The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-12-18
MANSION FOR THE GOVERNOR.
Experience Shows that Such Provision
Was Very Unsatisfactory.

To the Editor Of the Indianapolis Journal:
1t seems now that the question Of a
mansion for the Governor is likely to be-
come an issue IN the election of the next
Legislature, and it is quite liable to be-
come a party question in the absence of
any available national issue, the Demo-
cratic party taking whatever side the Re-
publicans do not. But, whether an issue at
the polls or not, it cannot fail getting be-
fore the Legislature, for, at every session
for the last third of a century, some I'M
happy individual has found himself in a
bigger house than he could afford to keep
up and has sought to unload it on to the
State for a Governors mansion. There
are two such now seeking the chance, and
it will be an unusual Legislature if there
are not one or more members, serving their
first term and probably their last, who
will be only too glad to champion such a
measure. Meanwhile, it will not be amiss
to inform the young people that we have
tried that scheme twice, and it proved a
stupendous failure each time. More than
three-quarters of a century ago, when the
town was young and the State too, a man
sion for a Governor was built. Not to be
niggardly about 1t, they devised literally,
taking the Monticello residence or
Thomas Jefferson as the model, and a
two-stOried brick, about fifty feet square,
was built in the geographical center of
the entire city, though considerably north
of the center of the most fashionable resi-
dence district. 1t stood where the soldiers
monument now stands, with four fronts,
the exact duplicate of each other, facing
east, west, north and south with absolute
impartiality. 1t was divided into four large
rooms on each floor by wide halls cross
ing each other at right angles; the floors
were of hard wood (ash). and the inside
finish was strictly up to date, but when
Governor James Brown Ray arrived with
his domestic outfit, which had been
wagons, he peremptorily refused to lose
himself and his belongings in any such an
~outlandish structure. Why said he, 1T
%iences," and he bought a house better
suited to home life, and every Governor
same thing, for the same reasons, and the
Monticello Of Indiana never was occu-
pied as a residence, except for a few
months by Rev. John Strange, who occu-
pied one of the rooms on the first floor.
and who died there in 1892. After his death
the whole Of the first floor was appropri-
ated to state offices, and Judge Blackford
moved his library into the second story
and it became the consulting headquarters
of the supreme judges. No Governor would
ever live in it.
Meanwhile the notion of a mansion for a
Governor was still in the air. the people
of that period not knowing any better; but
this time it was to buy, not to build. For
awhile IL was Il close race between a pa
latial residence built and occupied by DR..
| Mcclure where the Training School now
is, on the triangular point between Madi-
son avenue and South Meridian street. and
a little more pretentiQus house, later built,
on an acre of ground at the northwest
corner of Illinois and Market streets, so
up to date in its architecture that Oliver
II. Smith, a few years later, duplicated il
in every detail on the northwest quarter of
the same square, fronting on Ohio street,
which yet remains, but so often remodeled
sprf1o nVH nrrf tn Eaan I'm NTH fBa
of style that the original can hardly be
recognized. The Mcclure house had the
advantage of being in the better residence
neighborhood, for there were many more
good homes south of Washington street
than north of ii, but the Saunders home
had the merit of being nearer the new
Statehouse, and the fact that Miss Zerelda
Saunders was TO soon become Mrs. Gov
ernor Wallace may have had something
TO do with the selection. for she became
the first mistress of the mansion. That
house became the residence of every Gov
ernOr from Wallace to Morton. and before
Venturing upon another experiment in the
mansion business il would be well to study
that history. First 1t was expensive.
What with repairs and betterments and
changes 10 keep it in touch with the latest
style of architecture, and the furnishing
and refurnishing at least with every new
Governor, the bills became so enormous
that the Legislature prevailed upon Gov
ernor Morton to accept 5000 a year in
lieu of all these, and the property was sold
and the State was relieved from a pecuni-
airy responsibility that is not measurable
by the interest on the original investment.
But there was another and even greater
objection to the system, though but little
was ever said about il by the successive
Governors except to most intimate friends.
The home life OF the Governor was almost
wholly suspended during his administra-
ton. The house belonged TO the State.
and some people felt quite as free to drop
I'm upon the Governors family as into the
Statehouse. only a half square away, and
there was no help for IL. But this was not
the worst feature II practically compelled
every Governor to live IN the same style.
no matter what his personal tastes or pref
erences might be. This was sometimes
quite a hardship. 1t was particularly so
with Governor Whitcomb, who had no
managing partner. and who. though one
of the most cultured OF all our Governors,
had no fondness for domestic life, vet he
was compelled 10 maintain the dignity and
hospitality OF the mansion during his ad-