Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-03-19

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not know but what there are those pre-.
sent who desire that the State OF Maine
should no longer lead, that her insfifu,
lions snaii no longer grow. ! cannot be.
Legislature. But In answer to the criti.
cism made In that direction, those who
framed the resolve have very carefully
provided that 1t In q part of this resolve
that ~ mo new contract shall be begun un-
buildings are concerned. and the two
payilions to be erected are contracted for.
Including all furnishing necessary to re-
ceive patients. and the total cost for ali
such buildings and furnishings. Including
the expenses Of commission. when COM
plcted and ready for occupancy, shall not
exceed the amount Of this appropriation. =
] desire to give public utterance to my
sincere belief that the opponents OF this
measure take the position which they do
out of the best OF motives but say to
you that l resent with equal frankness
the insinuation OF any member upon this
floor that those who favor the hospital.
or who have favored 1t since the ed OF
February, have been brought TO their
position by improper motives. (Applause).
i take IL as a personal insult to the
honor and integrity which are the stock
In trade Of any legislator that member
of this House should make the statements
touching the integrity and the honor Of
members of this House that have. been
made; and / think that when the menu
DER WHO IndQe t0OSt StdtemeUIS snail In
months later calmly contemplate in print
the words which he addressed to the
members of this House, he will regret
that In the heat of debate he said what ne
did. The gentleman from Pressure Isle.
in his speech of yesterday. practically
admitted that If he were convinced OF the
need of this institution he would not on
pose it. Some remarks approaching
Righteousness have been INDUCED in BY
members with reference to the source OF
infOrYna tim which hcra haua
in determining the merits of this question.
The necessity for this institution is the
first and most important question. II Is
not merely a question of how many peo-
pie In the hospital at Augusta are sleep
ing on cots, but il comes to much more
humane question. In brief 1t is this that
the census, officially made by careful in
vestigators, shows that there are today
and demented people. Considerably less
than half of that number are being cared
for in an institution grossly overcrowded
In other words the State of Maine has
not provide accommodations for the
needy. Is 1t not the plainest proposition
that the number of uncared for outside
of the hospital must continue to be as
large as IT is for good many years to
come? 1t Is now 81 years since the State
has been attempting to care for the in
sane at Augusta; and you will see by the
figures that there has been gradual in
crease in the number of patients, with the
exception Of one single year In the early
part of the forties. Little by little the
State provided larger Accommodations. I'M
til the matter began to be considered
seriously In 1883 as to the crowded con-
dition. In the reports of the superintend-
ent and of the trustees and of the visit
ing committee of that year the attention
of the State was called to the fact that
there must be greater accommodations
for the patients. 1 regret the temper and
nlSD0gltion 0f hndV nf od a
representative body which assumes the
attitude that its public servants are pub
lie rascals; and while 1t may be and
probably is true that no one directly ac-
BY fhsinuation it has been said that those
men who have charge of our public in
situations. and who come here day after
day and spend their time for which they
get nothing to ask for an appropriation.
which is not pleasant thing to dol say
that 1t is said that those men, by fnsinua-
ton 1t is said, that they have a private
,her tna1 ey are doing
of your kith and kin. The visiting COM
mittee of the insane hospital in 1888 said
that here were about rs more patients at
the institution than there was rooms. In
1889. with the number still increasing,
provision was made for the building of
two pavilions. They were erected, but
in 1891 and 1892 they said in their report
that the number of insane at the hospital
and that the present accommodations for
patients were entirely exhausted. A lit
tie over two years after these pavilions
were built. they report to us that the
hausted. In 1898 the trustees say in their
report, THE crowded condition of the
hospital still continues. The question of
a new hospital is one which must be met
effort has been made to free the hospital
of patients who can be otherwise cared
for without personal or public detri-
ment." That is the attitude to which you
have driven your trustees and your SUI
perintendent. Has every effort been made
to place the State of Maine in the adj
vance guard of those who care for those
who depend upon them? No. but every ef-
them. The daily average of patients for
each successive year has been increasing
in the hospital at Augusta until at the
close of the present period 1t does fall
little below last years report: and gen.
tlemen say that for that reason you do
not need your Bangor hospital that DR.:
Sanborn says that they have succeeded
in getting the average number below last
years report. and l say that that is the
position in which you have placed your
that by hook or crook they have
had to admit the violent ones. no one
has been denied admission because those
who could be cared for at home were
kept at home by their relatives who did
not want to take them to a hospital which
was over-crowded.. l submit that it is
not a fair argument that here are no adj
denied when those admissions
were obtained by the crowding out of
others. 1t is not fair argument to urge
the fact that hey got a little below the
previous year when they did 1t by adopt.
ing the policy which you have forced
them into.
Is there no force in the argument for
new hospital that there are $50 patients
improperly cared for at Augusta? Is
there no argument in the fact. when the
census shows that there are now nearly
Zoo insane or demented people In Maine
demanding care. that we are willing to
provide for good deal less than 50 per
cent. of them? Is there no argument m
the fact that Maine stands the lowest
IF any state in New England in the per-
;entage of her unfortunate that she cares
for? Is there no argument In the fact
that so large portion of our unfortunate
are uncared-for? But If that question
were settled in the affirmative, that there
IS a need of another institution, then an.
other question comes to us as practical
men. can we afford It? / realize the UNI
popularity Of advocating large appropria-
lions. There is a certain degree OF COM
which comes to the man who
resolutely sets his teeth against appr0-
priating a single dollar; but say that II
It has got to that. that a man cannot
honestly express his opinion on the floor
Of this House without improper criticism.
befng attacked as to his motives.