The news & observer., 1905-11-21


chief officers of public institutions to
report TO the board. Every superln-
dent or other chief officer of every
| State institution, or public instltu-
ton, charitable, penal or educational
| in which the State has or owns an
/ interest, except the higher educauoI-
| al institutions that are not also charl-
table, shall, when required so TO 40
by the board. make or cause TO De
made to the board of internal I'M
provements a written report OF the al
fairs of his institution.
..1S44. Governor TO have state III
stitutiOns Investigated by. The Cover
Inor is authorized and empowered,
whenever he may think the pupllc
service requires it. to have the a1talrs
Of any railroad, turnpike, canal or
other public improvement, State HOS
! Dital or other pubic institution III
which the State has an interest, ana
| the official conduct of any official
thereof, investigated by member OF
the Board Of Internal improvements
land to take such action concerning
/ any matter reported upon as the Sald
| board may deem to the interest OF the
State; and the Governor may sus.
pend or remove from office any of said
officials. if in his opinion the interest
of the State demands it.
| code, s. 1913: 1903. C. 1928; 1919, C.
2S1."
With this power in his hands. the
Governor can remedy the evil. he
can. first of all. determine for him.
self whether there are persons III the
hospitals as INDECENT who are really
not INDECENT. He must do that inde-
! pendently of the hospital management.
I1ai,s tr11a of
word ''indigent' people have been ad-
mitted who are not in the legal, nat
| ural and ordinary sense of the mean
! ing "indigent." Sometimes, while in
sane have languished in Jail, rich ine-
! briates and other well-to-do patients
| have been admitted, and too many
| times patients who could pay else
| where have been taken to the eXclu-
sion of INDECENT patients.
| This paper has no war on the man
agement of either institution nor any
| desire to minimize the noble work that
is being done, but we are resolved.
since the matter has been dis
cussed, to cry aloud and spare not un-
/ til every insane person in the jails
and county homes is cared for in
the hospitals. If Governor Glenn Will
go to the bottom of the matter he
will find that there are enough pay
patients and parties not strictly lndl-
gent in both hospitals taking places
that belong to the INDECENT TO end al
once the disgrace of permitting any of
these unfortunate people to remain in
| jails or county homes a single week.
| If Mr.. Armfield believes We are
wrong let lim examine into each case,
the property owned by patients anC
their relatives, and we think he will
see that he is not as well informed as
director ought to be. If he finds that
The News and Observer is not as well
| Informed as Il newspaper ought to be.
! after Mr.. Armfield has furnished the
correct schedule showing ability, etc,
this paper will be frank to say il is III
error But We will demand every day
+, until the wrong is righted that no per-
son able to pay is cared for in State
Hospital as long as any INDECENT pa
tent is denied admission. Nothing
less than that will remove the stigma
from the State of permitting these
| Unfortunate people 10 languish in jails
or poor houses.
! We are writing now Of what shall
be done by the authorities. The peo-
pie are tired of having hospital
authorities devoting all their time to
saying what the Legislature should
do instead of straining every nerve
| themselves to take the insane out OF
the iaiis and county homes. The only
thing to consider now is what can be
done before the Legislature meets. In
| the first place, room can be made for
| all the insane in iails and poorhouses
| by the right management. If the asy-
lum authorities fail it will be the duty
/! of the Governor TO show them how TO
do il, and he has the authority and
| the nerve to do his duty. In the next
| place. The Legislature appropriated
| enough money to make a large addi-
ton TO Raleigh's Hospital, but work
goes on all too slow. 1t ought to be
pushed to completion as rapidly as pos
sible so that other insane can be taken.
| These two things done. the people can
| consider what they Will instruct the
! Legislature to do fourteen months
| hence. One thing is certain: the peO-
F! pie are ready to be taxed to give treat
ment to ali the INDECENT insaL Dul
are they ready to be taxed TO care Tor
those able TO pay for treatment in
! private sanitariums? If so they VIII
make ample provision but il is GER
tain that up to this time provision has
| been made only for the INDECENT III
sane, and the hospital managers in
! some instances have construed the
! law TO give them power TO take the
| rich and Well-to-do to the exclusion
of the INDECENT. And that course mus;
! be stopped.
Pure Food Laws will not interfere
with Burnetts Vanilla. No state board
has ever questioned its purity.
! a new national bank is TO be estaD-
teIn