The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-07-30
DOCTOR HARRIsoN's DEFENSE.

DIR. Thomas III. Harrison, or Insane
Hospital notoriety, has published a de-
tense of his management of that institu-
ton. He styles it ga few facts about
the late management of the Insane Hos
pital." The facts he gives are very few
compared with those he does not give.
At the outset he makes the following
statement:
The hospital was not governed by civil
service" 1t was absolutely a partisan
management, as was evidenced by the fact
that Wayne township, in which the hos
pital is located, was changed from Re.
publican majority to nearly four hundred
Democratic within a period OF SIX years.
This became alarming to the Republican
leaders of Marion county, who could read
lily see that their majority was quietly slip
ping from under them.
This is frank, to say the least. We be-
heve it has never been charged that the
management of the hospital under the
Harrison regime was nOn-partisan, but
the foregoing statement is the first Off
cial admission that it was run solely as
political machine. DR.. Harrison evil
IDENTIFY takes great credit to himself for
having revolutionized the politics of
Wayne township, but the people will
see in this fact clear proof of all the
charges of political corruption and ring
management at the hospital. He gives
the political change in Wayne township
as the reason for the Republican attacks
on his administration and all the inves-
LEGATIONS that followed.
Referring to the campaign and cleo
ton of 1888, in which the hospital man
agement played a prominent part, he
says: "The Democrats lost the State,
and they went searching for cause.
Some laid it at the door of the hospital,
and were ready to denounce the manage
ment because the party had been de-
feated, in the face of the fact that
Wayne township had increased her ma
jority and saved the legislative ticket in
Marion county" This is delightful.
The Doctor cannot see how any person
could lay the Democratic defeat in the
State at the door of the hospital when,
by means of it, "Wayne township had
increased her majority and saved the
Was there ever more extraordinary in
stance of partisan stupidity? - Tisa'
When he comes to speak of the in
vestigatiOn of last winter, DR.. Harrison
says: Gan investigation was in order
by joint committee, whose purpose
seemed to be to investigate the contracts
of John E. Sullivan, produce-dealer,
with the hospital. Sullivan had been
elected county clerk two years before,
but still continued in business, and had
received most of the contracts for sup
plies in his line. He had defaulted in
office, failed in business, and was charged
with being guilty of criminal acts. He
became alarmed, took flight and left
the country, and simply because
he had received most of the
contracts, that committee reported adj
versely to the management" Was
there ever a more prejudiced and un-
reasonable committee? Observe the
tenderness with which DR.. Harrison let's
Sullivan down; he was charged with
being guilty of criminal acts, became
alarmed, took flight and left the cOun-
try" The Doctor seems to have an
abiding faith that Sullivan was an innO-
cent and much abused man.
The rest of the defense is an attempt
to prove that the management of the
hospital was not in any respect as bad as
was charged, and that, in addition to
making Wayne township largely Demo-
cratic, it was an excellently managed
institution in other respects. The DEM
ocratic party should hire DR.. Harrison
to keep still.