The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1910-03-26

tain circumstances, some of them
might prove very unscrupulous and
put the black bottle to people who
were in the way of persons able to
pay well for their removal. The ma
jority of physicians are good, consci-
entious men, but few black sheep
will steal into the medical profession
and they could do an immense
amount of mischief IT, under any cir
cumstances, they had a right to kill.
Much ingenuity would be used in
framing up justihcations for the ad-
ministration of the "mercy tablets"
In the course of time, many "unde-
sirables' would go on the incurable
list and be sent out of the land of
the living.
The strongest argument which DIR.
Hudson urges in support OF his opin-
ions is based on conditions which
might be easily removed or allevi-
ated. He says: "In answer to the
many letters and criticisms received,
some uncomplimentary others laud-
atory, of my idea of the treatment of
idiots and those bereft of all human
instinct and reason and confined in
| the county poor farms and asylums
of the country would say that see
nothing wrong in relieving this awful
condition where It v,-n be so easily
done, and these patients transferred
from this awful state of a living hell
to one of eternal ecstasy. Could some
of the doctors, editors and others who
condemn my position so severely see
some of the sights l have seen, 1T
might change their ideas. To me
there Is one thing certain, the coun-
ties and statse should look more hu-
namely after this unfortunate class,
or their suffering should be relieved
as / have suggested. / have seen
grown girls living and eating like
beasts, sleeping on the floor, dirty and
filthy beyond mention, with no one
to properly care for them. This con-
dition no doubt prevails in many OF
the county poorhouses and asylums OF
this state and country"
1t is a disgrace to both the county
land state that permit such conditions
to exist anywhere In this country.
There is no excuse for such deplor-
able neglect of the unfortunate. IL
is not likely that there is county
, in the United States which is finan-
, cially unable to care for it's idiotic
and insane charges. If counties VIII
not do their duty, the state should
make them do it. Very probably DR.
Hudson was driven to his advocacy ol
poisoning the unfortunate by the
sights which he has witnessed IN
places that should be decent refuges
. for the most miserable of mankind
He will do much good If he arouses
public opinion on this subject.
DIR. Hudson admits that his the
cries are impracticable under soul
present laws and social conditions
We may add that it will probably bC
n long time before any Missouri leg
islature will authorize the doctors tc
poison anybody, no matter how
much better off the victim might bC
in another world. Public opinion
would have to undergo marvellous
change before majority of the Vot
ers could be induced to conflde the
{ power of life and death to commits
= sion of physicians. 1t may be sale
. that surgeons have it already in tho
r case Of some operations. But Tho
t surgeons never operate on a person
{ with the intention of killing him ol
her In fact, they will not operate
il they regard death as the inev'
3 table result of the operation.