The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1870-07-26
For the Spirit.
Monroe County Infirmary,


Monroe County Infirmary.
EDIToRs SPIRIT: In your last issue
find reply to my letter Ito the people
of the County, published or the 18th
inst.,) signed by Mr.. Wm. Read. He
has taken up great portion of your
VALUABLE space to show the people how
mulch nioiiay have drawn from the
county tieasury since hate been Direc-
tor. He says that ! think that the In
Urinary might be kept in good order
an expense Of SIC per month. Now,
gentlemen Of the county, any Of you
who have read, or will take the trouble
to read, my letter of the 18th inst, will
see that l said nothing of the kind. Mr..
Reads figuring propensities must he
/. very limited,to divide $1,000 by II and
make the quoticnt $40. Funny arithi
metic that, which Mr.. r. studied. He
tells you that I have received 50 per
meeting. If Mr. r. will ALLOW me 80 81,
per meeting he will find tHat to make
s37 so, the remaining 81 80 to make
the $40 was allowed me for trips into
the country, and buying sheep for the
tnfrmary; also made trip,taking two
boys with me, for said sheep and drove
them to tue In6rmary Il also iiiade some.
other trips Gin all cases at the request OF
1.-THE other Directors) Imade no charge,
but told them to allow me just what they
pleased Thus you will see that re-
ceived nothing for my frequent visits to
the Iniirmary. He tells you that l dis,
charged the old Superintendent, whose
salary was S400,and put man in his
place for S50O,thus giving away 500 Of
the peoples money Mr.. Fishers salary
was S4OO. besides some small orders,
such as $40 II for potatoes, 0Ssfor bar.
rels, SIS Is for oats.
] BY tie way, Mr.. Read, do. you know
how much oats you got for tile SIS 20?
+ II not, you can find out by making
proper inquiry. Mr.. r. did not inform
you what they paid Supcrintendents for
| the years 1867 and 1868. Now let us
see what they paid for these two years.
Mr.. Spence got $500 for the year 1867,
At the expiration of the year he agreed
Ito superintend for the year '6S for the
same amount. Now let us see what you
paid for that year. Mr. Spence was in
months, for which he received $1I5 as
salary, and, S25 for making fence. (Hire.
a man by the year and then pay him ex-
ira wages whenever he do@ any work }
Mr.. Fisher then agreed to superintend
the remaining months at the same rate,
$500 per year, Mr.. Fisher received
as salary for those s months 1868 add.
Ito that the amount paid Spence, ,sand you
have 1868 For the year 1868, besides
wages pad to hired hands for harvesting
and other farm work. The present har-
| vest is about completed. There has
been as MUCH to do on the Infrmary
farm as in former years; in addition to
the harvest work there are moro acres OF
corn to work than id FORMER years. 1t
has all been done without one cent of
additional wages. It has been done by
the Superintendent, assisted by men who,
under your old Superintendent, were
locked in cells and smothering their own
filth. A former Superintendent said it
would cost $50 for digging up the cellar
drain, which aad become clogged up; it
has been done under, the present Super,
mtenient, by one of the men formerly
confined, at cost of no more than the
wear of the shovel and mattock used
If the present Superintendent was paid
as former ones were. in proportion to
work done, he would receive twice S40O.
Mr.. r. also tells you that the repairings
last year were a shed to the barn, coal.
] house corn crib and roof ON wing of Infir..
mary building. That roof was put on last
summer; this spl1ng it leaks like sieve.
/ don'tconsider that repairing; ! con-
slider It throwing away the peoples mon
.Iey Mr.. R. tells you they had been
saving money for the past few years; he
says they had 1858 IN the treasury Sep
tember l, 1869. So they had, with out
standing orders and accounts to take q
great part Of 1t or perhaps ALL II they
had taxed us as heavy again it might be
'tpossible that the amount In the treasury
would have been a little larger. Mr..
Read says that ought not to take it SO
hard that was defeated by an honest
Jury Of my county, and that there were
better men defeated at every election
l admit that the jury was honest, bat the
plea made to them, against new most
i internally dishonest. will also admit
that there are as good men defeated at
almost every election; and you, gentle.
linen, will very readily admit that there
are and have been q great deal worse
ones elected. / do not know, Mr.. r.,
I, that l have lost any sleep because | was
defeated. / never have lived off the
county, nor do / expect to, nor do ex-
ipect to take up my abode at the Infrna-
Try. Ii did would like to be treated
better than our paupers were in past
years. But luckily for some persons
that we have an Infrmary, for the people
of the county may some day tire of
keeping some certain ones IN office all
their lives. MIR. r. takes particular pains
to show you how much money my son
has received from the Infrmary fund.-
In regard to that, will say, in addition
to what I said IN my former letter, that
: it consisted of flour, nails, clover seed,
DC, all strictly necessities. 1t did not
include S70 worth of damaged bacon,
nor: did it include 80 cents worth OF
violin strings per month.
i Taxpayers Of Monroe, | want you to
do as Mr.. r. says. Go to the Auditors
books and see for yourselves, what the
expenses have been; but remember when
examining the books that the amounts
. paid out this present year have not all
been expended within that time; there
have heen several old accounts included.
Than ,,ot our Tn n6rn,arv visit or read