Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-07-27
R. H. M'Carter Says
Situation Is Not Cover
ed by Statutes.
CAN'T DO ANYTHING, SAYS
STATE BOARD OF HEALTH
Legislature Has Been Appealed
to in Vain, Says DR..
Evans. \

panver. arising from the aIarmingly
oyercrowded condition at the State Hos
pItaI for the Insane at Morris Plains,
where inmates are sleeping on the noor'
I'm corridors and In the siant-ceiiinK
rooms under the root us
the evening sAH' "re ep
'"e '"e. '"a. -. -.v.,,s
~. .,.....,an
Robert H. McCarter. former attorney
general, was asked today whether there
was any law bearing upon the matter
mot thatSI am aware Of" was his
Immediate response. "The matter came
before me when l was attorney general
r, .. No ,. 10 s.r ,. know
.,1, ,..,.,4 .n ove~crovxa
A.. .,...,,. An. no.n,ta, ,utborit,e.
- .s,,.a .o r.c.,ys n.t,euts.y
1t is believed that Attorney General
Edmund Wilson has advised the hos
pital authorities that they are literally
forced. whether they like it or not or
whether there Is accommodation or
NOT TO admit whomever is sent to the
institution
Whom the attornev-eeneral was
.sxaa todav "rs there anv law or anv
s.o+a oor,,,issior which can nrevent
s,oh ovorcrowdine of nublic institu-
,,on.9p he declined to answer
The on,nion of other legal experts
,oa,,ad 70 confirm this pec,liar lack
of a definite law on the subject. i'm
nortant tho,oh ~ is
|
stare bonra he'piess
Al the once Oh tne staee Doaru ~ ~
Health, II Trenton. II was stated tnae
| nothing could be done by the Board OF
Health, although 1t was pointed out
! that DR.. Britton d. Evans had said:
| "stnndard sanitary conditions cannot
he maintained"
| Under our laws. as they stand al
present" Dr. Evans himself said, "tnls
overcrowding must necessarily con-
tinue. And yet. should a disaster Of
anv ,sind-fire. an Infectious and con-
.ar,. a;sooso or ,na,,o,dabla ,a,,,-
.I,,..o- ,,.,.;. go, .,,o a,,ax-
''is
cro"ulns' ior i'is'ance-snoui any 'inns
like this occur, say the pubic, peins
irnorant of these conditions. would be
likely to thrust all the responsibility
upon the MANAGEMENT of the hospital
and ito rasident oAHoera
"xybao wa have onnoale5 10 +ho
r.,.,..,, - ,.s, -.
|
.F.
"here ID TINS lhcrease u INSANITY
going to stop! Where IS this increase
of maintenance cost going to endg'
| These may be pertinent No doubt
they are natural questions. But the In
crense in insanity and the consequent
increase in the cost of maintaining this
Institution cannot very well be laid to
the door of the officers appointed to
look after and care for the insane OF
the state in the state hospitals.
uniyersa, prob,em.
Insanity is sad affiiction. Its vis-
ltatlon upon the human race Is In no
sense peculiar to New Jersey The con-
sequences and responsibilities whicn It
brings upon the state at large are COM
mon to other, states and to all OF tnem-
| 1t Is fully recognized that the pro-
lection OF the public demands that In
sane persons must be placed under re-
straint. surely the laws or humanity
and philanthropy dictate that these un-
fortunates shall be cared for kindly,
literally and In accordance with the
principles of both charity and science.
every few realize that there are about
6,OOO insane persons In New Jersey.
with only ten persons of sound mind
interested In each one, we have 10000
| citizens who have considerably more
than IA DassIna interest I'm the welfare