New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-10-07
PTBLIC MEE1IN6'o
ooyrRNoHs OF THE ALMs-HoG Us nm
ptp,rE oN rnE GRANT o'

qhe p,ara If Tcu Governors ne Ls;r
-, 4 ;, M, the President m ~. '''
~. minutes ven rcad ana a',ol sioht increase in
a. ~,,~kiv statement showed " ai,b the last
,Ar several institutions, as '''"f"
UiMsn .,.srons from the several n,ii'u' Anas
To S'nn"n - The Governors were read ii Dis
auaCI The care ~ '
pessdoi. 49,, ,c,,,r,s If Committees ready Coz pre.
~'sel'en; ~ he day for the reconsideration of the
~ hr which The sum Of si5eo lad hsen granted to
N, Morton ,hc inventor or di.coverr Of 'he use ct
snhuric ether a. an anNsibeiic agent, bFoagtt
rcceiy ed from The resident Of tLe Board
Nsshirstou smith esq, to Mr. Busted, the Counsel
kqthf Common Council, askD & whether the 3oard OF
Ten Governors were cmpowe scd, undoI the Constitution
nv which the body existed tO make donation OF the
hud. ;or the support of the specific institutions IN
trusted 20 their care, for recommending Dr. Morton for
his iUvcution ~ the usVs Of sThUc ether IN surgical
operations The letef stated at the same time that
lie Board highly appreciated She efforts Of Dr. Morton,
Snd in making the grant the only doubt tha ac berh
entertained was IN References to their authority under
The rply Of the Corporation Counsel was then
Rad. Mr.. Buseei stated that The Governors had no
power under ssy existing lsw 10 donate money for the
rurpose namer IN the neeolntlVl.
M. ANDERSON sand that, s,thou-h he had reen one
Of those who had voted fpl the grant when passed
the Board, he DOW, u consequence OF t'e iesai
bearings IS the case conpeedto ge for
tionVt The vote taxi That OCCASION -,
Mr.. CCNTMER warmly advocate the cVu "NiO'
had been pursred ly the Board IN making ne grant
There could be no douf, in his epngn; sha u MOI
Ton ives in every way deserving Oh an t.ia, S' a'I
rlS do in con sderatcn Of tie berehts he FAD been
iLe,requs OF ccnferriDg on slfering humanity lie
could not allow the opportunity 10 PISS "ittOt ueSll
nssn 10 conduct Fich had led 70 the expression cf
,,;ni, from 4be Corporation Counsel as subtcriu1e
80, ne mart Of an individual TO represent the whole
Rid Ho regarded such proceeding 81 an outrage
,.rnsiratsJ cn every psmber of the Board, and
pppdn the ,leE.sd gentleman who had dom SO
much fc- the benefit Of mankind. lie well
remembered that the very same thng-the
granting OF q sum of money for other than the nedi-
Ate purposes of the inetitutiosh been sanctioned
Inv that Board and when he had refused to sign
cheek for the sun of $50 some ct the same persons
WHO were now opposing thls righteous grant were
GREATLY dissatisfied. lie could DO, understand why
suy such improper feeling has been manitested-in
the face OF al the testimony Of The learned wOrd-of
IN, faculty OF NesY York OF Boston, and the world
~ ,oembers Of Congress and the most prominent men
In lie uationand in the face oi patent which has
hcen qral ted by the us GOvenEnent-that tins Board
He <.ontended that Mr.. Busted did not know the
facts of the case His opinion had been asked in
matter with which he was not fully acquainted, be-
cas the facts bad not been presented to him in proper
foru-and he had therefore decided III the wrong But
he tbe Governor felt confident that if Mr.. Busted
had been told that the Hospitals under the OF the
Board had been using the Doctors inventions for
wears without affording him any remuneration, that
gentleman would have decided quite differently. But
as il was they knew well that nine out OF ten Of Mr.
Busteed's decisions were overruled by the Common
Council. Gov. Gunther then read al the opinions OF
the various medical men, members of Congress, and
other influential persons who had spoken IN favor Of
come Government action toward benefing the in
yeutor Of the great remedy.
Mr.. MaLONY said he could not depart from the vote
he had giYen on previous OCCASION notwithstanding
the legal opinion of the Counsel TO the Corporation.
He rccapituatcd the leading names referred to by the
former speaker and said that Gov. Gunther had salts
fnctoriiy shown that there precedent Tor voting
this grant With all the respect which the Board and
he himself had for Mr. Busteed, still they had an
opinion Of their own, and he would therefore, stand
by bis former course of action.
Mr.. TowSsHEND had no doubt at all bat that man
who had done all the good that had been represented
was indeed deserving Of q much larger sum than had
been voted by the Board. But members did wrongto
forget the legality Of the question. They Ind no
right no power to make this grant and there was
legal document before them to prove that All that
might be said about humanity and the original discov
ery Of this remedy in medicine would be beside the
question long the fact Of the legal night oi the
Board was not kept in mind.
Air. w. j. PIVCKNEY thought there was way Of
meeting the difficulty. The Board had unanimously
apreed-and no member was prepared 10 dissent
that Dr. Morton is the discovcrer OF this an@sthetc
agency and that il has been so long and so snc-
cessfy used IN the hospitals attached To the Board,
that therefore the Doctor is deserving of the reward
which il his due, and which he now requires. 1T had
been shown that the Board cannot make this grant,
but there nothing 10 prevent them from pnrchas-
pu the right to the discovery for the benefit OF
their institutions for all future time. If Il be true,
and he did not doubt it, that Dr. Morton had patent,
there was nothing To prevent him from stopping the
nse of suphuTlc ether IN the form spoken oi IN our
public hospitals whenever he might 30 feel inclined.
But by paving the of ~ 900 20 him for its tunre
use snch contingency would be prevented, and the
views of all the members would be met.
The President said it was due to him tn oiier
f,, remarks in explanation of his conduct. In acting
az he had DONE il was for the best interests OF the
Boafd and he was sorry that any other idea had been
formed of his conduct. IL was Impossible Tor HIM 10
have consulted with any of the members OF the Board
with one or two exceptions, before he could have sent
the letter to Mr. Bu,eed. II had, however been
his intention TO sign the check for the sum OF
money voted, had it no. been that he was called npon
BY a member of the Board and requested TO withhold
his signature until the natter could be reconsidered
Concurring in tins view, he had acted in such man.
ner that the proceedings of the Hoard might be
stamped with legal and constitutional charac-
Ter. A. far his view of the mat
ter went, he fully convinced that they
had not the shadow of power to grant the money
iu,rus.ed To their charge any other purpose than
The support If the institutions ntrustCd 10 their charge
lie had no feeling in the matter than TO set him
seh right with the Board ahi with the public. That
Dr. Morton should and ought 10 be paid he fully adj
mi,ted; and he wouli concur in recommendation TO
the Common Council that giant be made to him. be-
cause that was the Board empowered SO to act.
The services he had rendered 70 suffering humauityif
il could be fully shown that he the true dscoverer
of III medcine-could not be bgun TO be paid for by
the grant OF 81 800.
Amer some further discussion, the reconsideration Of
the las, vote wss lost, and Nh. PiNCgSFY proposed
that before the sum Of 81 5Oo be paid to DR. Morton,
the ssary authorization for te unconditional fu-
ture use Of his remei be properly executed.
Mr. Tow>shhSD moved, as an amendment that the
matter be referred To the Corporation Counsel.
Mr. DpoRo hoped they were not going 10 place
themselves altogether under the Counsel for the Cor
pora ION for # they TO do So the sooner they
ceased to act as a representative body the better
The amendment was lost aud the original motion
carried.
Dir. TowxsuTvD reported that the Croton mines