New-York tribune., 1891-02-06
COUNTY SUPERVISORS BEATEN.
THE ASSEMBLY PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS COM
MITTEE TO REPORT THE ACKER BILL
STRONG ARGUMENTS by JOHN NJ. BOWERS DR.
c. r MACDONALD AND OTHERS IL SUPPORT
OF THE MEASURE APPROPRIATING
INsANE-THE OPPOSITION.
-BY TELEoEArH TO THE TnIBUSE.I

rBr TELEGRAPH 10 THE IhLbUSE-I
Albany. Feb. 5.-Thc latest rally OF the county
superncndents Of the poor against the humane policy
OF the state 20 the insane poor from the county
pOorhouscs 10 the state insane asylnins. 10 al ap-
pesrances VIII lie their last ditch" To-day some
fifteen of them appeared. IN opposition 10 Mr. AokeTs
BILL approprIatng $4,000 fr the enlargement OF the
state Insane aeyums, before the Committee on Public
Institutions. There we're present. myOrns the Dil,
Miss Louisa NJ schuyler. of The state Charities Ala
Society: John NJ Bowers. OF New York. vino came 10
speak In place OF Professor Charles F. Chandler ana
Dr. Samue h. Ward. OF Albany. The hearing was
c!ten in the Assembly Chamber, which was crowhei
with spectators. After listening ior two houfH 10
speeches for and against the bill. the committee No'cu'
with one exception report the bill favoraby 70 tAe
Assembly, and the county supe1ntendchta VI 'c P'''
went away a humbed LOT Of men
Mr. Bowers made a convincing argument for ue
BILL depicting the horrors of the present mahaeemc"'
Of the county pDorhoses He argued that clVlhHa'o"
demanded that the reform Of last year. hy which ue
state assumes th, Of The insane. should not gNS
way to barbarous rcactionary movement pr'
Ward. Of Albany, as physician also warmly sup
ported the bill
benjamin W. Downing who represented Queens
County was the first speaker who opposed the BILL
He thought the idea OF the state caring for the n''
was an outrage, and proposed what would be pi''''-
cal notification Of the law namely, to appropriate
thi, year only money enough TO pay the salaries u
the Commissioners Of Lunacy. II the Oleens 'on"N
asylum is a. he pictured IT, there would seem to be Huo
use in changing the system far a, It Is concerned
Bu- a few welldirected question, from Assembly man
sutherland showed that the buildings are hreuaps
Of the most dangerous sort. and that all the "aN,
supply THAI this institution has IS what Is pumped
out Of wells by wndmlls.
EX-Asscmh1yman nixon, ~ Chaulauqua county,
followed Mr.. Downing in long speech against me
bill The main poin, of hs argument was the expense
Of establishing the system. II was his opinion hat III
the end the cost would run way up into the MN
Ions
Dr. Levi. Of Albany. who has been a leader n the
movement 10 establish ths system Of state care iT
the insane. followed Mr.. Nixon. Dr. Levi said tha
he represented the state Medical society which haS
membership n 1000 physicians. and which hah
passed unanimously resolutions In favor Of inc
| proposed plnn He told how in the county a7ylnm'
people who had bcn insane for or two wears weI
given mp as chronic insane. but who In the
state Institutions were treated constantly with the
idea in mind that while there IS lie
here i, hopc7 He asked II h. had
ever heard that there was any politics IN H. ana
he responded with prctiily wordcd compliment th1
the doctors Of the state had been brought to the sup
port Of the idea by tie energy Of Il woman. to whom
all the honor due.
Dr. Carlos F Macdonald the president OF the state
Commission in Lunacy took the noor and denied EN-
phat!oay some Of the charges that had been made ~
Mr. Nixon. In place II the institution, costing the
state $500 for each Insane pcr-on who
will he taken TO them. IT VIII cost not
more than al 100. "Tlc Quccns County asylum is
fire trap-in fact, rittlctrap.' he exclaimed. Ito
added that there was no water supply. ard the snper-
intcndent Of that institution told him that thcy zen
orally bahcd six eight inmates In the same water
The water is puitpcd by a wind min. and w''h The
wind does not blow there T. no water. The h>ttu
tlous In New York city were ably managed and had
n, ls Il Df
room for All he insane Il be- treated the Nttl" eN-
p.cesi o. tFctt chem The building 10 Dee construed
would be - bee simple formtory fylc. adapcd tp the
asyluM purposes. and would be- crstsd pn th' ~tate
Hospital land. Regarding the CAlu.tuqu1 ASYLUM. u
which much hal been -ad Dr. NacDp.iid ifdrd
that of the b,--t pf the county Institutions.
yet IL i-ll far below ~" afdtri' In.- l>f .fIfiJu
supports rs paupcrS and Deanc fr ~ l. week. and
pay physician 300 year I, attend 4" liu 30 mates.
After the hearing ilhd lrci adjourned. t.iGrr
short executive meeting of the committee. n DID
not talk" two Uinutce - illrr vot" on Tho BILL and
all of The members Of the committee. except MIR Nc.
k"nIa ~ queens Comfy. voted 20 report the hill g.
vDraby 70, il stood without cutting the appropriation
down n dollar.