Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-06-21
National Governments Claim
Against District Approved.
CARE OF INDECENT INSANE
Bill Stated to Be About Three
Quarters of Million Dollars.
JUDGMENT WITHOUT HEARING
Plea Made That Commissioners Had
No Chance to Present Statement
to Committee.

The House insists the District shall re-
fund to the United States that three
quarters of million dollars which the
appropriations committee decided that the
District owed for the care OF INDECENT in
sane patients in the Government Hospital
for the Insane for the last thirty years.
Despite the fact that Representative Mann
of Illinois today denounced the appropria-
tons committee for not giving the Dis
trict Commissioners chance to be heard,
the House, in committee of the whole, APP
proved that section OF the sundry civil
bill
Il wouldn't hang a dog on such evidence
as YOU have here" said Representative
Mann, much less take nearly SSO0.OW
from the pockets of the District OF Co.
lumbia'
He made this remark to Representative
Fitzgerald of New York, chairman of the
appropriations committee, after learning
that no hearings had been held by the
subcommittee on the District in regard to
this alleged debt and that the House
District committee had never discussed
the matter at ali.
On a Mere Claim"
There Is no place in this bill for such
| a piece of legislation. l think ii should
be. decided by the District committee. 1t
proposes an appropriation of three-auar-
ters of a million dollars. No one at pres
| ent is prepared to say what the law is.
and you gentlemen cannot appropriate
money on the mere claim that the Dis
| trict OF Columbia has not paid It's share
ara &ha o{Vto of INDECENT
insane at the Government Hospital.
| why haven't the officials OF the Dis
| trict had hearing? The House has al
ready authorized the District committee
the District. and believe it is being car
ried out. That would divulge the true
state of the accounts, and IL Is not the
province of a sundry civil bal to go back
| a quarter of century and take tins
money away from the Districts reve-
nues."
Representative Fitzgerald answered that
| the books of the Government Hospital for
| the Insane showed that INDECENT patients
| from the District had been cared for
there, and that although the District
should pay for half their keep, the super
intendent of the institution could collect
nothing.
Representative Johnson of Kentucky.
who has been acting as chairman OF
the committee on the whole all through
the discussions of the sundry civil DILL
was called upon to rule on a delicate par
liamentary matter, and In doing so re-
cited some of the history of the case In
point.
He said the first insane patients from
the District to be treated at the Govern
ment Hospital for the Insane went there
in 1857: that in 1876 a law was enacted
which made the District pay a certain
portion of their keep. and that the or
ganic act of 1878 settled the half-and-
half plan.
Claims Warrant in Legislation.
There is direct legislation. he SAID,
| (which makes it right that one-half OF
the charge for these INDECENT patients
should be made against the District Now.
has this mandate of law been respected?
He read numerous extracts and letters
from the Treasury.
The Treasury" he declared. has re-
peatediy called the Commissioners atten-
ton to the account and it has been ig-
nored.'
After Representative Mann had tried to
have the provision stricken out of the
bill a vote was taken. The House. by A
vote of 33 to IL, declared the District
ought to pay this without an accounting.