Daily Kennebec journal., 1899-03-09

fairs. and hereafter no physician Ii
to have anything to do with that insti-
tuition except to perform his medical
or surgical services. And those sef-
| vices are performed for nothing: ana
I have the right to say that DR.. Weeks
| and DR.. Gordon, both of whom gave
years OF their service to the Maine
General hospital. two men than whom
there are no physicians In this State
| who stand higher. saidto me personally
that this institution needed this ap-
preparation, and that with all their In
come. and with this appropriation they
would fall short and the citi4ens Of
Portland had got. in addition. to raise
between $4,000 and $4,000 year to keep
it going. They need this money. Unless
you are going to blot 1t out Of exist
ence. They have done 13 years faith
| full service. and why shouldn't this
charity be continued? This ID one Of
the charities of all charities that we
should help. and believe that the rep
resentatives of this Legislature have
| duty to perform as well as q ques-
| tion OF an appropriation to settle. We
ought to do our. duty first. There -
| no trouble about the appropriation.
We have not been extravagant in, any
thing. We have only Appropriated for
the sick. the unfortunate and for the
schools. And am gladtof, II. / favor
/, every one of those appropriations and
| propose to do 1t to the end. five
other directions. *, -.
Last year, in this institution 2433
hours were spent in the clinical work
of the out-patient department. The
number Of days of free board given to
patients was 1851. an amount Ave
times that provided for in free beds by
friends of the inflrmary: and in addi-
ton to that there are a number of free
beds in that infirmary, provided by
wealthy and generous men. where pa
tients can go and have their treatment
free. In the report of the Maine Eye
and Ear Infirmary they say. lin re-
SPONGE to the urgent call from General
Richards and Mayor Randall an oppor-
tunity was afforded during the year
to accommodate large number OF the
soldiers who were sent home critically
III of typhoid fever. An endeayor was
made to relieve their sufferings. restore
them to health and to their homes a.
speedily as possible" Those soldiers
NcIf CaIcu IOT dt tUdJ luSIltulIUus
True, they have made charge against
the general government for 1t, but they
have not received their pay. The gov
ernment has made an offer Of 81 day.
which is far less than the expense In
Cured in taking care of those people.
They have In addition a nurse school,
Now there is nothing that this State
needs more than trained nurses. II I
t,aA krx ,l>~ 49, =
physician and nurse in case OF
sickness. l would take the trained
nurse. And taking 1t all In all this Ia
stftutl0n has done its work sp1ent1idly
In all these years. and now. becatSe
there is little petty jealousy existigs
between two physicians. which has
nothing to do with the work Of the In
stltution. are we going to stand here
and say that we will indefinitely post
pone It? AS said. both OF the physi-
clans concerned in this dlniculty are on
record as asking for the appropriation
for this Institution. And I hope that
the motion to indefinitely postpone Will
not prevail.
Mr.. FIELD OF Oakland: This re-
solve. was tabled by me some two
weeks or more ago. ! was frank
enough to say that there were some
things connected with the institutlon
that did not meet With my approval.
/ consulted with my friends In this
House and met the trustees Of this In
stitutlon. l met the physicianS to
whom I presume the gentleman from
Augustn refers. and after taking with
them all and finding out all l could
about It, ] decided to withdraw my OBJ.
lection to the .resolve-ahd why? I
did 1t because feared. upon the care.
full examination that I had INSIDE, that
! should be doing that which thought
might he wrong. ! met physician OF
Portland who. after a conversation
with me and after having told me or
the difficulties connected with the In.
stitution, after having told me OF the
OF the institution and
finding fault in regard to 1t. he said.s"I
do not want to oppose this appr6pfiA-
tion because Il Is great Institution
for the benefit of the poor
Now. gentlemen. consider that
am one OF the most careful members
il regard to the question Of taxation.
would be the last to vote for
measure to burden the poor OF the
State: but felt, after this investlea-
tior that ! made. that this institution
was doing great work for the poor,
and that it was my solemn duty ID
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