The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-06-05
HE coNrA GIo US noSPITA '.


 THE CONrA GIOUS HOSPITAL. A majority of the board of aldermen succeeded at the meeting Monday eve- ming in advancing the movement to es- tablish a contagious disease hospital one point nearer victory than had thus far been accomplished The al- dermen were evenly divided upon the motion to print. but MT. Johnson, the president of the board, voted to dis solve the tie, which permits the board to dispose of the enterprise at it's meeting two weeks hence. The friends as well as the enemies of the proposal : to erect the hospital in the Third ward have now field clear for missionary work. It is to be hoped that the friends of the project will be success ful.
 In the course of the interesting and suggestive debate, Alderman Curtiss of the ward in which it is now proposed to locate the hospital remarked that it is impossible to find site to which powerful objection will not be offered. i The Journal and Courier is still of the opinion that the Twelfth ward site, which was originally selected and pur- chased, and which to-day is the prop erty of the city. Is the best calculated for the purpose, but the feverish oppo- sltion of the good people living there, under a stubborn misunderstanding as to the character of the proposed insti- tuition and as to the possible effect upon property values there, succeeded in having it repeatedly rejected. Had any one of the other three sites sus- gested by the physicians of the city been recommended last evening by the majority, it would have been violently opposed through similar misunder- standing of the facts in. the case. The advocates of hospital have without effect stated that an examination of like institutions elsewhere has shown that they are without danger 10 sur- rounding neighbors, und they have in not any single instance depreciated land values. The fact still remains, as Alderman Curtiss says, 1t makes no difference what site Is offered, there will be objection offered to it by nerv- ous people, on the one hand, and by political agitators. on the other hand.
 Alderman Townshend also made a point which should not be lost sight of by those who blind their eyes 10 the necessity for hospital. Tt seems to me-" he said with impressive apprecia- ton of the situation, that this board could consider itself crlmInally liable for putting this matter or. It does not seem to me that we ought to delay any longer. If an epidemic should break out here, we should all feel cul- pable. That is the other side of the controversy. The demand for d hos pital to care for contagious diseases springs from no necessity on the part of those who occupy sin- gle houses In the less thick fly settled parts of the city. It springs from humane realization of what would happen to those who live in more than one-family houses in the thickly settled sections of the city, should an epidemic break out among the children or among the adults, It it to avoid the justifiable charge of inhumanily. in event of costly epl- demic, that Alderman Townshend raises his voice, and it Is raised none too soon for each additional year of delay makes the situation more dan gerous to fool with
 The members of the board of alder men cannot take too seriously these utterances of their colleagues, who can under no conceivable twist of lhe mind be regarded as indifferent to the wel- fare of any section of the city If the board as a whole could agree upon the Third ward site, or some other site, without further barley, it would be surprised a year hence to learn how few really care anything about the controversy, and how satisfied those had become who dreaded fearful things as a consequence of aldermanic cour- age. The time to act is now. with suf- fcient will to defy the politicians.