The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1902-11-27

Iature for Reasonable Special APP
propriai ion-PuIls the Board Up
Pretty Short-Board Recommends
Decrease in Appropriaticns-Other
State Matters OF Interest.
RALEIGH. y. C.. Nov oath.
Mrible dicta. he work of the Board
OF Examiners of State Institutions, >
Grated by the last Legislature. is not
going to turn out to be the unprecedented
and unimpeachable success that some OF
its creators and god-fathers predicted
for it.
After spending over 81 500 in expenses
the three members Of the Board asst week
made their first report to Gov. Aycock,
for transmission by him Ia The General
Assembly which meets i'll january. The
publication OF Il synopsis or outline of
the volurunOu- document in the Raleigh
dailes has caused no little dissatisfac-
ton among the management O! some Of
the institutions repOrte! on. while in at
least one case, that of he Central Hos
pital 1T Raleigh. the people themselves
(WhO have noted the shameful manner in
which this institution has been neglected
by the past several Legislatures, while
the one at Morganton has been given
everything it needed or asked for) are
severely critlclsing the niggardly recon-
mendatiOn madein its interest.
This Board, while recommending an
other special appropriation of $50. 900
for still more additional buildings at
MOrganton Nhe capacity of which is al
ready double that OF the one at Raleigh,
and the faciliti.s and the equipment in
tnitely superior, being practically new
decline to recommend a dollar Of appro-
priation for new buildings at the Central
HOspltal or extension OF present ones
and this in he face OF the following Ian
guag., taken from their report: The
Board finds that while there are con-
sidered to be about 900 insane persons
in the Eastern district, there are only
4O4 patients in this asylum The others
are either in the !aiis. the county homes
or in chare of their relatives. This is in
deed sad condition of things"
The appropriation for additional room
at Morganton is all right, a. it is
needed, but why should the Raleigh
Hospital be again almost totally neg
ected?
The present source of supply of water
for washing and bathing purposes (Rocky
Branch) is becoming SO polluted as to
make it unfit for human use. This fact
the Board could not overlook and recon-
mends a measly little appropriation of
81 800 to connect the asylum water
mains with the general city mains of the
Wake Water Company. and of $1,000
for four new bolers-and that is all the
Central Hospital will get, if the RECON-
mendatiOns of this Board are adopt
ed
DR.. James Mckee, the excellent Super
intendent (whO was he leading physician
of Raleigh, with much the largest prac-
tice, when he accepted this place two
years ago, upon the death of DR.. Kirby
will ask the Legislature for a reasonable
special appropriation to meet the expense
OF some very important recommended
tiOns, which he will make in his official
report. And the Legislature ought to
pay attention to what he says. This
* the States property, and as the repre-
sentatives OF the people and the custodian
OF their property interests and finances,
the members of the Legislature them
selves should see into these matters for
themselves.
Superintendent Mckee is no politician
Gin the generally accepted sense of that
term) and he is not going to button-hole
or "lobby' or harass members of the
General Assembly. But | say this, know
ing whereof | speak: The Central Hos
pital at Raleigh needs, deserves and re-
qures better treatment at the hands of
the General Assembly than it has received
of late years-and it ought to get it from
the one just elected
Ii it was private piece of propert y any
hr1,,1 I 4 i
be very quick to take the action be ought
to take as the representative of the peO-
pie of the State in regard to this insttu-
ton.
Superintendent Mann of the State
Prison pulls the Board up pretty short
in a communication showing some grave
errors into which they had fallen The
Board credits the present penitentiary
management with excellence and not s
the fact that it has been more than self
sustaining during the past two years.
The negro A. 4 NJ College at Green's
boro is given an apparently deserved
"roast,' and the Board recommends a
decrease in the appropriation to that in
stitution hereafter, and states why
OTHER MATTERS OF INTEREST,".
The shutting down of i've cotton mills
(at Charlotte and Concord) last Satur-
day, on account of inability to secure
coal, and the consequent idIeness of sew
eral thousand mill operatives (for other
mills operated by steam may be forced
to suspend operations is a depiorable
turn OF affairs, both for the mill owners
and their employees.
During the last three months Governor
Aycock granted eleven pardons and com
mutati of sentences. and he has now
given to the press his reasons in each
case "BleSsed are the mercfur'-when
there are good reasons for exercising that
Christ-ike virtue, altogether too rare in
these days-and Governor AycOck al
ways has a good cause for the exercise
of executive clemency. In this latest list
at least one is proved to be an innocent
man, unju~tly convicted and incarrerated
in the State Prison, and the Governors
fl'iend- admir-. him all the more for his
refusal 10 b" Influenced by the persistent
clamO" OF some of his 'criticS," journal
iStic and otherwise.
The FRIES cotton mil merger committee
will finish up its work this week and by
or before December LIST announcement Of
its successful contamination viii be Off
calIy announced by the management
The committee, after the adjournment at
Raleigh, spent the last three days of last
week in session at Greensboro Nearly
100 mills seek admission to the combine.
and OF these about 100 have been ac-
ceptei SO far.
Senator Pritchard announces that his
relations with the President are not ma
teiiallv affected by the outcor.e of the
late election and Mr.. Roosevelt's alleged
opposition now to the lily white" tao
ties OF Southern Republicans. The Sena-
atOr is writing an article for Walter
Pages magazine, The Worlds Work.
which will deal largely with politics, and
is being awaited with interest He does
not appear to attach much Importance
to Spencer Black burn utterances since
the election, and says ''he is hardly to be
taken seriously which is pretty tough
on Spencer, but quite true.
Wilcox, once convicted of the murder
OF Miss CrOpser. will secure his new
trial in different county. The date and
county have not been fixed vet.