San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-10-07
THE LUNATIC ASYLUM.

While the question of locating the
lunatlc asylum for southwest Texas
is under consideration it may not be
amIss to note some facts in connection
with the legislation which created
this locating committee and ordered
the construction of an asylum in
southwestern Texas. The bill was
introduced by the representative
from Bexar county the Hon. ID. {.
Robinson, and as presented called
for an asylum to be located on not
less than 100 acres of land and for the
purpose of erecting such Asylum the
sum of $4,000 was asked for. The
number of acres was increased to
600 and the appropriation cut down
to $4,000 against the judgment
of the mover of the bill and for the
purpose of defeating its location at
San Antonio, as the appropriation
$3.50, 900 was made to cover the cost of
the land, the erection of the building
and its furnishing with all modern
appliances and improvements. Those
who were unfriendIy to this city con-
Guided that with 600 acres to provide
for anywhere in the vicinity of San
Antonio would call for so large an
amount of the $50, 900 that it would
be impossible to locate asylum in the
vicinity of this city. Then to relieve
themselves from the charge of OBJ
structing the erection of the asylum by
demanding the location upon so large
an area of ground the authors of this
change introduced the clause allowing
donations of land or bonuses in such
sections as would bid for it's location.
Now one great objection made by the
state to the location of the asylum
elsewhere than in southwest Texas
was tho cost of moving patients to the
asylum. Out of every hundred pa
tents who will be taken to this asy-
lum wherever it is located; ninety will
pass through San Antonio en- route to
it, and the question of economy would
be answered in the end, to the whole
region interested in the asylum, by
locating the asylum at this point bet
ter than it could possibly be answer
ed by locating it anywhere else.
The building of this asylum means
the immediate outlay of Sl50,OOO in
this city and vicinity and the annual
ouUit.y vi Ull0 NOly COboiuCi'oAO houi
Der of thousands of dollars necessary
to maintain its service. 1t is no.
where stated in the bill that the
amount of donations offered is to de-
termine in any way the location of
the asylum. They are left perfectly
untramelled in that matter and are
required to consult the sanitary char
acter of the location, its availability
as point to which patients can be
removed at least cost, and also as a
point at which it's supplies can be
most economically drawn, and such
other matters as naturally present
themselves to the commissioners APP
pointed to locate the asylum.
That this asylum should be located
within or near the corporate bounds
of this city there is no question.
Every consideration of economy and
necessity urges this, but it does seem
as though the bill was expressly
amended out of the form in which it
was presented to the legislature by
Judge Robinson in order to prevent
the location of that asylum in this
city. Whether the object so palpably
sought will be attained remains to be
seen. San Antonio certainly has 1t In
her power to negative that attempt at
handicapping her, by offering such
monetary inducements as will offset
the disadvantages of that large landed
area.