Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1875-02-22
case they find the claims just, whether or not they
shall nay interest with the principal


and in his opinion the towns were not entitled to
it. He thought it enough to pay the principal
without the interest
Mr.. LYMAN advocated the amendment. The
commission will investigate the whole matter and
if the claims are just Of course interest should be
paid. The State has had this money for9 or 10 yrs
some Of it is money that many of the towns hired
at II per cent. and he thought it justice to pay to
these towns interest at per cent.
Mr. TALBOT spoke in favor Of his amendment
The amendment was adopted
Senate amendment as amended by the House
was then adopted, and the resolve passed to be
cngrossed.
Resolve in favor of the Maine General Hospital
al Portland came from the Senate, House amend
ment rejected, and passed to be engrossed.
SPEAKER THOMAS took the floor (Mr. Snow
being called TO the chair) and moved that the
House recede and concur with the Senate in the
rejection of the House amendment. He did so
because he believed the House did not fully un-
derstand the import and effect of the amendment
it had adopted on Thursday last. He was inclined
to think all the more strongly from the work
ings of his own mind. His friend from Bangor,
(Mr. Wheelwright) for whose ability, integrity,
eloquence and kind heartedness, not only he
(Thomasl but the whole House, had the greatest
respect, before offering the amendment, had
shown it to him. 1t appeared so fair upon its face
that he told the gentleman from Bangor, with the
light he then had, he could not oppose it.
Now what is the amendment provided also
that the trustees or faculty shall change their by
laws Ut Constltullon, OF auu thereto, necessary,
50 that any patient now in the hospital, or who
may hereafter be in it, or who may wish to enter
it, shall be allowed homeopathic physician if he
desires it," This did seem fair, and at first he
saw no reason for opposing it, and he believed it
was under that same convection ON Thursday last
that the House voted to adopt it. He dsclaimed
any thought that the gentleman from Bangor of
fered the amendment in any disngenuous spirit.
lie thought that gentleman was as much mis- taken
and misled in regard to the effect of the amend
cen fhp of no
But since Thursday the matter had been discussed
and looked into, and we can now approach the
question with maturer Judgment than we had
upon Thursday last. He had pride in rot hav-
ing the House recede from any position it had
once taken, unless there was good reason for it.
But if there was good reason for the House to
change It's Judgment, then he took pride in see
ing the House come up manfully and do it.
What is the effect of this apparently fair amend
ment Simply to throw tirebrand into the Maine
General Hospital the very institution we are ap-
propratng money to aid. He confessed he knew
very little about doctors or their medicines. His
medicines were fresh air, bright sunshine the deep
woods and the open sea, and he had often thought
he looked upon the stalwart forms that had been
before him every day of this session. every one of
whom was indelibly impressed upon his memory,
that the members of this House INDUCED chiefly
IL the same kind of physic
On Thursday last he was not aware of fact of
which he was now fully convinced, that the two
schools OF medicine were at swords points; that
they not only could not live together, but would
not associate together, nor have anything to do
with each other This matter of putting hompo-
pathy and allopathy in the same hospital has been
tiled 1t was tried in Michigan and has been Civ
en- UP. 1t was impossible tor them to work togeth-
er. 1t has been tried in Bellevue hospital at New
York; but after thorough trial, those who had
charge of the hospital withdrew the homeopathic
physicians; it was impossible for them to live
together He stated ON information he believed
to be absolutely reliable that there is not hosp
tai in the United States, in Europe, nor in the
world, where homeopathic and allopathic phvs-
clans work together. By the amendment we are
asked to try something that is proved failure
something which does not now exist on the face
of the earth. The only effect of the amendment
will be to throw into the institution an apple of
discord that will result in Trojan war of the
doctors and the final result will be the destruction
Of our Troy. He was convinced, from what he
had heard for the last two days. that it is no more
possible for hom9opathics and allopathics to live
together than it is for fire. brand and gunpowder
to dwell quietly side by side in the same cask.
One word as to the history of this Hospital. 1t
was founded by the old Maine Medical Associa-
ton; an alopathic association, old as our State.
That association composed entirely of allopathsts,
pettioned the legislature that the Maine General
Hospital should be founded. t. legislature in
1868 granted the charter. After the charter was
obtained, DR.. Gilman of Portland went round
among the gentlemen of that city to obtain funds
with which to start the institution and the citizens
of Portland with their accustomed generosity sub
scribed $4,000 every dollar Of it given at the So
licitation Of an allopathic physician, and every
dollar of it given by allopathists. If the nstitn-
ton was the child of anybody was it not the child
of the allopathsts fair was held at Portland
in aid Of the hospital, the net proceeds Of which
were soue $500 He would say that besides
the contributions by the allopathsts, the hom9o-
pathists in Portland and throughout the State
came forward and nobly helped on the Institution,
and he hoped the time might come when the hom-
9opathists would have a hospital Of their own,
and that it might be the privilege of the allopath
lists in the State to come forward and return the
assistance SO honorably bestowed.
Besides this, Portland has given the institution
seven acres of land worth $4,000; thus there are
in all, contributions to the amount of $4,000,
chiefly from the people of Portland, and nearly
all from private subscription. SO that the hospital
is in no sense child of the State, the the
insane hospital or the state prison. 1t is simply
an institution which has received collateral aid
from the State, but net of such amount or in such
manner entities the State to interfere in any
way in its management or to prescribe in any par
ticular the course of treatment to be adopted :;
lea. Of all is the State authorized to pass resolve
authorizing the patients at the Hospital to pre-
scribe their own treatment.
The institution is an allopathic institution. As
it is now carried on it has surgical staff of four
physicians of Portland. Each one of them takes
charge Of all surgical operations carried on in the
hospital for three months. Their combined over
sight is thus co-extensive with the year. These
men are Drs. Iewksbury, Green, Gordon and
Weeks, all eminent surgeons OF national reputa-
lion. Besides the surgical staff, there is med-
cal staff composed Of four, each taking charge
for three months. What pay do these physicians
get' Not dollar. Their labors all given
without one cent Of remuneration. Not only have
they given their services, but they have, with
other allopathic physicians throughout the State
given from their hard earnings-the earnings of
sleepless nights ofheadache and acknowledgements
the support of the institution, the sum OF $4,000
After these men had thus nobly given their money
and their services, have not they right to- come
to the State and ask and receive respectful and
fair hearing lie asked gentlemen if patients that
went to this hospital were not safe in hands such
he had named II so, why Try to force other physi-
clans into this hospital at the expense of running
the whole institution In the eight nine months
that the hospital has been in active operation
they have performed some of the most remarka
BILE surgical operations that ever were attempted
in this State or country; and he had been inform
ed, and he believed it, that there is no surgical
operation whatever but that can be as well and as
successfully performed in the Maine General
Hospital in our State, as anywhere in the world
1t is not patients from. Portland alone that fall
into this hospital. Portland has had but four or
five their since its inception. There have