The Elbert County tribune., 1899-02-23
WHAT THE COLORADO
LEGISLATURE IS DOING.

TOT TOItlr. UTluEtr- ltctlttti 1itf-o anu
other similar improvements. A slmi
lar report was submitted by the finance
committee of the Senate. Both were
considered together. and with an eye
only to the conservation of the finan-
cial resources of the state and the max
imum benefit to the different counties
Interested. To appease demand OF
over 81 100000 there Is about $2OO,OO0
available In the Internal Improvement
fund. At this time the exact sum In
the fund is S163,57G.54. With the nat
ural increase this will probably be IN
creased by $4,000. The SeDate report
of the finance committee showed that
bills have been introduced asking ap-
preparations for internal improvements
TO the amount OF S1.132,O0O. In addi-
tion to this sum the members of the
House demand S5ls. 700 worth of i'm
provements. This has no connection
with demand for S9i5,961-55 by the
House from the general fund. The
prevalent sentiment In the committee
was that several of the larger appro-
priations asked for should not be con-
sidered. such as that for state canal
No. !. for the Paris Exposition and for
extensive road projects. such as Sena-
tor Taylor's for n state boulevard from
Denver to Grand Junction. II was al
50 VI tbt iutti hsii
Improvement fund shall be spent for
improvements or additions OF any of
the state institutions. The committee
went on record as rigidly adhering to
the principle that the internal improve
ment fund shall he reserved exclusively
for the purposes for which 1t was Gre
ated
The Senate chamber Thursday Might
a. 4 It..-
who represented the various medical
schools engaged In sharp and acrim-
onious conflict The judiciary commit
tee of the Senate threw the doors wide
open for n full and free discussion of
the now famous Senate Bill No. 26I,
known as the medical practice bill.
The gallery of the chamber, as we'll as
the body of the room. was filled with
many regular" men and women, but
there was host of hypnotlsts. Christian
scientists. osteopaths. magnet healers.
Christian healers, psychic healers and
representatives OF psychlcal and meta
physical therapeutics. The discussion
was opened by DR.. Eskridge. who
spoke in favor of the measure, explain
ing its provisions and the scope of It's
influence. He did not believe that 1t
would in any way interfere with the
man or woman who was really quail
fed TO practice healing, but would SIM
ply tend 10 generally elevate the pro-
fession and practice of medicine. Mr..
Shed sounded the keynate Of the oppo-
siilon to the bill. He did not want to
abuse the doctors, he said. but he want
ed them to let him alone in the prac-
tice OF his method OF healing. He de
MED that there was an intention on the
part of the authors OF the measure TO
act honestly. The bill gave the medl-
cal board the power to say what regu-
lar college of medicine was. what med
icine was. and to play on these words
all they desired. 1t would be giving a
medical prescription. said he. to advise
a man TO take breath of fresh air or
a bath or n morning cocktail. He read
copiously from n work on medicine in
the seventeenth and eighteenth cen
turtles, when boiled grub worms, hog
lice ashes of sparrow feathers, pow
der of viper flesh. etc. Were healing
agents Medical science was. he said.
founded on conjecture and improved
by murder. and he described the aver
age doctor coming into the sick room
like condensed DEATH
The majority report of the commit
tee that investigated the insane asy-
lum has been adopted by the Senate.
This report exonerates DR.. Thombs.
The following was the vote on the
adoption of the report:
Yeas-Adams, Annear, Barela, Buck
ley, Evans. FELTON,, Fisher, Gaymon.
Harris. Hill. Maxwell. McCreery.
Parks. Porterfield, Stewart, Swink-16.
Nays-Ammons. Bucklin, Ehrbart,
Philip. Roe. Whitford-6.
In referring to the above action
Judge Dixon. the attorney of DIR.
Thombs, says: "rhe vote of the Sen
ate this afternoon is equal to an ac-
quittal. The vote announces the sense
of the Senate on the charges preferred
and the charges fell to the ground"
Judge Nixon said that owing to the
fact that Thombs tenure of office is
fixed by law and he Is bonded officer
of the state, the governor Of the state
has no authority TO remove him. The
Senate. which would be the impeach-
ing body. had exonerated Thombs. and
Thombs stood absolutely acquitted,
the procedure of the House being en-
tirely uncalled for and wholly without
precedent in the history of the coun-
try. The speedy action of the House.
in the opinion of Judge Nixon, indi-
Gated that the body WIS subservient To
th' h'ShtS VI 'Vih' lNopit WIN hit
anxious to effect n change in the office
of superintendent of the asylum. In
speaking of the future of the case the
judge said: "Governor Thomas is one
of the ablest lawyers of the state. and
Is recognized by those who know him
MS man of firm character. | have
no idea that the governor viii demand
the resignation of DR. Thombs nor will
he issue an order for the removal of
the doctor. The governor knows that
he has no such power. If the political
exigencies We're such that the govern
or could conceive that he had power
of removal, without speaking of DIR.
Thombs personally. | can only say
his counsel would advise him to resort
TO the last extremity in meeting any
effort of the executive to Interfere with
the performance Of the duty of the SUI
perlntendcnt of the asylum. But as
have said, ] cannot conceive that Gov
ernor Thomas has any inclination to
overstep the authority conferred upon
him by law. | believe he will do what
is manly and fair in the premises"