Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1884-12-25
she kapenous LGnatic Asylum.

TIE amount Of money proposed to
te appropriated tHls year tor the
penal nd charitable insiltu ion, in
Siuth Carolina is Sl68,438. The
PEG ,en,iary COSTS but trlfe, and
ue expected appropriation tor the
Dsaf Dumb and Bind Asylum is
$40 0J0. The LuGs.ic Asylum ct
Columbia, thsreiore, swallows ns"|
nearly the whole OF tbs vast sum
shlch is asked for. There is nothing
e<pyc,aiiy surprising in this. Last
,,' i,;r Z ins M; naiu,euanoe of tho asyium
.ad the const, uction oi addlucaal
buildings was $l5l.5l 42, and the
estimate Of the Superintendent for
:ae preset year is $ll6,l22. This
Includes $ls.422 Tor completing the
central building.
The expenee Of the Luna:ic Asylum
is appalling. 1t costs nearly as much
as the combined executive and judi
,iai departments OF the State govern
m-ar. 1t COSTS three times es much
AS is p: osed 10 be given 70 the edu-
catlonal department, including the
1rur.priat ons for the G,adel Acade-
nav ~ and tie South Carolina University.
it cost last year nearly onehalt as
much az the interest on the public
debt amounted to Unlees some way
be found to curteil lts demands, tbs
Lunauc Asylum, in few years, Will
~, up the whole revenue Of the State:
TIE ordinary taxpayer will only h1d
lately from crushing taxation by tax
lns refuge IN the Lunatic Asylum IT.
sslt. The truly crazy penons ere
those who continue to pay taxes, and
are content to be 30 imposed on.
We fno no particular fault With
the management OF the Asylum. The
radical OF ct,on is that there are too
many persons there who are supported
and guarded at the expense OF the
:. state. Besides this, a considerable
! lumber of persons obtain admiasior
to the Asylum who are entirely
d harmless and need no supervision
J.. The superintendent says, IN his re
uyrt, that colored women, was SEN
It 10 the Asylum who is over 80 years
6 lid, and whose insanity is sir-fl.
: dotage." Frcm another county We
l. sent young negro man who had bee'
u removed cnIy twenty four days be
j. tore, and who is good ratured I'm
teclle who is able aud willing to as
a ,lst iu many simple industries. Ih
h superintendent says, too, tia. 1T !
Or not surprising that the death rat
should be high, as the authorities ar
d com2elled to admit, without dlscrim
lie na,,on, idiots, paralytics, dotard
ID druukards and epileptics, as we'll 6
At AL classes OF the insane.
er 1t ls expected that the sverae
to number o. inmates Of the Asy lu'
ID THIS year will be at least 6SO. In
number, under the present law, WI
IF include many persons who ought N
sd to be charge upon the State, an
On need not he sent to any Asylum. II
id superintendent seys:
he lit ls often charged that the AS
" Jun is ma:ntaiLiag at the expense
J.. The State nany persons who ore n
I'D fit subjects of it's charity. 1t is trr
In mt 1t Is not our !ault. No one is q
" m,,ted except in strict conformity
ois The law. In this State there are
ny ,us,,tuticns Tor the defective class
exceu. ths Lunatic Asylum and t.
70. Institution for. the Deaf and Dur
tn and Blind. There is no hospital o.
lou side of Charleston. With few exec
be lions, there is no we'll appointed cou
er. ear. ty poorhousea, and in popular est!n
,pe ue tIop tits more respectable to be IL IN
and and ASYLUM than in the poorhouse. Her
il happens that many Paralyt,,
.ud SIMPLE epileptics. natural imoecll
her pvr1ous helpless from old age' e
af iiuebriates, and, in short, all tn
oor who are troublesome ct home,
sent to the Asylum. If We discha'
eht them they are soon recommltt
and Mang of then are really objects
yer charity, but their proper place Is
ous in the Lunatic Asylum"
her This explains the nature OF
her evil. Who is to blamef 1t 10