The Savannah morning news., 1903-02-05
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE.
Dispensary Agitation Has Not Yet
Been settled.

The Committee on Public Health
will act on the petition of the Savan-
nah Druggists Association in which it
is asked that a list of those who have
prescriptions filled at the. city dis
pensary be furnished a committee
from the association.
The petition was read in caucus and
in the open meeting was turned over
to the committee of which Alderman
John F. Glatigny is chairman Alder
man Glatigny has already expressed
himself on the subject, and the MEM
bers of Council who have been inter-
viewed are not disposed to change
their attitude.
One alderman said last night that
because persons with prescriptions
sometimes carry whisky bottles to the
dispensary for their medicine. 1t can
not be used as an argument that they
are not deserving. He pointed to the
fact that it might happen that the
head of the family spends his money
for whisky and declared that If this
were true it could not be expected that
the mans unfortunate wife and chill
dren should suffer for lack of medi
cine.
The petition of the druggists is an
interesting document IF the people of
neighborng cities read the report of
the keeper of the city dispensary
they might rightly conclude from the
number of prescriptions compounded
there that one-third of our population
are paupers.' the petition recites.
Yet Savannah justly bears the repu-
tation for paying liberal salaries or
wages to the employed, besides afford
ing more than average opportunities
70 N SaaE lnNTnant
II has been stated that fully half of
the bottles presented at the city dis
pensary for medicines are recently
emptied whisky bottles. 1t need not be
argued that a person who is able to buy
whisky should be able to buy medicine,
but this creditable statement empha-
sizes the fact that Savannah, with 9TH
err Southern cities, has class that earn
but to squander. If these people are
ever to be elevated to a standard of
citizenship that helps the state instead
of feeding upon it, the citys paternal-
ism must be restricted to assisting those
who are incapable of helping themselves
by reason of age, intirmity or want
from being unemployed
TT goes without saying that with free
medicines, free liquor, free groceries.
free houses and free clothes, the major
part of this class of people would soon
grow incompetent 10 earn any one OF
these necessaries of life. Upon these
reasons we base our proposition that
every head of a family who has health
and employment at reasonable wages
should be declared capable of support
ing his family, and consequently not en-
titled to free medicines. To this end
we have drawn I'D a plan. first. of a
prescription blank, which should only
be- furnished to certain physicians au-
thorized to draw orders on the dispen-
sary. Second, a record sheet for keep
ing account of each weeks business,
the blank to show age, name, color, sex
and place employed of all adults, or in
case of children the name and occupa-
| ton of the head of the family.
I'VE further recommend that it be
made an offense, punishable by fine or
| dismissal, for any employee of the city
dispensary to supply any article from
the said dispensary to any person with
out a prescription from a duly author
| lied physician.
"We also suggest that copy of the
| list of each weeks business be kept
| as a record and be made accessa Bile
upon demand to any citizen of this
| city, and that copy of said list be
| of Savannah as often as they may re-
quest it for inspection by the Advisory
Board of the Druggists Association
1T is not the intention of the Drug
| gists Association to in any way abuse
the sacredness of the needy poor by
making the list public in any manner
| whatsoever, but simply to use the in
| formation to prevent the abuse of a
| worthy institution"