The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-02-02

ings, and, as far ~ my recpl ectIon goes
there was no such idea that the cost OF these
buildings should be limited TO $500 000
Section 1 Of that bill
Mr. FOWLER: The then Senator from
Allen County Mr.. Belly. told me last night
that il was the general sense of Senator'S
who supported that BILL that Ii would cost
only 5000, 600 to complete these buildings
give 1t to the Senate Just es Senator Bell
gave ii to me.
Mr.. CAMPBELL: was going to call at.
tention 10 the act. Reads. IL was not ex.
pected they would DC completed in two
years, but at the ex piratioo Of that time
other commissioners would be appointed TO
carry on the work. / believe the work will
be better done If we pass this bill appro pri
atipg the aggregate amount leaving specific
amounts to be Fixed By the commissioners as
we did two years ago.
Mr.. MCINTOSH | want to refer to
matter the Senator has Just spoken of and
want &c state what / Know. L was in the
Senate all the time that bill was considered
in open Senate, and, as it happened, heard
the committee discussing the question some.
1t was plain and easy understood, and every
Senator ought to know that the 5000 900 was
TO build those hospitals. / urged upon
the Senator from Vanderburg Mr..
Rshm1 when the bill provided for
hospital to be added to it. / told him
wanted to vote for his bill, bat he told me
that Senator Bell insisted he must have one
at Fort Wayne; and they got the bill
amended go ss TO build three. On the floor
OF the Senate no one estimated what they
would cost. But the ten IN section of the
bill implies. and the understanding was that
100000 was all that would be asked for.
That is the way / understood it although |
voted sgainst the bill. There is where they
got away with those who had an
implied understanding nat 100000
would build these institutions. Reads
Section 10 likes a sliding scale
for tie capacity of these institutions
not less than 200 nor more than 700. At
the central hospital the management say
that il costs about 81. 900 bed. If the Ca
pscity of each Of these three hospitals was
fixed at 200, the presumption is fair that
500 600 for each would have been enough.
And Senators talked upon the floor here
that probably they would want to build cot
taee hospitals, and didn't want them so
large. That was not the i'm piled under
stan ding, but it was talked. 1t was my IN
derstandiDg, and, believe, that OF the Sen.
ate, that SEQ, 900 would build each Of the
three small hospitals. although the shape
the thing was in | voted against
the bill promised my people after i was
elected there was nothing said about ii be-.
fore hat / would use my influence and
give my vote to build an additional
hospital for the insane, but the way that
i
/ am opposed to 1T to-day. Ii We can get at
what is proper and just TO the people am
in favor of building an additional asylum for
the insane. Superintendent Fletcher, of
the Central Hospital, says in his report that
sos are all the insane in the State outside of
the hospital, and many of these, under the
law, are not entitled 10 be admitted 10 the
State Hospital. Five hundred and eight is
the number in the report be makes.
Reads Where are the 020 TIE Senator
nom Cass Mr. Msgee) talks a5out2
Mr.. NJ AGEE: 10 1850 seventy five couu-
ties reported 65S persons IL The alms-hOuses,
incurable insane but it was estimated that
there are about . 600.
Mr.. MCINTOSH (resuming): Superintend-
ent Fletcher says there ia some error in gath
ering the statistics of 1850, and there was a
false impression made. As he has made this
business and q study, rely more upon
what he says than anything | could gather
myself. Two years ago, | confess, | wss
under the Impression that there wss larger
number; but have changed my mind about
that. There is another singular thing about
this: Eight hundred and thirty-four thous-
and four hundred and forty one dollars, they
claim, is the contract price for building the
three institutions, so they ask, with the
appropriation made two years ago and with
the appropriation contained in this bill,
S22S, 55S more than the printed price of all
three buildings. 1t is the duty Of this SEN
ate and of the General Assembly 70 take care
OF the interests OF the taxpayer, and for
one expect to stand here advocating their
cause until the close of the session.
Mr.. FOULKE: 1t is q very excellent
thing, and highly gratifying to the taxpay-
ers to know that there are men on the floor
OF the Senate so ready and willing to Cham
pion their cause. The Senator from Owen
(Mr. Fowler said among other objections to
this bill there are other claims before us that
W / CO
upon this floor If there Is any other claim in
this wide world which is paramount TO the
claim of the insane? l ask If there is any
class of beings under the sun so utterly I'M
der your power for protection as that class
who it has pleased Divine Providence to de-
prive of their reason?
Mr.. WEIR: Has the Senator from Wayne
any reason to suppose there is apy Senator
on this floor not in favor of doing all thai
can be done for that unfortunate class o.
people?
Mr.. FOULKE: The Senator must have
forgotten that there has been within twenty
four hours a proposition made here to cut
of two OF these asylums; that the contracts
should be carried out, but only one should
be furnished for the space of the next two
years. II is said by the Senator from Greene
(Mr. McIntosh) that Superintendent Fletcher
reports that there are only sos outside of the
asylUms unpTovided for. l submit if he
bad read line or two farther the paper
shows 10 such thing. Reads Now what
are the facts-in the County Poor-houses
alone there are more than sos persons who
require treatment. The only question to
consider is how many insane are there in
this State unprovided for. and what
means should be taken to provide for them
The aggregate capacity of The three institu-
tons viii be nearly 1854; the act provides
the minimum shall be 600 and the maxi
mum 2,1O0. / remember il was stated in
con- mittee two years ago that $500, 900 would
carry us two years. Ny recollection is that
statement was made by the Senator from
Alien Mr.. Bell, who now says he under
stood the entire appropriation was to be
5000 eco.
Something has been said as to the manner
in which this law was put through. That
act upon the part of the last General Assem-