Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1884-03-05
Speech of Senator Marshall
Mccormick ION Governor
CamerOn'S vetOes Of Asylum
bills.

| proved then what he now VetOes. l
the action now proposed is wrong anC
revolutionary, why was not the same
true two years ago? If the Executive
could give his official approval to acts
that at one fell swoop removed not only
the Boards OF Visitors OF the instltu.
tions, but all Of the subordinate ap
poiutments, why can he not now fine
1t consistent with bis official conscience
to do the same, particularly when the
bills expressly provide that all appoint.
ments shall be entirely non. partisan,
and shall be conferred only upon COM
potent persons. no matter what may
be their politics ? He justifes his &C.
ton now upon the ground that the ap'
poiutments will be purely partisan,
notwithstanding the legislative declara-
ton in the act that they shall not be.
what right has the Governor or any,
body else to say that the board upon
whom the power OF appointment is con-
ferred will not discharge the duties i'm
posed upon it By the action In a purely
non partisan spirit What right has be,
in advance, to declare tina. these off
GERS will violate their plain official
duty2 Let Us see how he discharged
the duty imposed upon him by the acts
of 1892. Acting, doubtless, on the
defiant declaration Of the Whig, the
organ aud Bible OF the Coalition party,
that the officers must be abolished If
men from the ranks Of the Boss could
not be found 10 fill them, he conferred
in every single instance, without ex-
cepton, these appointments upon the
true and tried followers of William Ma
hone, the sole test being their polti-
cal sentiments.
There is Hot Democrat to-day up
on either or any of the asylum boards.
Could not Democrat in this Com
mouw ealth be found who was fit for
the place Did not the Commonwealth
have a Democratic son who was suff-
Gently honest, competent, and skille d
to hold the place In the eye Of our
nom partisan Governor there was not
one. With what sort Uf consistency
can The Governor veto these bills when
two years ago be approved far worse
ones. These inslitu ions were never
intended to be prosliiuted to political
purposes. A noble humanity prompt
ed their founding for the benefit Of
those whom an all-wise God had afflict.
ed with disease and had here!t of reas-
on. The same instructive humanity
brought 10 them experienced, kind, and
gentle nurses, m atreDs, and attendants
10 minister to the mind disease ~
They had until two years ago, in all
ages, been respected--ln peace and in
war-as the retreat Of the insane. They
had been humanely spared even by the
lawless horde of the reconstruction
period that followed the war. They
had been conducted by non-par!isan,
competent, and skilled managers, who
had an eye single 10 the co pfort of the
unfortuna and diseased inmates. 1t
was left for one man-the curse Of bis
native State-William Malone, to In
wade the hitherto sacred walls Of these
retreats. He, seeing the immense poll
teal patronage afforded by Them, with
hearlless cruelty removed the skilled
physicians. the gentle, experienced.
and kind nurses ard malrons, and filed
their places nth such as his ranks fur.
nished. Not satisfied with this, the
Governor Of this Commonwealth, with
out warrant of law, after the Ma
hone LEGISLATURE had adjourned, re
moved the Board of Visitors Of the
Medical COLLEGE, an act which was re-
buked by the Supreme Court OF Appeals
OF this State? We promised the peo-
pie to clean cut The Augean stables,
and to-day am here 10 make good
that pledge, But it is said that there
are no charges against these boards
The Governor mildly puts it that he
has mo official information" on the
subject. Why, sir, scarcely one year
had rolled around after these partisan
boards had been put in before the coun.
try was shocked with the intelligence
that six OF the inmates Of one of these
asylums had been poisoned within It's
very walls. To this day no satisfac-
tory explanation has been given OF it.
To this day the men who were 10
C barge OF that Institution are retained
in place aud power.
No matter whether done carelcssly
or purpOsely. he fact remains that six
OF these unfortunate, diseased inmates
we're pOis oned, and il goes back to the
first wrong-of the removal of compe.
tent officials and the substitution 10
their slead Of incompetent. Mt ONLY
this. but since the meeting Of ills
body there has been rendered 10 The
Circuit Court Of this city judgment 10
the verdict Of jury for $1,000 against
the Central Lunalic Asylum on
bre sch ofcoutract made by the Board
of that institution with one Flanagan
WHY was the cOntrac, broken 4? What
was the defect 10 it? II they did not To-
tend TO stand TO it why did they make
it ? Here is a dead less TO the Stale.
For this institution one hundred thous-
al d dollars was appropriated by the
last Legislature 10 build 40 asy lum.-
The law rquIr, d It 10 be completed by
Jan usrv |. 1898 To DAY there. is
nothing dOte but the wall, and the
Board ls here With d, mai that one