Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1909-01-29
THAT EPILEPTIC COLONY.

There is a good deal of noise just now
being made by Lynchburgers about
the epileptic colony to be established
out of Lynchburg, and that city has
sent number of representatives to
Gov. Swanson to press him, and indi
rectly the General Hospital Board into
immediate action. We do not now
know what the opinions Of the Gen
eral Board are, we hold no brief for it,
but We once knew their opinions, and
they were hen not favorable to the
site known as the Murkland devise at
Lynchburg.
To explain. A Mr.. Murkland of
Lynchburg had an epilectic son at the
Western State Hospital for years. So
pleased was he with the treatment the
boy received there that when he made
his will he left certain property to the
Western State Hospital, the proceeds
of which were to go to the establish
ment of an epileptic colony. A portion
of this property, if we remember cor
rectly, is located in the city, but the
largest piece is located ON the heights
across the river from Lynchburg. That
it was not Mr.. Murkland's intention
to make thot site for such colony is
evident, but was to aid the Western
State Hospital, the charitableness Of
whose management he wished to rec
ognize, and whose greatness he wished
to advance. All this is clearly drawn
from his will. These facts are not gen.
orally known.
The Legislature, however, construed
the gift as gift to the STATE, ignor-
ing the moving cause of the gift, and
ignoring the plain intention of the tes-
tator, and took the bounty away from
the Western State Hospital, and, we
believe provided that the colony should
be located on the Murkland land, but
provided that it would be under the
management of the Superintendent of
the w. S. Hospital and its Board.
This was only a sop thrown to that
hospital which had earned, or we may
say brought into the lap of the State
the Murkland benefce.
The State Board of Hospitals, con-
sisting of twelve men was not formerly
in favor of the location at Lynchburg,
as we are led to believe not so much
because it strips the Western State
Hospital of her bounty, but because
the location is not very eligible, and is
difficult of access; the hauling of coal
alone, to say nothing of other commod-
tiles, would impose a heavy yearly
burden on the state. They recognized
that the colony would only remain a
short time under the management of
the Western State Hospital board, i'm
posing as it would double duty on a
board which serves gratuitously, any
way, and drawing the superintendent
away great deal from his many du-
ties here. In little while separate
institution would spring up and be
foisted on the State with all the costly
appendages of superintendent, corps
of physicians and nurses, heavy water
and light taxes, and in the end the
Murkland bounty would prove bur
den rather than benefit.
Such colony, the board then thought,
ought either to be attached to one of
the existing hospitals rather than be-
come separate and independent in
stitution, with it's attendant burdens,
or have more convenient location.
This idea existed some years ago. Just
what now controls the action of tho
Board we do not know, but if the Leg
islature would reconsider its action and
attach such colony to one of the pres
ent hospitals and sell the Murkland
land the State would save in its bur-
dens and obtain the results necessary.
We do not know what the present
hitch is. But we do know that if the
present Board could be allowed to
choose a site it ought to choose a more
accessible one than the Murkland sitet
But the best thing to do would be really
to sell the Murkland site and put the
money in colony located at one Of the
existing hospitals, and not foist on the
taxpayers another burden in the shape
of an additional eelemosenary institu-
ton.
Let it be understood that neither
Staunton nor Augusta county are ham,
pering the establishment of this colo
ny in the hope Of bringing it here. The
Western State Hospital has three or
four hundred acres of unoccupied land
and the State has here, as at it's other
hospitals, all the sites it needs. At any
one of these the costs of separate in
stitution can be avoided. This we only
mention in passing.
The Friars in the Philippines which
means the Pope have jast been award
ed $4,000 for injury to church proper
ty. This is more money than has been
awarded the whole South for such
claims, although the injury done
Southern church property during the
civil war was ten thousand times
greater than all that done to the Friars.
The South does not vote right. If she
will join the procession she may get
some money on this score yet. Who
knows?
Those who support the policy OF the
Secret Service holding that this gov
eminent, like Russia, ought to have a