The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1878-10-10
a City Hospital Monument TO Or.
Manning, Etc.
AusrIN, October 6, 1878.

A City HoapitaI-Monument 10 DIR.
Manning, Etc.
AUSTIN, October G, 1878.
Editors Democratic Statesman:
A petition has been circulated among
the citizens of Austin during the last
week, which has received the sigma
lures of numerous leading men with
out, believe, that sagacious prudence
that ordinarily characteuzes some OF
the subscribers. The ostensible object
of this petition. is the building of
city and county hospital in Austin,
and the plan proposed is IN substance
the following: The city and county
are each to take ten beds in the hospi-
tai, paying therefor $25 per month per
bed, the contract to continue in
force for five years. Thus we
have an institution with ca
pacity of twenty beds for which
the city and county pay $4,000 a
year, or $50, 900 in the five years dur
Jog which they agree to pay fer the
beds. This sum will easily pay all ex
penses, and at the end of the five years
there will have been established per-
manent hospital, with fine building
and abundant facilities for accommo-
dating and treating the sick and dest;-
tute. This certainly seems to be q
promising enterprise, but let US look
little further. The hospital now In
operation in the city has never had
demand for as many as twenty
beds, even including private pa
tients. at present the city has
four beds and the county three in
the hospital; and this is all they
have ever had a necessity for. II seven
beds are as many as the city and ceun-
" together haYe ever occupied with
atients, does it not seem a little
strange that they should proceed to
contract and pay for three times that
numberg The hospital has never had
twenty patients in all, pauper and pri
yate, aud the proposed plan would
make the city and county pay for all
the expenses of the hospital in the tu-
ture, as there would be a margin of
from ten to twelve vacant beds over
and above the wants of the city and
county, which vacant beds (paid for by
the city and county, would furnish all
the room needed for private patients. At
any rate the taxpayers would be pay
ing for two or three times as many
hospital beds as the demands of the
city and county call for. But even
this might be justified in view OF the
fact that the growth of Austin warrants
the city in making some extra outlay II
thereby we are enabled to build up a
permanent and efficient hospital. The
fact, however, is, as may be seen from
the petition referred to, that the hos
pitsl In no sense belongs to the city of
Austin or the county of Travis. 1t Is a
private enterprise, gotten up by q
SIT of joint stock cOmpan y
of doctors who thus succeed in
founding very nice and paying
inatitution for themselves at the ex-
pense of the city and county. At the
end Of FIVE years the people will have
expended $50, 200 on this hospital,
which will no doubt build handsome
and commodious ediice, we'll equipped
rs hospital. But alas! the city and
county will own not one dollar of it.
They will have built and sustained the
Institution for five years at considerable
outlay, only to find that they have no
interest or ownership in it when it is
done. The hospital, If built up by
this method, will be private enter
prise. at the public expense,
and the people are taxed to foster the
designs OF sagacious doctors who fore
see vast results from the project.
Eyes; but we propose to sell out to
the city and county at any time, say
these doctors. A very magnanimous
proposition indeed After the city
aud county have paid for the institu-
tion once, they are quietly accorded
permission to buy it back again. This
may suit some people, but believe it
will hardly Ego down. with the aver
age taxpayer. Coupled with this
scheme OF priSate hospital at the pub
lie expense is likewise put forward the
idea of naming it the Manning Hos
pital,n in honor of the noble and heroic
Aman over whose death our people are
\ tiA niouthS~ II wps tl-i- a "A, f,Vf-
haps, which Induced many subscribers
10 sign this petition. They saw it was
10 be monument to the self-sacrihc-
Jug and generous martyr. And they
zigned it willingly, without thought or
Investigation. This Is all very well.
but we respectfully submit that hon
ors to the noble dead are one thing and
business is another If it is proposed
to call the hospital after DR.. Manning,
AL we'll and good; 1t would he a
fitting tribute to a heroic soul;
bat do not let US forget that
this is matter of business and material
Interest to the people of this town and
county, and ought not to be cloaded
and obscured by sentimental consider
ations of any kind. If Austin desires
20 build hospital, and she needs one,
let her build it and own it when it is
finished, and let her call it the ''BIan-
ming Hospital" but do not let her go
into this thing blinded by her grief for
the dead, or misguided by her rever-
ence for departed virtues.
TAXPAYER.
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