Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-02-18
TWO HOURS OF TALK
Over Inc Proposed Addition TO the
Weston Asylum.
Members of the House Air Their Views.
A New License BiII---Aidiag
! the Military.

The House pnt in two hours and half
.of yesterday afternoons session in discuss.
ing the question Of enlarging the Weston
Insane Asylum, the pending bills being ii.
B. No. los. The debate was opened by Mr..
Raymond, who, in moving to strike out the
second section Of the bill, denounced it as
being leap in the dark, with nothing
about it 10 indicate the total amount of
money required to complete the enlarge
ment proposed. The bill asked for $50. 900.
but as to whether or not that sum would be
sufficient one the measure was silent
For all the House knew, the addition of one
story to the north wing and two stories to
tie south wing might cost 100000 or
$50, 900, or even 100000. No one seem
ed to know anything on this point. He
thought
THE WISER PLAN
would be to erect a separate brick structure
near the present asylum building, at stipu-
lated cost Of $4,000 or $4,000 which
building would accommodate two hundred
or more patients. Mr. White spoke in be.
half of his substitute, giving the Board of
Directors discretion as to whether
they should raise the wings, as
contemplated in the original bill, or
erect new building separate from the pres
ent AsylBm. Mr.. Gilkeson offered and ad-
yocated substitute for the first section OF
Mr.. Whites substitute directing the Board
to erect an additional brick building with
out any reference to the proposed change
in the wings Of the present stone building,
Mr.. McClung thought Weston had her share
of public buildings, and warmly advocated
the erection of q new Asylum at some point
in The southern part of the State, either on
the line of railroad between Wheeling and
Charleston or on the Chesapeake & Ohio
road, somewhere between Huntington and
Greenbrier White Sulphur Springs. MIR.
Laidley took the same view of the matter.
He warmly desired to know
WHAT JUSTICE THERE WAS
in authorizing the construction Of new
asylum at Weston, and thus excluding from
even bid the remainder of the State. He
had been informed by those competent to
Judge that to tear the roofs from the north
and south wings and raise them to uni
form height, would mar and mangle now
magnificent structure. Another point was
made by the speaker: "If tho building at
Weston had cost nearly Sl,000,000 are we
to be informed that $4,000 will put two
stories on one wing and one story on the
other? venture the assertion that $50, 600
will not much more than tear the roofs off,
and then it will take 100000 more to erect
the walls and put the roof back again.
But, if we are to erect little one-horSe
building in the back yard at Weston-and
that seems to be the object of the bill
probably, in the lower portion Of the State,
you can get that kind Of building free
until the State can get money enough to
erect new house" Mr. Post, in the course
of forcible speech, denounced the system
of legislation in favor of particular sections
of the State. That
PERNICIOUS AND GROWING EVIL
was responsible for the passage OF more i'll,
advised and illconsidered laws than any or
all other causes, and gentlemen on the floor
knew it. Mr.. Dennis advocated the build
ing of a new asylum in another part of the
State, and the appointment of commission
to look into the matter of location. In
his opinion, it was not desirable to keep so
many of the insane in one building. Mr.
White did not oppose the project of locating
a new asylum at another point, but he ad
vocated this substitute for the reason that it
would afford speedy relief to an over
crowded institution, 1t would take two
years before ever the talked of commission
could report upon a site, and years more be.
fore the new asylum could be built, and
long before the expiration of that space the
new building at Weston could be completed
and occupied. Debate WINS closed at $50
by Mr.. Edwards calling for the previous
question. The House first voted upon Mr..
GiilkesonS amendment to Mr.. Whites sub
stitute, and it was adopted: Ayes, 80; nays,
8, after which the House adjourned.