Nebraska advertiser., 1870-03-24
FAIR PLAY is A JEWEL.

by Hon. G. H. GERE, State Senator
from the Lincoln District:
FAIR PLAY is A JEWEL.
We clip the following from the BrownyIH,
AdUertiser, written while the Investigation
Of the acts Of the Commissioner was SUI
pending:
"Thatour readers MAJ understandth is mat
ter Of Investigation, we state the fact that al
the last session Of the Legislature law wa
passed authorizing the CommisSc hers .,
cell the unsOld lots in the city OF Lincoln
and from the proceeds expend sixteen thous
and dollars IN completing the dome OF TIT
capitol Building, and enclosing, grading anC
ornamentinQ the Rrounds: and further x
spend dfty thousand dollars in the building
81 a state fanatic Asylum; and not exceed
ing the sum Of n hundred thousand dollar'
in the erection Of a State University n Ag'
r~icuitural College. II the city lots, authoriz
cd 70 be sold did not bring sufficient money
. 20 meet these appropriations the Commls-
sioners were authorized TO sell a sufficient
amount of saline lands, not TO exceed forty
sections. 70 make mp The deficiency. Ine
Commissioners finding the lots and lands
would realize beyond expectations, sola "
an amount in the aggregate, nearly, iOuT
hundred thousand dollars, and 9dopted spe-
cfdcatiOns involving the expenditure OF one
hundred and fny two thousand dollars TOT
tie erection OF n State University and Agri-
cultural College: and one hundred and thir-
ty-seven thousand dollars for the erection OF
an Insane Asylum. Tie Legislature ieeling
that however pure MAEAb DC A4AG hADNAfS VI
the Commissioners, the establishment OF
such a precedent was dangerous 20 the best
Interests OF the State, and ought not 70 De
permitted. Hence the creation OF me golht
facts connected with this investigation mat
III Is evident that the AdUeTtiser expected a
difFerent termination OF this affair from its
manner Of putting the case. But upon any
hypothesis, its wRy Of reading up the history
OF the University building Is decidedly cool.
met that the law establishing the university
OF Nebraska, approved Feb. 10, 1869, contains
the following section:
SECTION q. No ~uperstructural Work upon
nnv building for the University shall be
commenced, until the designes ana plans
therefor shall have been submitted TO the
board OF Regents, by the Commissioners lot
Tubllc Buildings, n the architect thereoI
shall be required, before allowing any super
structure 70 be erected, to make such altera-
tons in the plans and SPECIFICATIONS as may
be directed by q majority o. the 1egehUs'
gents: LIST Judicial District. Hon. n. W.. Fur
nds, OF B~rOwnviIle; Rev. y. K. DUNCAN, OF
PaWnee; and Rev. ]. c. Elliot, OF Nebraska
a. b. Fuller, Of Saunders; and Rev. ]. Is.
Maxneld, OF Cass. Sd Dist, Will b. Dale. Of
Columbus: DR.. LOngley, Of washington;
n VIM. Olinger, OF Burt.
me REGENTS held their first meeting in
June last, during the first sales. The plans
were submitted to them but none were &C
cepted. Mr.. McBlrd, Of LogansPort, Ind,
had one on exhibition that came the nearest
20 the idea Of the Regents, but was not large
enough and lacked in windows.
The lots were selling very well and rapidly
and II was apparent that the sum reaii1td
could be run up far beyond the amount APP
prlated.. The Board Of Regents then n
there advised the commissioners 10 90 on
selling, and 20 erect better su~perstructureS
than could be let at SIO0,0O9. They passed a
resolution unanimously advising this n
authorizing the Commissioner 20 procure a
modification and enlargement Of McBird's
plan. The Governor went % chicago 10 con-
suIt with architects and builders and prOcur-
"a the modification and enlargement, with
the understanding that the new plan
would involve the expense OF about S5O.CO
more Than the hrst, and upon MS return
called another meeting OF the Board OF he-
gents. The Regents met and unanimously
ngreed upon the new plan.
THE Commissioners were still unwilling TO
assume tberesponsibillty, and called a meet
ing OF the prominent men OF Nebraska city,
70 consult in the premises. Among the mah
who responded were Judge Mason, Judge
Kinney, Hon. i. j.. stevenson, ana Hon.
VIM. McLennaD. .
EcerU one expressed his entire approval OF
the rODOsed enlargement Of the plans. An
other meeting was called at Omaha, and the
judgement ofthe leading men in that city
aHKed. II was that the commissioner ought
20 follow the advice Of the Regents. Other
prominent citizens In every part OF the
State were consulted by letter, and all re-
sponded in the same tone, "go on the people
viii sustain you :"
IN the ma tier of the Insane Asylum, it is
only necessary TO say that IL was impossible
for the Commissioners to geta single plan
tina would answer the first purpose Of such
abulldinR, the accommodation Ofthe patients
now provided for by the State, at a cost Of
s5n086' or even 100000. and they advised in
this case with public men n with a similar
result as in the case OF the University.
Therefore II sounds n little refreshing to
hear the Adrdreiser say that the Legisture
."feel" that such work fought Got TO be per
Initted"
1t was perfectly competent for the LegIsla-
ture 20 heartily approve the course Of the
Commissioner, aad they done it with a
unanimity that does honor to their judge
ment.
We close by SAYING that the Commissioners
dld not realize nearly 100000 by the sales
Of 1869. When the Governor mentioned the
figures he referred 70 the entire proceeds Of
81. i6S and 90. $4,000 are the figures for %
We also mention incidental to a statement
I'm the AdrertiSer OF a week previous, that the
"Palatial Mansion" Of Governor Butler costs
thousand dollars" Also that the 'Palatial
Mansion" OF Secretary kennard costs SS,0OO,
and not Sl5,OO0." Also that the meat little
residences" Of Auditor Gillisple is estimated
by its builder TO cost almost precisely the
amount Of the "palatial" residence last men,
toned, It's only a choice OF words, and a
slight exRggeratiOn of cost In the two first
named that makes 10 sound so different
We preface comments on the fore
going, by saying that until now, we
have taken no part, one way or the
other, In the late "unpleasantness" at
the Capitol, and it's sequences; but
have ~studiously avoided writing or
publishing anything in relation there
TO, except simply facts, without note
or comment. We have paid no at
tentiOn whatever, to the Thousand
and oneu floating and irresponsible
rumors, and charges against the Com
missionerH, al to populations and
frauds favoritism in Railroad land
matters; interests In Saline opera
lions; money making, &C., knowing
that such charges are common, and TO
be expected against public men in
such positions, especially from an op-
position press and Others perhaps Of
the same party, melted In most in
stances by motives of jealousy, on the
principle of H'oUts" against ''ins."
Even if oil that is charged in these
respects be true, we repeat what we
have before said, we see no criminall-
ty. On the contrary, we have ever
been careful to award the greatest
credit 10 the Commissioners for the
unexpected and unprecedented sue
cessfui management Of the Capitol
enterprise throughout. We here pub
licly repeat IL. We would not even
now touch the subject, but for the in
dividual attack in the foregoing, and
the utter disregard for truth in refer
encs to the State University matter,
Of which we have personal knowl-
edge.
As to the manner Of putting the
case" referred 10 in the third para
graph Of the foregoing, we have only
to say that the language used wasquo-