The Portland daily press., 1899-02-08
THE EYE AND EAR INFIRMARY.

| 1t is rare thing that any question in
which the public takes an interest proves
| to be altogether one sided 1t cannot be
denied that majority of the people,
without having given the subject more
| than passing thou hit, have come TO
the conclusion that the charges that were
made against DIR. Holt in connection with
| the bye ana Ear lnGrmary are true, and
| that tho trustees of that institution did
not, as matter of fact look into them
| with sufficient care and therefore
| without knowing fully why, they find
them selves dissatistea with what they
regard as a embarrassing performances.
| ii strikes us that the names OF the men
vino have been concerned in the investi-
| cation are such as to demand for the find
| ing of the board more than ordinary at.
ention. Who, for example, cares to i'm
peach the word. as business man, OF
Ammi Whitney,
When Col +. Il. Boothby, president OF
the Portland board of trade, man whose
word Is as good as the bond OF most OF
tho,e who have been busying themselves
IN criticising the finding of the trustees,
| when Col Boothby agrees to u resolution
| averring that he LAS made an examination
into certain matters and has reached GER
tain conclusions, who are they who care
TO set their word up against him In u
nsrtPs in which they can have had OPP
.ortunlty So make but a cursory exami-
cation at hest. and declare that he ha.
nlsiued 10 his reports When, before. has
,he pubic found occasion to doubt the
seraclty 81 Henry +. Cox or james h.
BAY sea ur Edward b, Winslows There
Seraa IS oat of the "a members OF the
board OF trustees present and heard such
testimony MS DIR. Bowers had to offer at
the time of the hearing. Their names are
well known to the Portland people, and
yet we are asked to believe that these
men all OF whom have given of their time
and money for the insti ution, have done
so for the benefit OF DIR. Holt alone, and
that they are willing to go on record in a
community where they have been known
and respected for years, as bearers OF false
testimony that they may shield him In
wrong doing. The idea Is ridiculous. -
Evening Express.
Perhaps the adage, better late than
never, applies to the above as well as to
other things, but it Is to be regretted
that the public has been permitted to
remain SO long under conviction that
the charges against the executive sur
geon OF the Eye and Ear Intirmary were
true, and the investigation mere
withdrawing performance" II IL
could have heen disabused of that idea by
simply calling attention to the goodness
of the trustees who considered DIR. Bow
ers'skcharges, This might have been done
two weeks ago with just as much
effect as now, for their goodness was quite
as clear and undisputed then as now.
But we have a strong suspicion that
pointing out the goodness anu greatness
of the trustees will not be so effective. as
the writer of the atove paragraph evil
dsntly believed. We have q strong inn
preston that 1t was the conduct of these
very trustees that gave rise to the belief
that the charges were true and the in
yestigation q mere whitewashing per-
formance; that the confidence that would
generally have been reposed in these trus.
tees (for their high standing in the COM
munity we do not question:, was largely
destroyed in this case by their display of
partisanship. 1t makes little difference
how good man is. or what bis stand
ing In the community, nobody will have
much confidence in his decision Of a case
If he has shown himself strong partisan
in that particular case. The verdict of
a partisan never has carried conviction
and never will. The trouble with the
Eye and Ear Infirmary case. the reason
that the public looked upon the inves-
tiaation as a withdrawing perform.
ance," and put no confidence In the YER
dict, was that the jury behaved like in