The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1911-03-02
oun hosPlTAL.

The county commissioners QHV0 OOCt000 So0S w.
county hospital shall be closed. the furniture and
fixtures to be sold. and the buildings to be leased
tor two years. Thus they are undoing about the
only real good thing which they as board have
done during the past few years, viz: giving one
Of the very best institutions of the kind in the state
Time was when our hospital disgrace. There
many grave charges against some OF the for
ner natrons, and while the Independent never made
investigation, it seems that they were we'll found
ed. In the years past charges were made that the
surroundings were not as Clearly as they should
have been that the bedding in deplorable
condition, and that the nurses were allowed to do
about they pleased. About two years ago, Miss
Windell secured matron. Commissioner
Glein bitterly opposed the selection of Miss Win
dell and have reasons to believe that he a. well
other members of the board hoped that she
would not make good However, she did make
good She insisted upon order in all things. She
particular In some things to fault, you might
say, but about hospital there is place for Nth.
She exacted Of all nurses courteous and careful
treatment Of all patients, matter what the sta
ton life these patients might happen to occupy
She has played to favorites. She has treated all
nurses and all doctors alike. She has treated
them ladies and gentlemen and she has insist
ed that she be treated lady at Ill times. With
~ such. She has done her work so we'll, that when
the commissioners concluded that she must be dis
charged to make room for some else, they could
not trump up one single charge against her: They
discharged her without reason. They did not give
her hearing In this they treated her shame
fully and it is disgrace to Ward county and this
great state of ours that such an ignorant set Of
ocials should be tolerated Is 1t any wonder, then,
that members of the board of commissioners anu
our county physician should bring pressure to bear
upon the Minot papers TO squelch criticism OF
the board by one of its own members, MI. hurd
They successful in keeping the article referred
to from the two daily papers, but tho Independent
believes in giving the true facts without fear or
favor, and we could not consclentously ditch the
criticism. When the commissioners saw that the
people had been aroused and would not tolerate
zone doctor institution they then concluded that
the hospital too heavy = drain upon the county
and decided to close it. Reader what do you think
of such an act? You one Of your loved ones may
become III today. necessttatng serious operation,
or the best Of hospital treatment. What would you
6oi Whist could you do? You could not be ID
ritted to the hospital, for new cases Will b &C.
cepted and the patients who are already there ~lH
be discharged soon AZ possible Your monV
has been used in building up institution where
necessary,
these unscrupulous cars, you compelled to ~
main at your home, where the treatment cannot
possibly be as good as in a hospital, and where
If you must submit to an operation you nave Tut
less chance of pulling thru. The county commits
sioners by this act Juggling with your lives
1t matters not to them whether you live or die.
They forget that they We're elected to represent
you and conduct your business for you Their only
possible excuse for closing the hospital is that 1t
has been running behind. Now, how do we know
vhether II has been running behind or not? You
have never seen financial statement OF the hosp
tal published have you? Neither have we. me
Independent has taken the trouble to look up the
matter however and We find that before Miss VIM
dell took charge the hospital running behind
some every year. but that under her management
it was breaking even. In 1909 the hospital was
placed on a paying basis. The report for 1910 has
not been completed yet, but we hope to show that
is did as we'll last year the year previous. The
nurses salaries the domestic help and the sun
dries were all paid for out OF the hospital receipts
and Miss Winde has been turning over TO the
treasurer from $4O0 to 500 month In cash, oe-
sides notes from patients, enough to pay the otner
expenses after deducting what the county Wouiu
have to pay for it's own patients in the insttuuon
Isn't it worth something to Ward county to have an
institution OF this kind? We will suppose that the
hospital did run behind couple OF thousand DOL
lars year. That would not cost each taxpayer
more than ten cents year extra on the average
The Minot Optic says: "The institution 10 heaVy
drain on the county and the county gets no good
from IT," OF course not. Brothers Smart ana
Kaufman are as healthy pair OF bucks ana tney
don't care rap whether there's a hospital here OF
not inst so they are allowed to feed at the pubic
crib We have not gone into this matter a. We
i,tsnA a. We are merely giving prelude u
show what is to follow.
~. hap tho pardon OF our readers for being IN
.hx, - give the concluding chapter Of The Tale
v. -. .h,r+. n thia weeks edition We are await