New-York tribune., 1902-02-05
LUNACY BILL WILL PASS
CAREFUL CANVASS OF SENATE r0nr.
Gates VOTE OF % To IS
IN ITS FAVOR.
TBr TELEGRAPH TO TIE rR1suxE.1


TBT TELEGRAPH TO TIE rR1suSE1
Albany Feb 4-According 70 RepuhHc.,
leaders. the Brackett-Rogers bill which youvd
transfer the control and management Of thA
State hospitals for the insane from boards :.
managers to the State Lunacy Commission. ,ns
which would thus vest In this department thu
power Of dispensing more than S5.OOOOOo =,
State funds annually. viii be passed tomorrow
by the Senate and sent TO the Governor for M.
signature. careful canvass OF the SENATE
which was made tonight by Tribune reporter
at the end OF four hour debate on the h,u
showed that twenty-nine votes had been oh.
tained for its passage and that the opposit,o,
was now cut down to eighteen. The canvass
also showed that several members who had
originally been opposed to the bill had become
convinced OF its merits and would now suuuort
it. Among these members were Senators Slater
/ Of New-York and Mckinney, or Long Island
The sentiment which many Republicans held az
the introduction Of the bill that it might be IN
| terpreted by the public as an attempt 10 uss
the bill for political ACKNOWLEDGEMENT appears to
| have been overcome to a great degree by the
stronger arguments in support OF the measure
that It will insure further economy in the Imam
cial and greater efficiency in the medical man
agement Of these institutions
| The Senators who are expected TO vote for
the bill tomorrow are the following: Messrs
Amber. Armstrong, Audett. Barnes. Brackett.
| Cocks Davis Ellsworth. Feeter, Fuller. Good
sell. Green. Higgins Hill Krum. Lewis. Mar
shall. Mckinney. Mills. Pruine Raines. sher-
wood. Slater. Stewart, Stranahan. Thornton.
| White. Wilcox and Wiley.
The following will vote in the negative. San
ators Elsberg, Maltby and Willard (Republi-
| cans). and Senators Ahearn. Cullen, Donuelly.
/ DowlinS, Foley, Grady. Hennessey, Martin Nc
| Cabe, McCarren, Plunkett. Ramsperger, sUlli-
van. Trainor and Wagner (Democra1s3
According to the original plans OF the Re-
| publicans. the final vote was TO be taken ~
| day, and when Senator Brackett called m the
| bill both sides settled back for an extended d.
| bate TO he followed by the ultimate passage OF
the bill. The speeches were so long. however
! that after seven hours discussion. broken bv
a short recess, the Senate adjourned to con-
| cIude the debate tomorrow morning. Senator
| DonneIly first took the field in opposition His
| main coptention was that the bill was uncou
| stitutional, IN that II delegated the power, a.
management to the State Lunacy Commission
which. according TO the constitution is intended
| 10 be a body for inspection and visitation. Con-
| tinuing. he said:
| Under this bill the Lunacy Commission will
| be a great Pooh Bah. At one time il win ha
q finance committee at another IL will audit its
own accounts. and then again II win report on
its own action 10 the State legislature. There
is no guard against mismana cement on the part
OF the commission. The bill IS unconstitutional
and should not pass
Senator Dowling said that the bill was incon-
sistent with action taken by the legislature last
year. when. by an amendments OF the New-Yorlx
charter. it transferred the control OF Bellevue
and it's allied hospitals from a commissioners to-
board Of managers, who had within only a.
few days been appointed by Mayor Low.
Senator McCarren opposed the measure or
the ground that II was a stilI further step
toward Capitalization, a merging. as he put II.
Of the legislative and judicial functions with
those OF the executive. He said that the power
; OF the Governor had already grown TOO great:
that now no important legislation was coutsm-
plated without the Governors consent. and that
II things kept on there would be no need OF 8
legislature.
Senator McCsbe spoke against the bill, for thu
| reason that it would make the superintendent.
who is, first OF all. a physician. a treasurer and
hnancier sS well. Senator Grady spoke for
more than hour against the bill, which. he
said. was opposed by an almost universal senti-
ment throughout the state.
Senator EIsberg. in explaining his attituds
against the bill. said
I regret that must differ with the majority
of the Republicans and vote against the bill
party loyalty. have never failed 10 attend
a caucus nor to abide by its decision. But in
I this matter l am compelled. because OF the
sentiment Of my district, TO vote against this
bill The managers Of hospitals who among
my constituents. demand my respect and con-
SideratiOn. and I cannot let these men be sscrt-
feed for the alleged miSdeedS of others. When
I came here l pledged my support and loyalty
70 the Republican party, but I cannot becoms
"A mere registering machine. and when the time
comes that I must be 7 want 10 return 20
my constituents, where I can enjoy without fear
my liberty and my self-respect-
Senator Higgins. chairman of the Finance
Committee. who is closely acquainted with the
demands made hy boards OF managers for ap-
pr1priatious for their respective institutions.
made strong speech in defence OF the meas
ure. and said it would cut down the expense OF
maintaining the State Hospital for the Insane
many hundred thousand dollars. be JoId or
instances where boards of managers had oougnI
carpet AZ 81 a yard. brook trout at hlgh prices
for their own consumption, and had contrsCte1
for wine 81 600 ar time for their own tdole-
He said that these boards were by no means
infallible. and that greater efhclehcy az q ItE
less cost could be obtained II the unanc4al man
agement were entirely vested N c1tIdt "ouS'
such the LunaCy Commission
Senator Greene made a vigorous appedl % tha
Senate to pass the bill and showed from re-
ports that the csntraiizing purpose Of the meas
ure had constantly been recommended IN tor-
mer years BY investigating committees COM.
posed OF both Republican ana Denocratlc !eslS-