Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-27
FIFTY YEARS AGO
IN THE STAR

sane has disclosed the enor-'
Insane nous growth Of that institu-
A.u,, ton In late years. but the TN.
crease in the size could per-
haps be better appreciated by contrast with
the conditions disclosed In the following
paragraph printed IN The Star of May 10,
. 1855 consisting OF an extract from the an
nual report Of the Secretary Of the Interior:
The appropriations for the erection of
buildings for the National Hospital for the
Insane are nearly exhausted. The whole
sum appropriated Is $171 BAL. which covers
the cost of the farm. the present buildings.
furnishing. fitting up and all other incident
al expenses Although originally designed
for ninety patients, the present building will
accommodate 100. More room and outbuiId-
ings WIT be Required, and / have, there
fore. estimated for these The sum. though
apparently large, win not be so considered
when the humane purposes of the expendf-
ture are contemplated No class of public
oeneficiarfes calls more largely en- the gem
crosby OF the government than the inmates
OF the hospital. Its OBJECT. being the most
humane care and enlightened treatment of
the insane of the army and navy of the
United States and of the District of Column
pa, strongly commends it to the best and
kindest feelings of the human heart Al
though the buildings were not completed
YET there were upward of sixty patients re-
NSiNcu ihto tue HoSp1laI and taken of
previous and subsequent to June 80 last
\ X
Recently In this column an extract from
an article on the proposed national high
way from the Mississippi
National river to the Pacific ocean was
uirh-r printed. The subject was one
Of great popular interest a
half century ago, and In The Star of May
p. 1856. is found another reference to it,
with an entertaining discussion of the rela-
tionship between the eastern and the far
western sections of the country The Star
said:
THE present state Of the routes to that
quarter of the United states by the isthmus
of Panama Is such as to greatly weaken it's
dependence on us: while the opening pros
poets or It's Pacific ocean commerce are such
as to greatly increase the apparent advan-
tages OF its separation from the rest of the
Union. A war with any great European
power would, at least for the time being,
cause its inhabitants, the isthmus and
overland routes now stand to feel that
their connection with the rest of the Union
Is simply grievous burden to them, to be
shaken Off on the first opportunity; for
they would suffer all its horrors without the
possibility of efficient succor until they had
been made to pay every possible penalty
of their political connection with us.
With substantial and safe overland road
constructed. the Atlantic slope would pour
into that quarter annually hundreds of
thousands of the very best human material
for assuring the continuance Of the exist
ing political connection between the two
so remote sections of the Union. The mere
commercial adventures and gold-hunters
are not the people to accomplish that so
desirable end; but rather the hardy agricul-
tural and pastoral sons and daughters OF
the interior who are so peculiarly typical
of our country, It's national characteristics.
institutions and associa tons. Up to this
Of hnr 10
wendell their way to California for want OF
the facility of passing to and from there
best suited to their habits of life
The historic assault of Representative
Brooks of South Carolina upon Senator
Sumner of Massachu-
Brooks-Sumner sets in the Senate
n,. chamber occurred on
May %, 1855. The as
sault was.committed too late for The Stars
edition of that same day, and the next day
it printed the following statement OF the
affair:
I'VE have taken occasion to procure an
account of the affair that occurred in the
Senate chamber yesterday afternoon from
an eye witness, In whose judgment and in
the integrity of whose representation we
rely. We present it to our readers as
follows:
Yesterday, after he had sought Mr..
Sumner elsewhere without finding him, Mr..
Brooks went to the Senate chamber (the
Senate then having adjourned), and Mr.. s.
being there, Mr.. Brooks sat near Mr.. Sum-
ner until a few ladies who were on the
floor had retired. He then went up to Mr..
S.. who was at his desk writing. and said:
I have read your speech carefully and with
as much disposition to do you justice as 1
could command. and l have deliberately
come to the conclusion that you were
guilty of a gross libel upon my state and
wanton insult to my absent and gray-haired
relative, Judge Butler. and l feel myself
under obligations to infiict on you pun
ishment for this libel and insult Mr..
Sumner thereupon essayed to rise from his
seat as though to resist what Mr.. Brooks
mad said. when he (Mr. Brooks struck Mr..
S. with rapid and repeated blows about the
head with a gutta-percha cane and con-
tnued his blows In spite of Mr.. Summers
efforts to ward them off and seize the cane
until Mr.. S. fell AS Mr. Brooks was sus-
pending his blows (Which he did the instant
Mr.. Sumner felb, Mr.. Crittenden came up
and interposed. saying. Don't kill, etc.
Mr.. Brooks thereupon left the spot and
remained with his friends In the Senate
chamber, until Mr.. Summers friends, sew
eral of whom were present (Mr. Morgan of
New York and Mr.. Foster Of Connecticut
among them, lifting him up. bore him into
one of the ante rooms of the Senate