, 1873-08-30
THE HOSPITAL AND THE PEOPLE.

TO l. r. j. AfcDonncil 165 Lasallc street. Room a.:
S1n 4; I hayo read your most rofreahing blast Of
righteous Indignation in to-day's Tn1BuSE con-
corning our County Hospital. with groat deal
Of interest. Now tllat you are aroused in regard
to tho shameful condition OF our only Hospisal
supported at public oxponao, allow mo to call
your attention to a few facts:
First-That anmo old post~houBo haH stood In
tho aamo old mud-hole for years past; but you
layo noyer lifted finger, or uttered word to-
wards improving 1t, or gotting botter site md
botter buildings meantimo, mon and women
havo actually boon dying yoar aftor year. solely
because you have neglected to provide decent
aud hoalthful accommodations for tlom.
Scoondty-Tho disgraceful condition OF tho
County Hospital has boon kept before your eyes
almost constantly for the past year,-in fact, for
tho past two years. Our dniiy papors have,
through their editorial. columns and through tho
ponB Of we{linforIned correspondents, boon
laundering againat this inhu1nan outrngo, until
both editors and correspondents aro well-nigh
400, 900 otAora,. havo looked stoldly on, too
timid, Or too indolont, or too nogleetful to give
us a helping hand.
Thi,dlY-Even now, whilo those mnimed VIC
ting Of criminal negligence in plecos high aa
space and decont modern hospital accommodate
tions, your servants, clocted BY your vote. md
Iosponse0 ,n t. you for The ptsps just
Ing ihe public by advertising for hospital~
Bitos which they don't intend to buy, looking,
meantime, with longing oyoa, to tho miserable
"gridiron" at tho corner of Ashland avenue
known to themselves, they do ,cans to buy and
you, together with the rest Of Tho voters Of Coo1
County, nllow tlom to di!ly-dally with matter
| 10 important thGt it involves not money alone,
but ltues a. ,reN; and thus YOU baye allowed
| them to potter along for moro tlnn two ycarR
since your attention waH first called to this sub
! ject.
FourM|y-Unloss you, aud d great mnny
others bostir yourselves, and aoork for this mat
ter, as many Of 1lB ave already been doing, it iH
{ more than probable that those mighty statos-
| mon, tho County Commissioners, will again
allow it to go by default for another conplo Of
yenra, ut tho cost Of many moro lives, and q
Dlacker stain on tho fair Of thia great city,
whereof wo are NIL so Justly proud.
an trying to speak to you very plainly, and
through YOU to speak to tho yoters and tax-pay-
ers, and also to tho acon,en of Cook County.
fn. bliatoring, fostering, rotten, yernin-hannt-
cd, crazy old rookery, is vol known to evory one
! who knows anything about it, from the daughter
| Of Erin who scrsibs tho stairwaya to tho son Of
Erin who pregidoa oycr tho Hospital Committee.
That it has long ago boon complained Of, you
know, and hayo known for months, and, por--
haps years but tho hoapitnl-vormn must crawl
over your mutilatod friend. aud hospital rnts
must parade before your very Dyes, and rlckety
old doors must B4ueak il your very cars,
| yonr duly III tho matter. / havo been
telling you all this-a'rtl 10 huye many others
these two years.. Pray, do yoN belinvo rs now 7
And arc yon ready to lend your inluonco towards
future. Us much as tho old ono has disgraced tho
past Chicago? Tax-payors Of Cook County,