St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1889-02-28
A LETTER FROM MIR. HAZEN.

The following letter from L. D.
Hazen appeared in the Montpelier
Argus of Feb. 81:
The article in your issue of last
week upon the asylum question, in
so far as it relates to myself was so
evidently written under a missappre-
hensiOn of the facts, and is so unfair
toward me that perhaps you will
allow a personal eXplana ton. My
appointment as one of the committee
on the insane was wholly unexpected
as had never given the subject any
thought. For the first few weeks of
the session gave to it the best study
of which | was capable, reading the
acts of every Legislature, and the re-
port of every committee upon the
subject that had been placed in the
state library for more than fifty
years, and the publications of other
states | became satisfied that it
was one of the most important ques-
lions that the Legislature had been
asked to consider for many years;
that it was one in which all parties
and all sections had an equal interest
that the care of the pauper insane
had already become the source of one
of the largest annual expenditures of
the state, sixty-siX thousand dollars
each year, and rapidly increasing;
that the relations of the state to the
present asylum were not clearly de-
fined that a new asylum, if erected,
would cost from three to five hundred
thousand dollars With such a
statement of facts it seemed to me
that the committee should ascertain
the views of the Governor and of the
ways and means committee who are
supposed to represent the financial
wisdom of the state. Gov. Proctor,
Representatives yelling, Prouty, and
others of the committee, very kindly
and freely gave the subject their time
and thought. lam willing that they
should say whether | gave the state
an honest service upon the committee
where | was placed If the reasons
you give why the Governor did not
place me upon the commission cor
rectly represent him, his views must
have greatly changed during the last
few weeks, as his cordial and appre-
ciative letters to me will show.
The statement that | was not in
sympathy with the other members
of the committee on the insane, |
cannot believe was given you by one
of the members | considered them
gentlemen, every one, always ready
with an intelligent expression of
opinion, and my acquaintance with
them was, and my remembrance of
them is, only pleasant.
In regard to the published state
ment that when the bill came before
the committee, that while the other
members freely expressed their opin-
ions, l replied that l had nothing
to say, | wish only to say that Sen
atOr Giddings talked with me every
day about it. When he had it COM
pletcd he asked me to his room and
carefully read it to me, requesting
any suggestions | do not imagine
that he thought, or that any of the
committee thought, we were not
working tremendously together.
In regard to the assertion that the
whole trouble has been brought
about by my disappointment and
that of my friends, because l was not
placed upon the commission, permit
me to say did not desire the posi-
ton; did not ask for it the three or
four men who did suggest my name,
are men whose reputation is held in
the highest honor in the whole state,
and are above any unworthy motive.
| am proud to have had their recon-
mendations given as they were with
out any suggestion from me-
All these are facts which the Cover |
nor himself very well knows. 1t is
very unfortunate that a matter of |
such large Importance to the state
in all its future years could not have
been lifted above any partisan or To-
cal considerations L. d. HAZEN.
St Johnsbury, VT, Feb. 25, 1889.