Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1870-04-22

tuition which Obstructed the improvement
of its finest street, and near which no
body desired to livel
Accordingly the contracts for rebuild
ing the asylum on the old site were
made. and also for erecting a new Blind
Asylum on the site of the old one. It
was determined to build the new Insane
Asylum in the linear form, and conse-
quently seven acres of additional ground
had to be purchased. at an expense of
81, 900, In order to make room for it
All this was done on the great principle
of economy, which many seemed to
think Of more importance than the vel
fare of the insane, and which those oP-
posed to the removal Of the institution
declared could not be subserved if a
new site were to be chosen.
But no sooner did the architects come
to examine the old walls, with view to
reconstruction, than they found that it
would cost the State fully as much to
patch them up as it would to build new
ones. This was no new discovery. The
fact that the old walls were utterly unfit
for the new building had been fully made
known to the Legislature before its vote
on removal was taken. Nevertheless,
many voted against removal on the
ground that the use of the old walls
would be a great saving in the consuuc-
ton of the building. This, however,
being impracticable, the old walls were
taken down at an expense Of not less
than S3o, 900. The trenches for the new
foundations were dug. and the damp,
oozy soil speedily filed them with water.
But little further progress was made
until the present Legislature met. That
body made a re-examination of the facts
bearing on the question of removal, and
the result is that bill has passed both
Houses looking to the purchase of a
farm near the Idiotic Asylum. and the
erection thereon of the Central Asylum
for the Insane, exactly as was proposed
by the advocates of removal in the pre-
vious Legislature.
But meanwhile work on the Blind
Asylum has progressed, and that insti-
tuition cannot be removed to the site OF
the old Lunatic Asylum, as was first
proposed. Consequently it must remain
in its present swampy. inconvenient and
ineligible location, and the advantages
of using in its construction the founda-
tions of the old Lunatic Asylum are
lost. The State also loses possession OF
the qvFole of the splendid property on
Broad street, which. the bill provides,
shall now be offered for sale. The bill
conditions, however, that the sale shall
be effected on or before the 10th of May
next, and if not concluded by that time,
that the trustees shall proceed to rebuild
on the old site. It is also provided that
in case of removal, the contractors shall
be paid reasonable damages covering
the work already done, and the increas-
ed expense arising to them owing to the
change of location.
So, after years delay in providing fol
the insane, and the loss of many thous
ands of dollars to the State, it is deter
mined to carry out, though imperfectly
the plan which was foreseen from the
beginning to be the most benefcent anc
economical. We give this as one ex
ample of what short-sightedness in the
management of our public benevolen
institutions costs, and of what sins may
be committed under the name and guist
of economy. Another such institution, q
Home for soldiers orphans, located un
suitably and ineIgibly on the same pie.
of economy, is about to be established
and we think not unlikely with similar
but more disastrous results. How long
such bungling is to be tolerated, we dc
not pretend to say, but suppose it will
continue at all events until the people
shall inject into the Assembled Wisdom
of the State some Of that plain common
sense and ordinary forecast which men
of ju dgment employ in the management
of their private business.