The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1909-02-01

over the latter's investigation of
the Medical Lake asylum buildings.
AS the governor was finally re-
sponsible for whatever conditions
prevailed at the state buildings
managed by his board of control,
the governors remarks were di-
rected toward discrediting Hutchin.
\ sons allegations. No marked CUB
senatorial endeavor to press an
Investigation was displayed.
Senator Hutchinson naturally re-
Is and naturally the fashion of
reply is nothing evasive. Here
his answer, addressed to Mead:
Your statement that | have in
my possession flashlight photo
graphs showing defects in the new
ward building at the eastern Wash
ington hospital for insane at Medi-
cal Lake, a statement signed by
six prominent architects of Spo-
kane declaring the building unsafe,
ETC.. and that | condemn the board
of control for mismanagement be-
cause the building which cost $751;
900 was not put In use until 30
months after it's completion; that
state the basement is a mudhole
drained by ditch; that the foun-
dations are defective and the &C.
ment floors sagging, is correct
My dear governor, made those
charges in the newspapers in De-
cember, 1908. and If you did not
learn 1t until you saw it in the
OregOnian of January "a your
henchmen must have been unloyal
to you, as those charges were talk
ed over by some of them in the
Mitchell hotel on aJnuary Z. 1909
You are cOrrect--those are grave
and serious charges, and they are
true. You say the board of control
II there was incompetency or
wrong you must share in the re-
sponsibility. If you have personally
inspected that building you should
certainly share In the censure.
have no attack to make on Mr..
Dow, the architect, or ON any men,
bobf the board of control 1t is
their work. the Medical Lake build
ing, criticize, and If they are con-
Mected with that monument of
either ''incompetency" or graft"
or both" that is their misfor-
tune.
What would any reader of these
lines say If his agent borrowed
$4,000 and erected building (the
r last payment on which was made
90 the contractors July, 1906) and
chen did not occupy it until De-
oember. 1908 land then only part
Of one floor? Would you not say
your agent was either a knave or
Q fool? That is the exact situation
OF the Medical Lake building. l
Dot the figures from the books.
Your statement. governor, that
Che state has no better or more
permanent building only shows
Shat you are ignorant of what you
ere writing. l do not think you
aim to misrepresent. You say dur
ing civilized and more or less
human era 1t would not be advisa-
BILE to take unfortunate insane pa
tients from warm and comfortable
quarters and house them in bare,
unfurnished concrete building-"a
noble sentiment" but the contrac-
tors got their last payment on the
building In July. 1t Is not uncom-
fortably cold In eastern Washing
ton during that, or several follow
ing months. How did you arrive at
your statement that the concrete
would give them cold feet? Did
not the all-wise board of control
give that subject any thought be-
fore letting the contract for the
building? Now Tess up, governor,
was not the wooden floors an after
thought to hide the incompetency
or graft so glaringly shown in the
concrete floors?
Why was there no mention made
of wooden floors to the legislature
of 1907? 1t gave the board of con-
troll all 1t asked for the Medical
Lake asylum Why was it not
furnished? Why delay two years
In putting in wooden floors If they
were not an after-thought to hide
imperfections?
Here Is the report OF the six con-
tractors from Spokane:
"We, the undersigned, have this
day inspected the newly erected