Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1911-01-20


BOARD.
Alleging that it was his desire to
pass the selection of the eastern Ore
gon asylum site over to the new
state board but that by the provisions
of the law creating it, he was COM
PEELED to act when he did; asserting
that he located the site at Pendleton
only after he had availed himself of
the Investigations and opinions by
experts as to all the sites concerned
and that his selection was based on
the report of those experts; and Civ
ing his reasons for the appointment
of DR.. Plamondon as superintendent
of the branch asylum the fact that he
did not agree with the eXtravagant
policy pursued by Dr. Steiner, super
intendent of the state hospital for in
sane here and did not desire to have
him supervise the construction of
the building and frame its policy,
Senator Jay Bowerman yesterday af-
ternoon took the floor when reso-
luton was returned from the COM
mittee of resolutions recommending
the appointment of committee to
investigate the site and spoke in a
defense of the action of himself and
the old board in selecting the site.
He spoke for about an hour and it
was pronounced one of the best ad-
dresses ever delivered in the senate
hall and after its delivery he re-
ceived many congratulations from
his friends, Word had gone out that
the resolution would be returned
from the committee in the afternoon
and that it would come up for debate
and the senate hall was crowded to
it's utmost with interested spectators.
The house adjourned for an hour to
listen to the proceedings.
Acted in Good Faith.
Senator Nottingham who acted in
conjunction with Senator Bowerman
in the selection was the first to speak
when the resolution came up for con-
sideration. He stated that the old
board had carefully Investigated all
the available sites before the selec-
tion of the present one. He main
tanned that we we're none of us free
from mistakes and that If mistake
had been made in the selection of
the site that the board had acted in
the best of faith. He resented the
action of the new board in bringing
the matter before the legislature, in
the way it had and maintained that
it should have consulted the old
board and asked for an appropriation
to purchase additional land if the
site did not contain a place for a
building purpose.
Senator Joseph stated that in view
of the insinuation that had been
made with regard to the action of
the board in the selection of the site
that those making the selection
should desire an investigation and
that he hoped that it would show
that there was no mistake but that
the site was alright.
BOwerman Compelled to Act.
Senator Bowerman prefaced his
speech with the remark that while
member of the legislature for five
years that this was the first time he
had ever found it necessary to eX-
plain his action with regard to pub
lie matters. He then proceeded to
show that while he desired to pass
the selection of the site up to the
new board that under the provisions
of the law creating the institutions
that it was necessary for the board
to act, and that because of the ill
ness of the governor, the duty fell
upon his shoulders. He then showed
that State Treasurer Steel, as mem
Der of the board, because Of the
death in the family declined to ac-
company him and assist him in Sc
lecting the site, and that so did also
Dr. Steiner.
Land Examined By Engineer.
Before starting out on his hunt for
site, he said, he secured the SER
vices Of a first class engineer-G. G..
Mccarthy, and sent real estate man
with him to secure options on the
different sites. He then quoted the
report of Engineer Mccarthy which
showed the Carpenter oliver tract to
consist OF 314 acres, 1870 acres Of
which was bottom land, % acres OF
which was in alfalfa, 20 in pasture,
25 in garden stuff and 10 acres in or
chard and the remainder in timber
and brush. The balance of the land
was wheat land and lays high and is
rolling. The report showed that a
supply of good water could be OBJ
tanned from the city of Pendleton and
that the water right attached to the
land would irrigate 12O acres. The
land, says the report, has an excel
lent drainage and has on it four