Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1854-02-08

the insane, adopted at a meeting OF the As.
sociation Of Medical Snperintendents Of
American Institutions for he'Insane held at
Philadelphia, May, 1851. The earnest ap.
peal made by the Board to the last Lesisla.
ture is known to most of your readers. and
needs no special notice in this connection.
Let.it be borne in mind, too, that these an.
nual reports of the Regents are accompanied
byfull reports Of the physician, the superim:
tendent aud chaplin, and that all these are
referred to the Committees of the two Hou.
ses, and reported on, that they are printed
and circulated; and | am sure that the reader
will be surprised at the opinion that any
facts important to be known are concealed
from the public. 1t is worthy of remarks
too, that for the first several years since
ls42, the Board printed the reports from its
omn treasury, in the hope that they would
thus secure for them an earlier and more ear.
nest attention from the Legislature, and a
wider circulation among the public. In
their arduous and unremittcd efforts to place
the institution on the best possible founda.
tion, they have been nobly seconded by the
other officers; but feeling that they alone
are responsible to the people of the State,
that the Legislature has confidcd its man.
agement to them, am sure they will never
consent to be posted as faithless and un.
worthy without remonstrance. =. And sup.
pose member Of the Board of Regents
should dare to vindicate that body, where is
the indelicacy, where is the improperly {!
Who is so much interested, and who can do
it as well When man is charged with a
serious offence, an oGence calculated to al
feet his character and reputation, are his lips
to be sealed against defence, and is he
forsooih to suffer all the consequences Of a
horrible and unjust accusation, because no
other person can or srill make proof Of his
innocence
But am not done with the labors Of the
Board. Their appeals to the Legislature
have not been in vain Within the last u
or ID years from $4,000 to 100000 have
been placed at their disposal, and the larger
portion of this has been expended in the
erection of additional buildings. Of the
amount of vexatious labor thus put upon
them in providing for the proper appropria-
ton of the money will not speak; the TACT
is only mentioned MS exhibiting an earnest
and constant attention to the necessities OF
the Asylum.
1t is worthy of mention that the Board has
repeatedly petitioncd the Town Council and
the Legislature to permit tito close the street
east Of the Asylum, for the purpose of max.
ing connection with the grounds on the
other side; but this petition, from the stern
resistance of individuals, has always failed.
Anxious as the Board always has hecn TO
enlarge the grounds, and thus to remove an
obstacle in the way of higher success, it pc.
ttioned the Legislature to permit it to pnr-
chase the adjoining square belonging to Capt
Wade: but in this, too, they were doomed
to disappointment. What next was to be
done? The cry was for more room. Not
less than one hundred and seventy.fve hu-
man beings were enclosed in an area of four
acres. The subject Of Il removal to the
country, or to the grounds on the opposite
side of the street, was now fairly beiure the
Board. A stroug appeal was made to the
Legislature, and $4,000 was appropriated.
His Excellency Governor Manning was in.
vited to attend the next meeting Of the Re.
gents, that they might have the benefit of
his sober Judgment, and, if possible, his ap.
proval and appreciation. The Governor ac.
cordingly met the Board, and, after free
interchange of opinion, it was unanimously
resolved that a committee be appointed to
examine and ascertain if there can be pro-
cured, within one and half miles of Co.
lumbia, an eligible site for the location OF
the Asylum. A committee was appointed,
consisting of Messrs. Wallace, Bryce and
Parker, and at a subsequent meeting, MIR.
Wallace, on The part Of the committee, made
the following report:
"That the committee had, to the best Of
their ability, discharged the duty assigned
them, and that they found no suitable site
within the distance named"
The Board now resolved, unanimously,
that the new building be located OH the Asy.
um land, east of the present building. and
that temporary buildings be erected Ior the
present accommodation Of the most qniet
| patients, with the view Of relieving the pres.
ent building Of its excess of numbers Owing
to causes beyond the control of the Board,
these temporary buildings could not be com.
pleted before the session of the Legislature,
and no steps could be taken towards the
erection of the main building. Thus mat.
tiers stood at the last assembling of the Leg.
islature, and the Board, in its late report,
freely laid the facts before that body.
have thus given brief outline of the
proceedings Of the Board Of Regents; and
lest some may suppose that f"r the last cigh-
teen years the Board and Physician have
differed materially in their views, q few re.
ferences will be made to his reports. In
that of lS4s. he calls attention to the pro.
priety of adding to the present wings, or
erecting another building. He asks that cor.
tain streets be closed, that the lands of the
Asylum may be made available for the ex-
ercise Of the patients. And again, in 1850,
urges the same matter, and remarks that
the possession of that street least Of the
Asylum) will obviate most of our dificulties! j.
In his report of 1852, the physician earnest.
ly insists upon the removal of The Asylum
into the country, but yet presents an allerna.
tive in the event of the Legislature refusing
to make the necessary appropriation, Aud
what is this alternative To erect bull.
ding on the garden lot that is, the grounds
east of the present building. This, he adds,
though not ridding US of the annoyance oil
the town. will effect n very great improve
ment He suggests an addition to the lands
of the ASYLUM. by the purchase of some con.