Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1882-01-27
The Lunatic Asylums and the D. D. & B.
Institution.

-~-'O
MAYO ON THE FLOOR.
THE hill for reorganlzing the Lunatic
=. .1lums of the State and the Institution
for the Deaf, Dumb and the Blind blouse
Ril1 No. 75,) was up in the House of Dele
ra+os IN Thursday last. The following is
a copy of the bill.
4 Bet enacted By the General Assembly
of Virginia, That the directors OF the Cen
trail, Eastern. and western Lunatlc asy-
1,,s,s and the Deaf, Dumb and Blind In
.t;tmfion. shall consist of seven members
sach The term of Office shall be for three
wars commencing on the 18th day of
Tahr,arv. 1882. -Four directors shall con-
stitnte court for the transaction of bust
ness.
asvlums. and the said Deaf, Dumb and
Find Institution, shall be and the same
are hereby declared vacant upon the
18th day of February, 1882, and all Offices
therein filed by said board of directors, as
AT present constituted, shall be and the
same are hereby declared vacant upon the
list day of March, 1882.
3. The Governor shall. Immediately af-
ter the passage of this act. proceed to ap-
point new boards of directors, as provided
in the first section of this act, and section
four, chapter eighty-two, Code OF Virgin
ia. 1873.
4. Said boards of directors shall assem-
BILE upon the 18th day of February, 1882, at
the asylums and institution for which they
are appointed; respectively, and shall elect
superintendents, who shall be physicians,
and may appoint executive committees and
officers, nurses, and other attendants for
their asylums, respectively, and officers for
the said Deaf, Dumb and Blind Institu-
ton, and prescribe their compensation and
generally reorganize said asylums and
said institution as to said board may seem
right and proper.
s. All acts and parts Of acts inconsistent
herewith are hereby repealed.
6. This act shall be in force from its
passage.
On motion of Mr.. Skinner, D.) the
number of Directors was increased to
eleven members each. In the case OF the
asylums six shall constitute court for the
transaction of business and four for the
Deaf, Dumb, and Blind Institution.
Mr.. Hanger, (D.) moved to strike out
that portion which requires that all the
offices filed by the directors be declared
vacant on the LIST day Of March, 1882. He
| thought it long step to take to legislate
out of Office, without cause, all OF these
persons, who have been appointed in ac-
cordance with law. He also thought 1t
was impolitic to remove at one fell sWoop
these trained attendants. Let the boards
20 upon the ground and determine who to
remove and who to retain.
Mr.. Skinner spoke in support OF Mr..
Hangers amendment. He had been a dI.
| rector in some of these institutions before
| the war, when party spirit ran high, and
| these offices were not then considered from
| a party point of view. He wanted to know
what was the cause of this move. Was
| there any charge of Encouragement or
maladministration in these institutions
| There was none Speaking for the lnsti-
buttons located in Staunton, he said that
they had been most efficiently managed.
He said that it was wrong to substitute
inexperience for experience.
tleman Mr. Skinner) talk, one would think
that all the lunatics were on his side. This
is not so; we have some lunatics on oul
side and will take care of them. He seems
to intimate that we are going to put Out
efficient men and fill their places with mef
incompetent. Mr.. Frazier said that what
would be done would be for the best in
terest of the institutions. A very large
majority of the officials, said he, may and
will be retained, but there are some who
will not.
| In concluding, he said our late Cover
nor (Holliday) acted too hastily in ap
pointing the directors, and he would vote
for the bill as it stood.
MI, Stubbs d. moved to rscommit the
bill. He asked this because there Were
constitutional objections to the bill, moi
that he opposed it altogether.
| Mr.. Mayo (R.) said that the last remedy
lawyer (referrlng to Mr.. Stubbs) woulC
resort to in opposing the bill would be te
claim that the bill was unconstitutional
He argued that the bill was not uncon
Stitutional.
Mr.. Farr (R.) said he did not regard il
as party measure at all. There is nc
discrimination in this bill. We are moi
striking at Jew, Greek, GENTLE, or devil
but at ALL To put out of Office these Off
cials for political reasons would be wick
edaess of the NEST damnable sort. [ see
nothing in the world revolutionary in the
bill, and | hope that it will be the pleasure
of the House to adopt it as it was repor
ted,
The motion to recommit the bill was
lost.
Mr.. Hanger urged the adoption of biz
amendment striking out that section Of
the bill declaring the offices vacant
upon the 1st day of March, 1882. The
amendment was rejected.
Mr.. Giddings, (R.} was in favor OF the
bill. What he wanted, he said, was to &C
into the Institutions and make an exam1
nation and ascertain il they are and have
been operated properly. The other SIDE
intimate that our normal condition is thai
of crank If so, then the matter is Of
special interest to us. Mr.. Gliding saio
further, it shocked him when the gentle
man (Mr. Skinner) said that the offices IL
these institutions ought not to be filled fol
political reasons as much as it did Wher
the distinguished DR.. Brauer was Ienov-
ed few years ago for reasons clearly
none other than of a political nature.
Mr.. Skinner said he did not know any
thing about the case of DR.. Brewer, but
he did know that two wrongs never maze
a right. He implorcd the Legislature: In
the name of the unfortunate inmates Oh
these institutions, not to turn out these
experienced and skilful employees.
| Mr.. Skinner then moved to amend the
second section of the bill by striking out
all after tho words February, eighty
| two, F" to the end of the section, and lnser.
| ting in lieu thereof the following:
"And any office therein, filled by said
| Board of Directors as at present conStltu-
ted shall be, and the same is hereby, de-
clared vacant, and shall be abolished upon
| the LIST day of March, 1882, if the Board
thereof appointed under this act shall be
OF opinion that said office is not necessary
to the proper management and well-being
thereof; but no officer in any of said asy-
lums. Or in said institution, shall be re-
moved during the term of Office for which
he may have been elected by the existing
Board, unless IN the judgment of the Board
which shall be appointed under this act
said officer shall be lacking in proper quail
ifications for the Office he fills. or shall have
proven, or shall prove, unfaithful in the
discharge of his duties, or shall have be-
come disqualified by reason of sickness or
some bodily or mental infirmity likely to
be of long continuance; and before remov,
ing any officer for the reasons aforestated
the Board shall give him ten days notice
in writing of their contemplated action,
setting forth the grounds on which 1t is
proposed to remove him, and shall hear
him In his defence, together with such tes-
tirnonv nronarIv hearing on his case as he