "farms" to be made valuable at
the expense of the state. To secure the loca-
ton of the asylum, therefore, all Elgin needed
was to secure a fifth commissioner, and this
gentleman, after an effort of several weeks S,
they secured, by what means of course we
can only guess.
Doubtless an application will be made to
the Supreme Court to dissolve this injunction
we have no fears, however, that it will be sue
cessful, but believe it will be made perpetual.
Then the commissioners can meet and make
another selection, or, what would be better,
let the matter go over to another Legislature,
which it is hoped will select set of commits
sioners from the southern part of the state,
so that we shall not again have board COM
posed OF four out Of the nine pledged in favor
of one particular Locality under all clrcum-
stances, and a shake purse mt hand to pur-
chase q fifth commissioner to secure majority.
The illustrated Annual of Phrenooyy and
Physiognomy for 1870, no ready-contains so
NJ. I,ra ,,c Is our 1ondinp editnrs