The news & observer., 1905-11-23
THE GOVERNOR WILL SEE THAT
INDIGENTS ARE CARED FOR.

we PUBLISH elScWleFe dll olIlCIdi
letter from Governor Glenn that will
deeply interest every citizen in North
Carolina. 1t is addressed to the
superintendentS of the hospitals
at Morganton, and directs them
TO receive into their institutions
the insane persons now languishing n
jails and in county homes. He not
them. but tells them how to arrange
for their reception, and gives them
the true and proper Interpretation If
the State law which they are sworn
to. obey. If during all the past years
the law had been observed as Gov
crnor Glenn cOnstrues it. no insane
persons would now be in jails or
county homes in North Carolina. But
as the hospital authorities have acted
on another construction, they are now
under the painful necessity of making
room by declining further to take pa
tients who ought never to have been
admitted aS long as any INDECENT in
sane person was vainly KNOCKING at
the doors of the hospitals for admis-
sion. But, painful and embarrassing
as such duty must be, it is not more
SO and is not so wanting in humanity
as to permit such ''indigent insane
county MONIES VINO stand in urgent
need of the treatment provided by the
State hospitals
No Governor has been called upon
in this generation to undertake a duty
more difficult delicate, or important.
The easy course for the Governor to
pursue was to leave the whole mat
ter To the asylum authorities, which
meant no relief for over fourteen
months. as they had said there was
no room. But the high duty that Is
first due To the afflicted, who have
no money ana no influential friends,
was to demand the enforcement of
the law TO the letter, even though it
gave him personal regret and pain to
do so. Macauley has given the test
of the true official as 'the man who
looks to the good of those who can
never see him or thank him, rather
than being Influenced by those who
are near him and those who can
thank him and do something in re-
turn for him" lii standing for the
INDECENT poor who have nobody to
help them, the Governor is measuring
up to the true public servant, and
when he has carried out his humane
and lawful policy, in the face of the
opposition of powerful influences, the
Governor will be entitled TO the thanks
Of all the people of the State who
really believe that the demented in
digent person has the supreme claim
upon the State. OF course those who
see nothing wrong in taking those
whose families are able to pay else
that class will put every obstacle
possible in the way of the Governor
and regard him as going outside his
duty. But all otherS-and. thank
God, it includes most of the folks-will
hold up his hands as he urageously
says that the policy he has enunciated
shall be enforced. In the following
statement. the Governor gives the
officials of the hospitals the course
they are to pursue, if necessary, in
order to relieve those in Jail:
''If there is room enough for those
entitled to admission in addition to
the inmates now in the hospitals, then
all right. for this is legal, but if not,
then those patients now in the hos
themselves or whose families have
enough to maintain them in some
private institution, must be removed
to make room for the truly INDECENT.
for not a man or woman confined in
jails or county homes, who belongs
to this class of INDECENT insane; must
remain there, if they can be placed in
the hospitals by removing persons
who do not strictly belong TO the in
digent class.
The Governor believes the tax pay
ers ought to provide room for all the
insane, lch and poor alike. and will
so recommend TO the Legislature, but
he is not willing that any INDECENT
insane shall remain in Jail or in a
county home until that can be done.
And he is Enthusiastically right.