The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1872-02-07
Tho Luna,ro A.vlum

| S1 niS - IL toiiectuat ette1nmonta that ChRrac.
tef1ze the wise and the good, and At them for
| the high places in the land, as our LeRisl aturo
| IL py some represented to be, did not ann
pose that there was . member Of that body
,1;,ii s2 Heaa 20 justice and to humanity to be
I'M tnis country, that 80 justly boasts Of it's
liberality and it's philanthropy, against pro.
wong ior the proper care and comfort OF
hanS tnUse ~ u oar ieilow.b beings upon whom the
nsnd OF misfortune has fallen 80 heavily. or
tne power OF disease worked 80 fiercely. that
reason has been shaken or utterly dsthroned
thns rendering them objects OF the deepest
Warmest philanthropy aud the beat offices
pointed. '' "i'"p-
MY aodl is il possible that we are still
iivln8 IN 6ArbArism? II SO, let us not deceive
the world by parading the banner Of an en-
liBhtened people when We are only barbn-
risns. which we prove OURSELVES to be when
w Tho Tle'uset 10 take proper care Of our insane.
Ahels 10 no better exponent OF the civliza-
:;on, IStnoai sns and philanthropy uf ~ people
than the condition Of their charitable institu-
lions. SHOW me the nation" said an emi-
non. member OF the British Parliament, "that
nAAes sne pest provisions for it's unfortunate
Ihs sane, ana will show you the most enliR Rht.
ened people on the earth;" and the Constitn.
5lon o, our State distinctly and emphatically
insane btind. deof, dumb and The Door sIau a..
'odys Oe Jostered W this STATE" And vet, when
an appropriation IS asked for the benefit of
Inc Inc State Lunatio Asylum, there are men in
sno LeRisiature AMI other State officers who
nave the cold-blooded heartlessness to opnose
IL. ihey cannot do this upon the pretense of
economy, tor theso same men are Wonderfully
laSl.h .Hl.. with tho public money for other lcns
worthy purposes.
And you, Mr.. Editor, have allowed rour
nun ahtty to be chilled; you have gone out.
side OF yourself, and havo given the cold
.ia! shou'aSr TO the Asylum. am surprised at
this. Coming, as you do, from a State whose
chlef pride IL her charitable institutions M
less than ten OF which are supported Mt the
expense 81 the State, aud that, too. with nt,
sunted hand. 1t is high tune for retronch-
mont But why single out the Object. ~
State charity-the orphans, and the noo,. In.
natics, &c Ito begin on? Is ther. no room
tor rotrenchment anywhere else that would
DC quite az crcditable to our partv AMI .a
profitable to the State?
have shown in my annual report and the
board OF Regents in their memorial, that the
institution cannot bo maintained, on humani.
.arian principles, at a less cost than $50 900
per Annum. That this is the cano is Main
enough to all who wish to understand it.
The daily average number OF patients in
the institution, during the past wear. was a
traction @ over 800. Now, the mo ment these
wards OK the State. and the Commonwealth
is bound to maintain them-bound by her
Constitution and by her Laws to maintain
mem. NOW, let US see what would he a fair
estimate for the cost OF maintennnccond
mind you, the word maintenance embraces
eVery expense necessary to their entire sun.
port; not only for food and clothes. but for
gas, tnel. medicine, servants hire, attend
ants hire, salaries, repairs renewal of furni-
turc, crockery, glassware, cooking annarm.
tua, and thousand aud ono other incidental
expenses Indispensable to the support of a
large household.
In institutions f"r the insane in other narts
OF this country, the cost OF maintenance a.
each patient IL found to vary from 500 ia .:,0
per month. Let us put down the ,owest
nGHre 1or our insane. since some OF our beuc-
VIOLENT ~ Lawmakers arc willing that thev
should have only what is necessary to kean
Cneni from nakedness and starvation, and
what ii the result? 800 patients for twelve
nohtms' mo n at t2o per month would cost exactly
$72 0OO, while all we ask for il $6O. 200 Bnt
for our present purposes we need not enter
Into In THESE numerical details or calculations.
The law OF the State settles the matter hv
n5inS the cost OF maintenance OF each inmate
OF the Asylum a $2l2 per anuum which emit
Lies the III stitution. by law. to sC3 COO which
IL more than we ask for for the present wear
l haVe carefully examined the reports of
otner as!iums, aud l find that our insane are
supported at . cheaper rate than those Of ANY
other State. From the last report of tho Su
perintendent OF the Indiana Hospital for the
Insane. hod the following statement: From
carefully compiled table now before me, en-
brscing twenty-one prominent State inatitu.
tions. hospitals and asylums for the insane in
the United States, l find that the average cost.
per cnpnd, Tor the m atntenance OF the insane
eAciu5lFo oI clotnin6 and salaries, il $272 AZ
per annum 1t will be seen from the above
that the figures are very considerably higher
than ours, and do not include the clothing
and salaries, two very considerable items in
the expenses OF large public hospitals. By
reference to the reports Of the following h0s-
pitais 1or the insane. obtain the cost of each
for 1871. as follows: blaine Insane HOSPITAL.
s92 1888 7S state Lunatic Asylum, ut Trenton
y; D., *lG1 ,09o 03; State I.unatic Asylum, at
Albany. n. Y. s200. .0G3 81; New Hampshire
Asylum, s76, j.2S; tho Government Hospita
Tor the Insane. at Washington, ID. c., SIG.
!o2 "; Hospital tor the Insane Of tho state of
Connecticut, sl92 COG 93; State Lunatic Hos
pital OF pennsylvania. at Harrisburg, $lOO.-
oiO a? State l.unatic Hospital, ut Northamp-
ton, Mass, 500. .i62 ~; Tennessee Hospital for
the Insane, SG8 G69 49,
make these extracts to show the pcnuri-
Gus plan upon which our in ane are provided
Tor, and how insignificant the sum now sk.d
from tho state, for tho support of our ASYLUM
ior the current year. when compared with the
cost ot other similar institutions, as well az
tn SHOW the littleness OF soul of thos. imma-
culate Lawmakers, and patterns OF nlicial
economy, who are opposed to giving o the
insane That aid which humanity dem d ids and
which Inc honor Of the state cannot a II ,rd tn
withhold. Very respectfully,