The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-12-08
Alleges Railroad Is Shown
Favoritism and Patients
Were Treated at a Loss to
City's Credit.
MANY CHARITY PATIENTS
ARE TREATED AT A DEFICIT
WHICH CITY PAYS, WHEN TAE
TOWNSHIP SENDS THEM-cirY
DISSEMINATED AGAINST.

After about three months of squab-
bling and pickering over the quest
tion of the city's right to assist in the
maintenance of the Reid Memorial
Hospital, council last evening passed
the $4,000 hospital appropriation ordi-
nance over the mayors veto by vote
of to /, Wettig voting in. the mega
tive.
When the ordinance was presented
to council last evening for final action
the clerk read a long communication
from the mayor in which he again pro-
tested against the appropriation on
the ground that the city had no legal
right TO darote its money for such pur-
pose.
The hospital appropriation has been
buffeted by stormy seas this year. The
mayor vetoed this provision in the
general appropriation ordinance and
when it came time for council TO pass
it over the mayors veto council de-
cided to postpone action fc- a couple
of weeks. This was found TO be iIle-
gal and 1t was necessary then to draw
up special hospital appropriation or
dinance. This was the one returned
to council last evening with the may
or's veto. The mayors communica-
tion 10 council is as follows:
The articles of incorporation and
bylaws of the Reid Memorial Hospital
show that 1t was not established. con-
structed and organized as a gift for
the benefit of the people of the City OF
Richmond and that is not held in trust
for the citizens of Richmond There
fore it does not come under Section !.
Chapter 155, Page go. of the Acts Of
1907. It is purely private corpora
! tion having the privilege of all private
corporations. to hold. sell. lease, rent
or mortgage any and all real estate,
and the citizens of Richmond have no
voice in the matter. The members %
the board of trustees are not elected or
appointed by the citizens OF said city
nor by any legal representatives there
of, the members of that body are the
| out-growth of a body appointed by
Rev. DIR. Wakefield, the wardens and
yestrymen of St. PauI's Episcopal
church and by Mr.. Daniel G. Reid 10
represent the latter's interests The
members of the Board of Trustees are
not legally responsible to anybody for
the management of the hospital or the
expenditure Of its funds. and this ordi-
nance proposes to give into their
hands large sums of the citizens mon
ey without any security or accounting
whatsoever, which believe to be ille-
gal without any warrant of law.
No one has charged any irregulari-
| ties of the accounts of this institution.
and il there were any irregularities the
City of Richmond would not be legally
| interested, and the Introduction of ths
motion for the common council to ap-
point an auditing committee. in my
| Judgment, was a mere play to the gal
leries. But when you propose and
do appropriate illegally large sums OF
the city's money to this institution as
a representative of the city's interest
at stake. we do have a right and do
charge that IL the board of trustees of
this hospital are responsible for the
size of and the location of this hos
pital, they showed poor hospital judg
ment, and we also charge that II this
board is responsible for the agreement
between the C., c. & St l. r.. r. and
itself to treat the Railroad company's
patients for 81 20 per day. when in
1857 il actually cost S2.4S per day 10
maintain their patients at this hospital
and in 1908 it cost s2o5, that such an
agreement with corporation that can
well afford to pay the actual cost OF
maintenance, even If they did furnish
room with a probable expenditure
of 500 or $500 showed poor business
sense.
And we do charge that the agreement
| made or implied by this board 10
charge Wayne Township s1l0O per day
for Charity patients living outside Of
the City of Richmond and asking ths
city to make up the deficit between
sf.O0 and Sis In 1907. and S2.05 in
1905 when the citizens of Richmond in
addition pay 15 per cent of all taxep
collected in Wayne Township. makins
a total in 1907 of S2-23 and In 1905
81 80, that the tax payers of Richmond
paid per day to maintain charity pa