The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1900-12-06
{ From Our Regular Correspondent

RALEIGH. n C.. December 3. 1900.
Perhaps no ..policy" followed by any
political party has caused more suffering
and hearsache than the niggardliness OF
the dominant element in our Leyisla-
lures for the past several years-politely
vclept by them ECONOMY in dealing
with our charitable institutions.
No matter how closely the committees
have pared down the appropriation bills
(and not unfrequently they have been
cut down too much in the committee
ROOM. there has always been some close
listed, stingy. niggardly smart Aleck
with a soul that would rattle around
in the hull of "a mustard seed. and who
hash had brains enough to attract at
tention to himself all through the SESSION.
who will stick up his jack-in-the-box
head and yell "scOnomy. and ask for
further reduction. And this when the
tails OF scores OF counties in both the
East and the West hold the blank minds
and tortured bodies lin chains) of God s
own people-children of the State OF
North Carolina who have a right to be
properly cared for in one or the other OF
our hospitals for the insane (and prob
ably cured there), but who are confined
to fate worse than death because there
ism room, or il there is room the APP
preparation has been made SO small that
they cannot be clothed and fed there.
Its outrageous, it 5 lnhuman!
| see from the reports that more than
so per cent. of the patients who are sent
to DR.. George l.. Kirby, superintendent
of the hospita! for the insane at Raleigh,
are cured. At Dr. Murphy's hospital. in
MorgantOn. about 30 per cent are dis
~, | b,liorn rI yof
there are hundreds OF poor unfortunates
every year who are denied this one
chance OF their lives to be restored to
their right minds, but instead are bound
with chains, many OF them, and are
thrown into the common county iails-
maniacs for life, then, of course!
Others are kept by their families as
best they can-alWays a source OF heart
aches. and in most cases of fear and APP
prehensiOn, in every case denied the Skill
Of these splendid specialists who might
cure most of them. under proper cOndi-
tlons. in a few months.
And now | see it announced by the
principal of the Asylum for the Blind
here that although there are ample ac-
cOmmOdatiOns now for all who would
come, SO far as room is concerned, he has
been forced to deny applications and give
notice that no more poor blind children
can come there-the one place in all North
Carolina where they can secure an educa-
tion-beeause the appropriation is SO
small that no more can be supported.
And so rooms remain vacant and the
sightlesS orbs OF these poor children are
lifted toward Heaven with the mute ell
quirv upon their voiceless lips:
"Why, o Lord, do our own flesh and
blood treat us thus,
Aye. why? Ask the little soul shriveled
numbskull who objected to an adequate
appropriation. Ask the scarey time
servers whom he scared out of the man.
illness they should have exhibited when
the vote to cut down the appropriation
was taken.
In Heavens name (and | say it rever-
ently). gentlemen OF the General Assem-
bly, of 1901, do not follow in the dis
graceful example set by the last several
Legislatures.
Come out in the broad open of human
ity and charity. and be just to yourselves
and to your State while you mete out the
stricken and dependent wards of our
State ask at your hands, and have Il
right to demand
WV w AHt itiliio WI tiI a
Raleigh and MOrgantOn and GOldsbOrO
and to those for the blind at Raleigh and
the deaf mutes at MOrgantOn sufficient
funds to operate thems so as not to i'm
pair their usefulness, and thus remove
this miserable and disgraceful blot from
the fair face OF our prosperous and hui
name Commonwealth.
OUR GROWING STATE = IT'S BEAUTIFUL
The official figures Just announced by
the Census Bureau at Washington make
Mecklenburg the most populous county
in the State, Wake county stepping down
to second place. Mecklenburg now has a
population of 90. 26S. which is 600 more
than Wake is credited with. The gain Of
the former county in the last ten years
from ~ .67S to d. 26S-was Il, o9J, or
more than % per cent. The growth OF
Wake during the same period-from 49,
POI to o4,626-was 5.419, or II per
cent
Wilmington remains the largest city,
ard Raleigh and Charlotte are running
neck and neck for second place. The Off
cial figures of the cities viii hc announced
next month Never in its history has
Raleigh grown and improved so much as
during the last few years. During the
last three years $50, 900 have been ex-
pended in paving the streets by the mu-
ncipality alone, thanks to Alderman
Tnbn nln ~ bn OF.