Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1858-07-16
Republican State Nominations.
NorIhern ohio Lunaric AsyIam.

We arc surPrized and panied, as we doubt not
the people of Ohio will be, to learn by The Off
Uill proceedings of the Board of Trustees, that
ihe Northern Ohio Lunatic Asylum is to be
closed for two months. from the lst OF SePtem-
ber TO the Ist of November next, and that this
great wrong and outrage upon the unfortunate
patients, will result from the lack Of an apPro-
priation of the paltry sum Of five thousand dol
lars by the last Legislature What excuse have
the Senate and House Committees on Beneyo-
lent Insitutions-what the members from
Northern Ohio-what the Senator and Repre-
sentatives from Cuyahoga-for neglecting to
provide for the support Of one Of the nOblest
charities of the State Provision should be
made at once in some way to prevent the tenn
poIary closing of the Asylum-of the return Of
the unhappy inmates to the eou.ties, to the care
of friends, or to the tender mercies of the cells
Of the common Jail. The evils of such course
TO the patients, who are in all stages of eonya-
lesence, cannot be estimated, and in many cases
will be likely to result in incurab,e insanity
The expenses, too, TO the friends of the insane,
and to the counties, growing out of such return,
will doubtless far exceed the sum necessary to
keep the institution in operation. In every as
pect the proposed course will prove disastrous;
and we cannot but feel that sound policy, well
as humanity, would have justified the Board in
transcending the law Of March SO;h, ls57,whieh
prohibits the making Of 'any contract to bind
the State to pay any sum of money not previous
ly appropriated for the purpose" The case is
an extreme one, and the General Assembly
al its session IN January would have made
good any reasonable necessary expenditure
The precedent has already been set in regard to
the Northern as well as the other Asylums,
and on no account should it be closed for a sin
gle day. While eve appreciate the sensitiveness
of the Board in complying with the letter of the
law, humanity says that the law had better suf
fer dishonor than that the minds diseased of
hundreds of the citizens of the State should be
thus neglected, and consigned perchance to ire
cOyeTable madness. An enlightened public
opinion will not sanction the action Of the
Board, which at special meeting July Sth,
1858, adopted the following preamble and resO
luton
WHEREAS, The Legislature at It's last session,
failed sto make sufficient appropriation for re-
pairs and current expenses of this Institution
the deficit being some five thousand dollars less
than was asked for, and less than the amount
granted the Southern Asylum, and, whereas, We
had hoped, and had reason 10 believe, that Oftne
ten thousand dollars (Sl0,O00) appropriated
for the first quarter of the fiscal year 1853, four
thousand dollars 1000 was designed for the
current expenses Of the present year (lS5S,l and
that the prJvisO devoting the entire sum ofSl0,-
900 70 the first quarter Of 1859, was merely a
hue !q4a acls now IN our knowl-
hers of the Legislature and, whereas. our
Board sOlemnly pledged itself that no money in |
future should be expended beyond the appro- !
PriatiOn therefore, cannot contract debts with
out violation of pledges thus made; and al /
though, according to Dr. GriswOid's report, a 1
part Of the Committee on Benevolent Institu- /
tIons, IN their individual capacity, gave assu-
rance that the four thousand dollars (S4 009) al
prOpriated (in excess for the first quarter of |
1859 should be applied to the last quarter of
the fiscal year 1858, still we are not willing TO
incur the cens1re, and assume tie responsibility
Of contracting debts in violation of law, belieV
ing that the evils though great, would be less to
suffer the unfortunate inmates of our AsyIcm
10 return 10 the infTmaries and jails, and homes
in their respective localities throughout the dis
lrict, than to exercise the illegal power of con-
.racting debts beyond appropriations There
fore
RsSOlDed, That we close this Institution for
wo months; from the lst of September TO the
let OF November next