Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1866-02-03
coMMrTrEE REPORT ON THE
ORPHAN ASYLUM.

ORPHAN ASYLUM.
Our attention has been called to the full
and admirable and convincing report OF
the members Of the Senate Committee on
State Affairs, who visited the Orphan
Asylum, az Virginia. Senator Lockwood
did not visit the Asylum. 1t seems to US
that the report which we have received is
an incontroyertible argument for the bill
1t recommends. It's array Of statistical In
formation is SO complete, and has such
direct force in favor Of the bill, that there
is not room left for serious contending
against the appropriation asked. From
the, General Remarks" and the IRE
commentator " of the Committee we
quote as follows: luau aEai& |
GENERAL REMARKS.
Your Committee found everything con.
nected with the institution to be in good
order ; and the evidences Of q perfectly Or
ganized household-such a. this should be-
were abundant and very pleasing.
The little ones whom we saw were in APP
parent good health, well conted, cheerful,
happy. And yet it was q mournful and
touching spectacle-these motherless chill
dren, now folded in the arms Of Christian
charity, and unconscious alike Of the loss
they had recently sustained, and the merci-
full Providence that gathered them in a house
Of refuge.
Your committee desire to draw special at
tention to the fact that a. this Is the only
really charitable institution in Nevada, so
also may it be properly termed State In
stitution." Children are received from any
portion Of the State, upon such represents
ton II proof Of orphanage as has already
been written.
The County Commissioners for any county
in the State may send orphans to this insti-
| tuition assured that they will be received
with as hearty welcome and cared for with as
liberal hand a. though the parents had once
lived in the county in which the Asylum is
situated.
Among the orphans now in this Asylum
we noticed the children Of = soldier OF the
Nevada Volunteers, who died in tho service
Of his country.
Your committee take the liberty Of calling
attention to the fact, that at the present rate
Of applications and receptions, there will be
/ ucCtbblby " RASNAaAhS hAAhhVA0hSs CAe-
cation, within the next three years, for not
less than one hundred orphans in Nevada
inclusive of those already in this institution.
It Is manifestly impossible for the State,
under existing financial circumstances, to
provide such a home, in point Of care, COM
for. and moral breeding, as is here built up
and organized. .
Section i Of Article Is Of the Constitution
clearly and Individually confers upon the
Legislature the authority to grant tho relief
here sought. It reads az follows:
".Section ]. bstittaio1s for the benefit Of
the insane, blind, deaf and dumb, and such
other benevolent benevolent institutions az
the public good may require, shall be fos-
tered and supported BY the State, subject to
such regulations rs may DO prescribed by
law
We observe here an almost peremptory
law above US, debating that We should vote
the appropriation contemplated. .
We find among the miscellaneous Pro.
visions " Of the Constitution (Section a an.
other indication that the trainers Of our or.
ganic act-rigidly disposed to econmy and
the close care Of the public money a. they
were-continually bore in mind the probable
necessity for making donations from the
State Treasury for eleemosynary purposes.
RECOMMENDATION.
The bill before US calls for m appropria.
ton Of $4,000. We believe it Is right, and
altogether proper that the appropriation
should be made. We testify to what we have
seen, and have definitely ascertained, in re.
commendation Of this measure.
Some means must certainly DO provided
for the support Of the orphans Of this State
that they be not cast forth upon q pitiless
world, utterly without protection. We have
alluded to the fact that our State can not now,
under the debt restriction Of the Constitution,
attempt to cndow an Orphan Asylum, regu-
lated and conducted by State officers. But
the Legislature Of Nevada can afford to mako
this appropriation, with the clear and certain
understanding that In 20 doing they place
upon q permanent basis an Asylum already
organized, and ready and competent, with
this help, to care for those Of tender age, who
are or may be LEFT among US without their
natural protectors. In our section Of
try, where sudden deaths OF laboring men,
who have families, are frequent, where very
few private individuals are able or willing to
adopt little children, the necessity for an
Orphan Asylum Is apparent and imperative.
The institution Of which we have been
speaking was ~inaugurated at . time when the
business Of this State was in q comparatively
Aourishing condition. Had the general pros
perity Of the people been maintained at the
standard marked at the time referred to. there
would have been no need for this call upon
the bounty Of the State. Voluntary contribu-
tons would have been, undoubtedly, quite
adequate for the wants OF this institution.
Such 10 not now the case. The conductors
IOf this Asylum are now In debt for their
buildings to the amount Of 1885. They
sorely need, and ask for the aid proposed in
the bill before Us. With II, they WILDE able
themselves entirely from debt, and make some
required improvements which will render the
buildings and grounds thoroughly adapted for
the purposes contemplated. II We do not
extend this aid, there 10 reason to apprehend
that the buildings must Be sold, and the chill
dren which arc now gathered within their
q place in tho Asylums Of our neighbor Com
monwealth. Should We permit this to be
done, when it can be prevented by the appro-
priation sought And where, in such an
event rs is deprecated, will the orphans Of
the poor, bereayed among Us, within the next
few years, find food and shelter
The reflections Of your committee upon this
subject have strengthened them moro and
more IN the conviction, that among the
bounden obligations resting upon this Legs.
lature there are none Of greater weight than
that which commands this gift for Christ's
charity's sake at our hands.
We do not assume 10 have employed in this
report all the arguments available in favor OF
this proposition. We have not referred to
the precedent established BY other States, es-
pecially by California. Many favoring rea-
sons have occurred to our minds which we
do not choose here to state AZ we do not de-
sire to extend this communication from our
na-no.sNk.. 80 : ~~anNAp lnnOfh vUa harA n NJ