The Portland daily press., 1894-08-03
IT SHOULD BE VETOED.

the statement that the funds we're
wanted for an elevator is entirely enron
eous, that there is no more foundation
Ior such statement than there is for
one that the money was wanted to buy
a pair of horses for the president of the
board OF trustees. Evening Express.
The first order to appropriate $1,000 for
the Eye and Ear Inhrmary was presented
in the Board of Aldermen on the even
ing of the first Monday in June. Ac-
companying that order was a statement
which is now on file in the city clerks
office of the work of the institution pre-
pared by DR.. Holt or under his direction
in which occurred the following:
The work of the institution speaks for
itself. 1t has been conducted on business
principles, with rigid economy, and can
amount of money expended, than any
other institution in the country. Con-
tracts have been made for the putting in
! OF an elevator and efforts are being made
| TO obtain money to meet this expense.
The trustees have never been disappoint-
ed IN their appeals for assistance to eX-
tend and perfect the sphere of usefulness
of this institution because our people
are proud of its success and the great
work it has done for the poor of the
State. 1t will continue to do good work
and with the elevator the lame and the
aged will find added comforts to their
sojourn while within it's walls. Since
this expense is to be met largely by vol
untary contribution it needs your SYM
pathy. and support in any way you may
be able to extend it.
DR.. Holt may fairly be reckoned a
friend to this institution, and in this
statement of his the elevator is alluded
to three separate times, and in way
certainly to suggest tina this money, or
a part or it, was wanted for that pur-
pose. What can be the meaning of the
last sentence--"it needs your sympathy
and support in any way you may be
able to extend it."
But really the purpose for which the
| moneyswas wanted or is now wanted is
of little consequence. We don't question
that it would be we'll expended. Our
contention is that the city ought not to
appropriate it, no matter for what purpose
it is to be used. The 1nfirmary is not an
institution under the control of the city,
and is not therefore a proper institution
to contribute money to directly. That
fact has been recognized by the Infirmary
people themselves, inasmuch as they
have substituted for the original order
which provided for a gift of $1,000, an
order that provides for the appropriation
of that sum to be paid for services to
be rendered in the treatment of the
poor of the city. The only question now
is Sought the city to appropriate this
money for this purpose" This institu-
tion is not local institution. Its object
as stated in it's constitution is " the estab-
lishment and maintenance of an Infirmary
in Portland, Maine. where a daily clinic
may be held for the treatment, free of
charge, of poor persons throughout the
State, suffering from diseases of the eye
and ear" The poor throughout the State
are entitled by the contract it made
with the people when it was Incorporate
ed to be treated free of charge" Now
this last order practically asks the city
council of Portland to discriminate
against their own city by paying for the
treatment of its poor, while the poor of
all the rest of the State are treated free
of charge. 1t asks the city council to
forego on behalf of the people of Port
land the rights they are entitled to in
this institution. Now we question if
the city council have any moral right
TODD that. They are surrendering for
one year something that they practically
say is of the value of $1,000, and are get
ting nothing in return. They are tax
ing money of which they are simply
trustees and paying it for something the
people are entitled to have for nothing.
There might be some excuse for this if
Portland had been contri buting little to
his institution in comparison with the
rest of the State. If we were furnishing
most of the patients and contributing
comparatively little, then an equitable
claim might be created for an occasional
donation. But as matter of fact more
than half the money with which the
institution has been erected and sup
ported has come from Portland. From
the State it has received so far $25, 900. of
this Portland has had to pay more than
an eighth. From appropriations from
the city government of Portland it has
already received So, $780, OF the "patronsr
of the institution-to become patron
requires gift of at least $500-sixteen
out of twenty are Portland people. Of the
life members-a contribution of at least
500 is required to make person a life
mem ber- ninety-four out of Ill are Port.
land people or societies. OF the, donors
SO out of o5 are Portland people. In
view of these figures showing as they dc
that Portland and Portland's people
have contributed as much as all the rest
of the State put together, it does seem
as if the poor of this city were as much
entitled to its privileges and on as fav.
orable terms as the poor of Augusta OF
Lewiston or Bangor. Disguise it az
much as you may this appropriation Of
$1,000 will be nothing more or less thar
the gift of that amount of the taxpayers
money to this institution, for which
nothing will be given that the people
were not entitled to without it. The cit,
council has no moral right to give thi.