The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-07-30
THE STATE SOLDIERS HOME
Some Interesting Facts About the Site
and Its Location at Lafayette.
The Character of The Commit;te-The Advtn-
tages OF the Tscumsea Trail Site. and What
Led the Committee TO Select 1t.

Home. was selected with the utmost care.
ana while several committees of equal
Character and business ability might be-
selected, mono could be selected whose
members are better qualified than the COM
mittee which has the matter in charge.
General Csrnahan is q man who has 40
quilted himself with credit whenever he has
been called TO any public duty. He is an
executive officer of rare capacity, as tho
organization of the military department Of
the knights of Pythias abundsDtly proves.
c. J. Murphy, of Evansville. representing
the First congressional district, held under
the Cleveland administration the position
of steamboat inspector. He is a man OF
good Judgment, and is held in high esteem
in his locality. ID. +. Specs, of VIncennes,
is one of the most successful of the COM
mercial travellers living in Indiana. repre-
senting several large manufacturing houses
in various furniture and house furnishing
lines Andrew Fite. of New Albany, has
spent his life as q contractor and builder.
He is one of the men who figures things
out with notebook and pencil. u. ID. Cole,
OF Nashville, is successful lawyer. who
has had large experience In practical sf-
fairs A. o. Marsh, of Winchester, Is one OF
the ablest business and professional men
in the eastern part of the State having
had long and varied experience with
practical rac sn.. affairs w IN which he has
city, is a man of excellent Judgment in
whatever business he undertakes, and one
who knows all about n thing before he de-
cides about 1t. Charles NJ. Travis. of Craw-
fordsville 10 a successful business man,
possessing excellent Judgment and one OF
the most influential men in the Grand
Army organization. w. ). Haggard. OF La
fayette, the proprietor of the new Repub-
lican morning paper In that city. has been
o successful man for years. and so far
joys the confidence of the people of 1ippe-
canoe county as to secure an election TO
the last Assembly, where be occupied
prominent position. Judge ID. Il. McCon-
nell, of Logansport, stands high among
the able lawyers who preside over
the Circuit Courts of Indiana. David
n. Foster, of Fort Wayne, is one of the
most prom. nent furniture manufac turers
and dealers in the State-an enterprising,
far-slghted man who has held place IN
the front rank of an industry where only
tirst-olass men can succeed. Jasper l..
Lewis is q man in the general insurance
business n South Bend. who is frequently
hOnored By the citizens of St Joseph coun-
~ with positions of honor and trust The
other two members OF the committee who
were not present. are equally as well quail
tiled for the duty. This reference TO the
Numbers of the committee personally seems
necessary in order that the peopl. of In
diana may give them the confidence 10
which they are entitled. Ii may be added
that the fourteen members of the commit
tee saw an aggregate army service OF forty
| hve years. or nearly three and quarter
| years each. which shows that they are
veterans of record.
THE SITES OFFERED.
Practically three cities. or counties made
the committee proposals for the home
nd Il
fayette. The committee in Muncie offered
three sites, two of which had many things
to commend them. Warsaw presented ono
of the most beautiful locations that could
be found in any State. and If the commit
tee wore looking for a charming summer
resort it is quite probable that Warsaw
would have been named. In Tippecanoe
| county four sites were presented. One
| was offered by the officers of
| the Camp-meetInR Association hold
| ing the beautiful and historic
| grounds adjoining the Tippecanoe battle-
| field, and, in fact, part of the plateau
upon which that bloody and most
important engagement took place.
| If there had been enough suitable land
where the buildings are now located 1or
| the whole of the buildings. that site would
doubtless have been chosen. The site
! which was chosen IL on the west side OF
the Wabash, three miles above Lafayette,
and the main portion of IL is an extension
| of the same plateau upon which Perduo
| University 10 located. From the plateau
| the land slopes toward the river. Be-
| tween the river and part OF the upper
plateau is narrower lever covered with
| trees, with here and there rustic cottage,
| and with paths running through IT, This
| Is one of the most picturesque spots on the
| Wabash. Through il runs the Tecums-h
ing that this was favored spot for the
| Indians. This is not q bottom land, since
| lt Is forty feet above the river. The up-
| per plateau, on which the cottages
| will be built aims moro than one hum
dred acres, cd with trees for the most
| part. which 0e reduced to the dimen-
| siOns of eha> for the cottages at small
| cost The main location is high, without
being bleak. has q natural drainage. is
| easily accessible to the city by steamer
| during the warm season ana by the eA ten
| zion of the electric railway which now
| runs to Purdue. Lafaye cite has natural gas
| piped to it. which may be utilized, and
Illuminating Gas is as cheap as IN any city
| of its size.
The offer of Tippecsnos county is based
| upon a site which contained more acres
The money pledged in addition to the land
| was sc, 500, but as the site selected contains
| less acres. tho money will be increased
| above the 81. 800. In addition to this. the city
contributes forty-tive acres of land. nearer
| the city which can be disposed OF
for cash. The people of Tippecanos are i'm
terested In the enterprises fact which
| was made apparent when the County Com
| missiODers made il q condition 70 the grant
| ing of money that petitlons must be signed
| by q majority OF the voters, which was
done without any difficulty.
WHY 1T WAS CHOSEN.
The question will arise oil over tho
| State, "Why did the committee select the
Tecumseh trail site in preference 70 others
whose advantages appear TO be equal to
those of the selected site?" The answer
should satisfy all. It is because the citi-
zens of Tippecanoe county and La
fayetto offered greater inducements
offered by any other communities
| The committee has assurances oil The
donation OF thousands of dellars where
hundreds were offered by others. In good
time the nature of these offers " III be made
| pubic. This alone was the reason that
| really turned the scale IN favor OF u lippe-
| canoe site. But for this fact, those natur-
leally favoring other localities would not
have reilpq uished their original prefer.
eDces.
1t should be added that the decision as
not made without thoroughly canvassing
the whole matter. The committee went
Into executive session" at o'clock
| Thursday evening and o decision was not
| arrived Mt until about midnight. Four
| hours were devoted - not TO argu-
ments In favor of this or that side but 10
q careful canvass of the whole matter and
| n com parisOn OF the advantages and lsad-