The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1877-09-01
NUMBER 27.

t, %xs,
county commissioners if they wou 81 &.
and certainly, with these horrors o..
fore them, the county commissioners
would have seen that some further
provision was necessary and supplied
it. We venture the assertion, anoks
we have no doubt the exposures
made by DR. Chancellor will essiIat- s.
tention to the fact, that the County,
Commissioners nave appropriated Z
enough money to Keep their paupe Z
and insane wards in better condition
than they were found By the Secre-
tary Of the State Board, and investi-
CATION will show that the induce
ment to keepers to conceal the real
condition of their charges, when the
Grand Juries came around, and to-
stint them the balance Of the year,
was TO steal for themselves the differ
ence between the actual keeping and
the appropriations.
Else why have they thus sedulous-
ly concealed the condition OF their
patients, and how is it that every
thing looks so clean and comfortable
when the term rounds are made? If
there was not room, if proper food
gould not be supplied, if proper at
tendance could not be procured for
the sums appropriated, it would have
been easy to demonstrate that fact to
any intelligent official body and re-
quired such additional outlay as
would at least have preserved clean
illness and decency in heapartments.
We, therefore, infer that the keepers
were interested in the abuses, and in
hiding them from their official supe-
riors, that to this is rather attribut-
able the hideous condition of things
than to the faults of Il "system,"
where really 40 system existed at all.
But, it is said, DIR. Chancellor's
visit was a secret one. SO much the
better. He caught every house in 9
its WOrking-day condition just when
abuses existed which should be
cured. Had he gone, DIS official bodies
have heretofore gone, after nOtitica-
ton, even his educated eye would
not have detected the whole truth,
he would have seen those institutions
only after they had been prepared
for inspection, would have fonnd
the inmates enjoying holiday fes-
tiVal and would have been cOmpell-
ed to report, as ever preceding visi-
tor was compelled to report, that
p ain but substantial and comfort
able accommodations were provided
by the county and amiably and feel
ingly administered by the keeper.
The pub ic would not have known
the horrible truth and been spurred
to correct the evil.
But was DR.. Chancellor's visit a
secret invasion? The Legislature of
1874 passed the act creating State
Board Of Health to be composed of
five physicians, appointed by the
Governor with the consent of the
Senate, to serve for two years. The
duties of this Board are defined in
the Act. They "shal take cogniz-
ance of the interests of health and
life among the people genrally they
shall make sanitary Investigations
and inquiries respecting the cause Of
diseases, especially of epidemics, the
sources of mortality and the effects
of localities, emDl0yments, condi-
tiOnS and circumstances on the pub
lie health" and "they snail make
speciaI inspections Of public hospitals,
prisons, 0SyI,tn1S and other Institutions
When directed by the GOU"rnOr or Leg
isIatWe." and report fully in re-
gard to the same.
Under this act and by direction of
the Governor, DR.. Chancellor, the
Secretary of the Board, who is made
the executive officer of the Board by
the Act, made his round of visits,
and collected and presented his re-
port. If he came upon these institu.
tions in the midst of their abuses it
was the fault Of the keepers and not
of the inspector. They should have
kept their places in proper condition
for inspection at all times, and it is
no eXruse in the world to plead that
they were taken unawares. The fear
less and thorough work of the Secre-
tary Of the State Board of Health is
deserving oftne highest commenda-
ton, since it has opened the pubic's
eyes and will lead to thorough cor
rection Of the most Infamous wrongs
that ever disgraced a civilized
people.--Bait0. Daily Ne,0S.
Says the Richmond State: "Jim
Blaine is the only sensible man in
New England. Like a gentleman,
he has invited the President to visit
him and take pot luck, and in the
invitation says nothing about their