Wilmington daily gazette., 1873-08-21
Tho CITY Hospital.

Tho Republican says We nepsr sa'O the ne
eesSify Of this institution"
Very well then, that is all that We expect you tC
admit. If there wes no necessity for it why Wal
the buildings bought We warned the Council
against the purchase repeatedly, and the members
OF the Wilmington Hospital Society" who OBJ
tanned charter from the Legislature, told the
members Of the Council that they were commit
ting serious error;-they were taking the matter
out Of the hands Of the Society and forcing it upon
the tax plyera.- that 1t would cost the city very
heavily, and not be such an institution was de-
sired. A calculation made by some physicians
within few days, we are told, puts the actual
cost Of running this institution 10 the city at $S-
0s4, without counting the wear and tear to the
buildings. The Wilmington Hospital Society
were the originatUrs Of the hospital project they
had secured the promise from various benevolent
persons to donate them ten thousand dollars
This they concluded would bulld house suffioi-
emily large at present and leave a balance for
adorning the grounds. Doctors, AskeW, Bush
Mlull, Kane, Draper, Porter, and we think sew
eral others we're the moving spirits of the Society,
and they proposed to attend the patients without
charge. There we're other citizens connected with
by members of the Council that that body would
present the Society with lot If application was
made to it, and this was done because the Society
was not able to buy the ground and bald also
It was while the COuAcl disOU sug tie question
as to the choice Of lot, (the Society having desg-
mated one belonging to Bishop Lee,) that the
buildings of the Jackson school was offered for
$4,000. They were not Rt for hospital and the
members ofthe Society would have nothing to do
with them, and the Council knew it, But instead
Of buying lot and granting the Hospital Society
the right TO build on it. they chose to incur the ex
pense OF about $4,000 in an unwise purchase, an
erect City Hospital, which the popIe have to
pay for-the running Of WI ich a single year costa
as much as it would have cost TO furnish lot to the
wilmington Hospital Society" Besides it ha.
destroyed the benevolent efforts of the Society.
The Republican would make its readers believ,n
that the "City Hospital had a charter. II has
none. The charter was got by the member. of
the Wilmington Hospital Society" They AZ. ;
pecIed to be some years IL bnildlng up benevc
lent institution, which would be credllable to the
city, while It's cost would not be felt by the peo
pie. The presentation of a lot would have been |
In the shape Of loan, If aier the Society expen.
ded Its money in buildings, the Society disbanded
or found it impossible to continue the ENTERPRISE
the lot would revert again to the city.
The Democrats in the Council said all they
could to defeat the purchase of the buildings by
the Council; and their efforts were seconded bv
two Republicans, Messrs. Febiger and Baker
but the ring influence triumphed. We do mot
know that Messrs. Baker and Feblger voted fl.
nally against the unwise and unnecessary mr.
chase. There were enough Republicans in the
body to control it, and therefore they are respon
Hoie Tor extnyagance which the measure i'm
poses upon the people and their party should
bear the consequences