Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-08-24
MANAGEMENT OF STATE INSTITU.
TIONS-THE WESTON ASYLUM An U
THE WAR AGINSrIr.
To he Editor NJ The Register.

BUCKHANNAN, w. Va, August o.
If the excellent letter OF Hon. w. l.
Wilson relating to the management Of
the West Virginia University had APP
peared at an earlier day good deal Of
profitless criticism and unpleasant con-
troVersy Nigh. have been saved. And
Just so in relation to asylum matters at
Weston. If some one in position to
speak would at once in public man.
ner give a prompt and emphatic denial
to the charges of gross irregularities
banded through the opposition press
then all the clamor will cease.
There is a very common error pre-
vailing among the officials of public in
situations, in that they regard them
selves as close corporations and that the
public is entitled to know nothing OF
their management except IS it is given
in such way as they themselves see
proper to deal out information to the
public. The truth is all public institutions
maintained at public expense belong to
the public. and every taxpayer OF the
commonwealth is joint owner OF the
establishment and has perfect right to
know all and everything pertaining To
It's management. The public looks to
the newspaper rs its bulletin, and just
rs the proprietor of a large manu-
featuring establishment looks to
his chief subuTdinateS to furnish him
daily with an accurate aud detailed
statement of all matters concerning his
business 50 does the public look 10 the
newspapers rs their clerks for an accu-
rate daily statement of all matters per-
tanning TO their interests.
| do not submit these observations
with reference to any particular one Of
! our public Institutions, but simply in
order to show that it is within the le-
| gitinate province Of a newspaper to in-
| vestigate and proclaim all matters of a
| public nature. 1t Is not, however, the
| province OF q newspaper to Use unfairly
the power accorded to il by cOntidiug
| public to besmirch an institution for
| personal, partisan or other reasons, or
| to aSSail the character of iniividualS,
or whom, as individuals, the public
has no concern.
! Meeting a gentleman of high char
acttr and unusual intelligence, aud
knowing thar ne was in a position To
| know "A great deal about the history OF
tie Weston Asylum, asked for an eX
| PLANTATION of the continued troubles
| which have beset that institution all
along its pathway. His answer was
| ahUuI this:
The asylum, unfortunately, like all
| OF our public institutions supported from
the public treasury, and having attach
ed To il more or less of government pat
TODage, has become the foot. ball of pO-
lilical parties. You remember the
Democrats assaulted it under DIR. Hills
administration and when they came
into power that gentleman had to step
down and out" And if the RepubI-
cans ever come into power again there
will be another cleaning out, l see no
| remedy for their misfortune. The SpOils
is what all political parties look after.
But the asylum has another greater
grown. There is too much of it at one
place. The true policy would have been
to have had two or three asylums dis
lributed over the State. The one at
| Weston is too large for a successful
! IndUARtliltlll ItISuu. - VII
ferent system will have to be introduced.
There should be q business manager to
have exclusive control of the business
department, aud he should have the
privilege to select his own assistants.
! Then let the superintendent be spe-
| clalist in brain diseases and his work
be devoted exclusively to the treatment
OF patients. And l think ii will be the
| 70 a RI laf him Sa1anf hil
assistants. The idea of selecting, on the
ground of personal favoritism, or as 3
reward for political services, q corps OF
physicians TO treat and control that
helpless and pitiable class of humanity
the insane-is too horrible to think
about. Yes We need new system in
the management of the Asylum.
A third trouble is that the Weston
people think that the Asylum belongs
to Weston, just as the MOrgantown peO-
pie think about the University. They
forget that is is q State institution, aud
the result is a continual local war for
supremacy. 1t is an everlasting con-
flICt between the 'ins" and the outs"
and consequently an uninterrupted
state OF chickering's and petty jealousieS.
II y hundred Quilps would visit Wes-
ton each day. each one would find All
anxious throDg Of the "OutS" eager TO
whisper into his ear the most heart
Thrilling stories of barbarity perpetrsted
nv the "inS.p And il q change should
take place tomorrow, and the ms aud
outs exchange positions, the same state
of affairs would continue 10 exist with
the reversed condition of parties. The
only remedy is to separate Weston and
the Asylum, and as the Asylum is too
unwieldly to move, the best thing to do
Is to pick up Weston and locate it over
here about the head of the Middlefork
river. Then peace would reign in War
saw.
AS to the particular troubles o. DR..
BANDS management Of the asylum, as
being ventilated in the serial story of
the IntellIgencer, all have TO say is
that have known DR. Band for many