The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-14
He Thinks They Are Not a Re-
quiSite to Good Official
Management.
PHYSICIANS ARE INDIGNANT.
Their Wrath Poured Forth Upor
the Executive and the Board
of Examiners.

terrapin, Southern clans and Eastern oys-
tiers, pineapples from the tropics and
oranges from Riverside, Napa wine with a
Bordeaux stamp, sherry from nowhere,
shrimps, ale and alcohol-this is the list
through which Governor Budd has drawn
his blue pencil, after due deliberation with
other members of the State Board of Ex-
aminers. In learned opinion the suave
and astute Attorney-General Fitzgerald
urges the chief executive on.
The edict has gone forth and the majesty
of the law must be upheld. 1t was bad
enough to lose the telephones, and now
| hearken to the wall that follows that mem
DRY of dear days agone-terrapin and
! champagne days-no more to return. Can
a man in the employ of the State be ex-
pected to train for high official flights on
the plain diet of a laborer?
The Governor says yes, and his Attor-
ney-General concurs.
The Secretary of State quotes authorities
to show that State officials have lived,
labored and died without ever knowing
the taste of terrapin or champagne, or ever
having seen a telephone. But all this is
not satisfactory and the epicures who pre-
side over the big institutions of the State
are very mad.
Ominous mutterings of the approaching
storm have been in the air for some time,
and cloudburst was looked for here to-
day when the trustees of the insane asy-
lum met to argue the point with Governor
Budd and his Attorney General. His Ex-
cellency, however, did not put in an ap-
pearance and Fitzgerald was likewise
absent, thus leaving the representation of
the State to Lew Brown and Secretary
George Pratt The routine business of the
board was quickly transacted. 1t con-
sisted in re-electing the old staff of physi-
clans, as follows: DR.. A. M. Gardner,
superintendent and resident physician;
DIR. l.. F. Dozier, first assistant; DIR. G. R.
Bowles, second assistant; DR.. Dresback
Smith, third assistant.
With one exception the choice was un-
animous. When nominations for first
assistant were declared in order Trustee A.
J. Hull arose and placed in nomination DR..
Crowder of Santa Rosa. Trustee r. P.
Landin nominated DR.. DoZier for re-elec-
ton, and upon balloting the latter re-
ceived the vote of all the members of the
board, with the exception of Hull, who
stood firmly by his friend from Santa
Rosa.
Trustee Howe then introduced a resolu-
ton reducing the salary of the second
assistant physician from $500 per annum
to $4,000. Hull opposed the resolution on
formed the same duties as those assigned
to other members of the staff. In his
opinion they should all fare alike.
Howe argued for his resolution. he
saw conformity to the policy of the present
Observation-Disclosures 1t was not
wise, he said, to place the members of the
staff upon a financial equality. Hull
finally offered an amendment to the Howe
resolution fixing salaries at the old figures
$250O per annum for the first and second
assistants and $500 per annum for the
third.
Hull then announced the presence of
Brown and Pratt from the State Board of
Examiners, and regretted the absence of
Governor Budd and Attorney General
Fitzgerald, who had promised to come up
and argue on telephones and terrapin. He
(Hulr desired a private conference with
the examiners present. Continuing he said:
az do not know the powers granted to
the State Board of Examiners, but some
body is wrong. They have refused to pass
certain items in our bills since January,
varying from $3.50 down to SIS. Recently
two barrels of ale were cut from bill-a
mere matter of $50. This ale was ordered
by the doctor for patients, and was abso-
lutely necessary. Not drop of it went to
nourish the physicians.
"We are personally liable under the law
for the payment of luxuries cut out on the
bills. will not stand any such nonsense,
and furthermore. will not have my char
acter besmirched by Governor Budd or any
one else."
Secretary of State Brown arose to reply.
''We have made no Distinction" he be-
gan, land no one, as far as am aware, has
cast reflections upon any member of this
board. Our policy is one of retrenchment.
We are in office to prevent the unnecessary
expenditure of State funds, and we pro-
pose to do our duty. In institutions of
this kind line must be drawn between
necessities and Injuries. Much money has
been wasted"
Then Mr.. Brown went on to explain why
the telephones had been cut off, and how
the superintendent of certain State insti-
tuition had been given to paying So for a
pair of ducks, two or three times week
for his private table, all on the State, of
course.
DIR. Gardner rose to reply. He said that
luxuries were necessary for some of the pa
tents, and that he could not consistently
put the same fare before visitors as that
served to his wards.
1--WE have visitors here" continued DIR.
Gardner, ''from all parts of the world, who
carry away impressions. They must be
entertained Many things rejected on our
bills are allowed at San Quentin, Agnews
and Stockton, and still in the face of this
fact our expense per capita is SO cents,
while in other places it is Y cents. We
consume less liquor here than in the other
institutions, and the so-called luxuries cost
only 125S cents per head for the twenty-four
patients requiring extra fare. II the State
will not allow the expense of proper food
for my guests then the money must come
out of my own pocket"
Mr.. Brown said that the discussion
might as well be postponed, as he was not
authorized to give instructions without the
Governors consent. In his opinion, how
ever the LIST 0f eypnnsive luyurieS should