The Glenwood post., 1919-10-25
and Darrow's letter, and Moyle g
answer. EDWARD T. TAYLOR.

October IA, 1918.
Messre. Ole Thorson, Chairman and
J. W Bell, Secretary.
alonwood sprii. &c, Colo.
My dear Sirs:
Your telegram of the 10th inst. was
duly received, and 1 did not answer
anti yesterday because it did not
reach me until Saturday afternoon
when the officials had left their
off .ces and I could not investigate the
situation until Monday.
l called upon Surgeon General Blue,
of the Public Health service, and had
quite little interview with him. He
told me that he had received very
urgent letter from the mayor, Mr..
Darrow, and Mr.. Bishop the agent of
Messrs. Darrow and Lucas, had been
to see him often, and that they were
very insistent upon the government
taking over the Hotel Colorado prop
erty, but said that the only purpose
for which they would take the proper
ty over was as psychopathis or men
tai hospital, for the treatment of all
kinds and stages of mental diseases,
including necessarily large number Of
violent insane cases. He said that
from the protests which he had re-
ceived from the citizens of Glenwood
he was perfectly confident that they
would be unwilling to have the prop
erty adjoining the central portion Of
the town used for that purpose. He
said, therefore, that I could assure
the people Of Glenwood Springs that
their wishes in the matter would be
respected.
7 thereupon called up over the
phone Assistant Secretary of the
Treasury Moyle, and he told me prac-
tically the same thing. He said that
he had fully considered the letter Of
Mayor Darrow's and the vigorous ef-
forts of the owners and their agent
to sell the property to the government,
and he had discussed with them thor
oughly the purpose for which the gov
ernment wanted the property; but
that notwithstanding The fact that
there would undoubtedly be many pa
tisnts there who would be Afflicted in
various nervous ways that would not
make them especially Objectionable,
nevertheless, the government was not
going to restrict itself, or purchase
the property with any string on it, or
be under any obligation to use it in
any limited manner, especially when
suei limitation would be directly
contrary to what they were, in q
large part, purchasing the property for,
namely, for the care of all kinis #
the most Violent and incurable cases.
And for that reason, he felt that as
public officials they should respect the
wishes of the Inhabitants of the town
and select a site, which they could
do, in some other suitable and more
isolated place. He said very frankly
that if he lived in Glenwood he would
not under any circumstances want sucn
An istitution as they cotemplated
maintained ON that property, and felt
personally that an instut.on of that
kind should be quite little ways out
side and set apart from the residence
portion Of any city or town; and that
Notwithstanding the vigorous and per-
sistsnt efforts Of the parties who IRE
endeavorins to dispose of that prop
erty, he felt it would be a flagrant
violation of the peoples rights and
sentiments to arbitrarily impose such
an institution upon them. So he said
for that reason, he had just written
. letter to Mr.. Darrow as mayor Of
Glenwood, in answer to his letter, ad-
vising him that the department had
now decided definitely NOT to secure
that property, and he said, very posi-
lively, that he was taking this action
entirely upon his own individual re-
sponsibility, and ~ direct recogni-
ton of the wishes Of the citizens" Of
Glenwood, which he knew would be
violated if the property was taken
over for the purpose intended.
asked him if he would give me copy
Of Mr.. Darrow's letter and his reply
thereto, and he said he would. 1 jus,
received them this morning and en-
close copies herewith.
Mr. Bishop also called at my office
yesterday and held a very lengthJ in
terview with me. He appealed to me
very emphatically to withdraw the OBJ