The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-09-04
THE MAYORS VETO.

Mayor Baxter last night vetoed the or
der appropriating $1,000 to maintain a
dispensary at the Eye and Ear Infirmary.
and the order contracting for fire boat
service for the next five years, which was
passed at at recent meeting of the Coun-
Gil. The Mayor gives his reasons in two
messages, the text of which will be
found elsewhere.
The Eye and Ear mfr mary appropria-
zion is vetoed on the general grounds
that a dispensary is not needed, and that
money appropriated for the relief of the
poor can be expended better by the Ov-
erseers of the Poor than by private
corporation. like the Maine Eye and Ear
Infrmary. These reasons are amply
sufficient to justify his disapproval of the
orders There is no occasion whatever
for the maintenance of dispensary at
the Infirmary for the benefit of the poor
who are not able to buy the medicines
they need. Ample provision is made for
that class already, in far -aore practi.
cal and appropriate manner IAN the
Infrmary order contemplates. An order
from the City Physician upon the Over
seers of the Poor will supply the poor
with all the medicines they need. Max
ing the Infirmary dispensary would
serve merely to provide another source
of supply which is not needed.
Mayor Baxter's second reason that
money appropriated for the poor can be
expended better by the Overseers than
by private corporation is obviously
as sound as the first The statute evil
dently contemplates. that relief shall be
supplied through the Overseers of the,
Poor, for it says that "Overseers shall
have the care of persons chargeable to
the town, and cause them to be re.
lleved at the expense of the town." 1t is
certainly questionable if, under this
statute, the town has the right to place
the relief of the poor into their hands as
this order contemplates doing. But
even if it has the legal right it would
be policy to do SO, especially if, as in
the case under consid eration, the con-
Germ to which the matter is left is in
no way made responsible to the city, and
is to be at liberty to charge whatever
it sees fit for medicine. for professional
services and for attendance Practical
ly this order says to the Maine Eye and
Ear Infirmary, "Take one thousand dol
lars and return for it IN the way of med
cal relief to the poor whatever you see
it," 1t contemplates no supervision of
this dispensary, no regulation of charges
for nursing, or board, or professional
services. 1t simply hands oves $1,000 with
out any question whatever that the In
Urinary will return for it, it's worth of
medical relief. The City Council have
no moral right to appropriate the tax
payers money in such a careless and
I'm businesslike way as this. They are
simply trustees for the taxpayers, and
it is obviously their duty to see that the
city gets the full value of the money
spent. So obviously is the arrangement
by the order, a one-sided
one, in which the city gives everything
and Is guaranteed nothing a5 all defin-
lite, that we believe that not a single
member of the City Council would have
it if he lad viewed it in the
light OF contract by which the CITY
was to pay certain sum for services,
Had the Council looked at it in this
light, they would have insisted on |
knowing exactly what was to be given
the city for the one thousand dollars.
they would have insisted the prices the |
city was to kbe chargedstor medicines |
should at least be the market price. and
that some definite agreement be made in
regard to the rate of payment for nurs-
ng and board. But as matter OF |