Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1901-03-28
Gloucester County to Receive S7.140.

The appropriation bill passed by tn
Legislature last Friday, carried an item {
81, 140 for the Gloucester County Lunati
Asylum.
This item recalls contention
against the State started by the Board Q
Chosen Freeholders of this county at tn
annual meeting in May, 1891, and which
has dragged along ever since, the case o
Gloucester County against Heppenheimer
Comptroller, being on the calendar of tn
Supreme Court ever since.
The history of the case is as follows =
The crowded condition of the State Asylum
for the insane induced the legislature il
1873 to offer to the counties of the State {
gift of one dollar week for each insane
patient maintained in its own Asylum, the
idea being to induce counties to erect Asy-
patients. In 1888 the legislature increased
this gift to two dollars per week.
1t will be recalled that in the year 1890,
the political complexion of the Board was
changed, and for three years the affairs Of
the county were administered by represen-
tatives of the Democratic party.
Steward Weatherby of the Aims House
and Asylum informed the new Board that
this county had never made legal demand
on the State for compensation for maintain
ing insane persons in its institutions. He
had repeatedly brought the matter to the
attention of the Board, and committee
had been appointed, but no results had
been obtained.
We find the following paragraph in the
published proceedings of May -, 1S91:-
"Mr Carpenter explained that the
county was maintaining an insane asylum,
and had not received moneys due from the
State for such maintenance. He therefore
moved that a committee of three members,
and the Solicitor, be appointed to investi-
gate the claim. Mr. Elkinton suggested
that the Director be one of the committee.
Carried Director Usinger appointed
Messrs. J. D. Carpenter and G. w. Elkin-
ton
This committee reported to the July
meeting of the Board that a meeting had
been held at the County Asylum, and with
the assistance of Steward Weatherby had
formulated a claim against the State
amounting to 81, IA That ON July 7, the
committee, augmented by Steward Wealth
erby and County Physician DIR. Albert
Trenchard, had presented the claim to the
Comptroller, and now awaited his action.
Later the Comptroller demanded the
resolution of the Board authorizing the
construction of an Asylum. No such resolu-
tion was found on the minutes of the
Board, but in the minutes of the Aims
House Committee, under date of July,
1857, a resolution was found appointing E.
c. Mount, David Adams and the Steward a
committee to build an Insane Asylum. A
certified copy OF this resolution was for
warded to the Comptroller.
The committee reported to the November
meeting of the Board that the Comptroller,
acting on the advice of the Attorney
General, had granted the county's claim
for three months prior to the filing of the
claim, and up to September 80, amounting
to 1872. 70.
The published proceedings Of the Board
from this point to the July meeting 49,
show the efforts of the committee to collect
the full amount of the claim-$7, 14O-and
the obstacles met among these being the
fact that no legal commitment of patients
had been made.
At the September meeting, 1892, Solicitor
Swackhamer reported that the Comptroller
had advised him that the county had a
valid claim against the State from the date
of the filing of the claim. This the State
would pay But further than that Attorney
General Stockton advised against payment.
Mr.. Swackhamer advised the Board that
in his opinion the full amount of the claim
could be collected, and he was authorized
to prosecute it,
From this point the eounty's case has
been in the hands of Mr.. Swackhamer.
For many causes the trial was delayed
When Attorney General Stockton was
succeeded by Mr.. Grey, another long
delay occurred until finally all objections
to payment were removed.
To meet any question that might be
raised to the appropriation in the legisls-
lature, Mr.. Swackhamer prepared the fol-
lowing bill, which became law during
the session of 1900
An Act entitled "a further supplement to AN
act relative to county lunatic asylums
BE IT ENACTED BY the Senate and General As
Scntbty of the State of NetU Jersey:
1. Section one of the act to which this is a
supplement be and the same is hereby am nded
so as to read as follows:
l. The sum of two dollars per week for each
county patient confined in any county lunatic
asylum established by the board of chosen free
holders OF such county, shall be paid by the
to the director of such board of chosen freehold
ers, upon statement to be furnished by him
giving the number Of such county patients which
may have been thus supported in said asylum
during the preceding quarter computing from
the first of January; prorided, that any county
which may have failed to present claim for
maintaining such patients at quarterly intervals
as herein provided shall not be prejudiced by
such delay in presenting its claim; and provided
further, that the provisions of this act shall
apply to any claim claims now pending.
2. This act shall take effect Immediately.
Passed March %, 1890.
Tn eoo,,r;por fJ,o opootn,apt IF tho bo va
law, Mr. Swackhamer sought and secured
valuable aid from Speaker Watkins, Sena-
tor Stranger and the late A. S. Barker, Jr.