Evening star., 1915-02-12
Attempt to Cut Out Providence
and Garfield Allowances
for Indigents Beaten.
SlSS0N OPPOSESU. S. CASH
FOR PRIVATE INSTITUTIONS
Advocates Declare Poor Sick Must
Be Cared For Elsewhere. as
Asylum Wards Crowded.


yesterday afternoon to knock out of
the sundry civil bill the items of s1e.-
eco for treatment of destitute patients
at Providence Hospital and the same
amount for Garfield Hospital resulted
in debate of over an hour. The mo-
tion to deprive the hospitals of this
federal support. which has been a fea-
ture of sundry civil acts for years past,
was made by Representative SiSSon of
Mississippi. but failed, and the Sundry
civil bill retains those items. Repre-
sentative Sissons motion was made by
him. as he explained. because he is op-
posed to the federal Treasury contrib
uting to private and sectarian institu-
tions of any kind.
Mr.. Sisson's first attempt was a point
of order against the paragraphs. this
being overru1ed- He then moved to
strike out the items.
Representative Page of North Caro-
lima. who is in charge of the District
bill in the House. said that if the item
is not carried in the bill the needs of
the INDECENT sick in this city could not
be met at the present time.
Asylum Hospital Crowded.
IN the Washington Asylum Hospi
tai he said. "at present the only mu-
nicipal Institution for the care of the
sick. there is capacity for about 175
patients Today there are over 225 pa
tients crowded into the institution.
They cannot properly be cared for. and
il is not humane that an attempt should
be made to place that number of pa
tientS in that Institution above it's ca
pacity.
"I hope to see legislation not long de-
ferred when the city of Washington
will make ample provision for the care
Mt = ant gI,s aud sbarD hot ftyv1a
comes | shall join the gentleman from
Mississippi. Mr.. Sisson. in an attempt
to stop appropriations to private insti
tutions. whether sectarian or other
wise, because ] believe, as he believes,
that the public moneys should not be
appropriated to private institutions,
whether they be hospitals or anything
else
In response to question from Rep
resentative Madden of Illinois, Repre-
sentative Page said it would be vastly
better for the District to construct a
municipal hospital. and that. in his
opinion, the question of dollars and
cents did not enter into the case. Mr..
Page said that he believed hospital
suitable for the needs of the INDECENT
sick in the District for years to come
could be erected for s1,000,o00.
Fitzgerald Replies.
Representative Fitzgerald. in charge
of the sundry civil bill. opposed Repre-
sentative Sisson's motion by saying:
I'm this institution and in the Gar
field Hospital the government has in
vested almost a million dollars in con-
tributions made toward the erection of
the hospitals. SO that they might be
utilized for the benefit of the city
There is no discrimination against per-
sons sent there because of race, re-
Ifgion or any other condition that
might affect them. They are cared for
In a~proper manner and cared for at a
very slight expense I believe it is de-
sirable to care for them. In any event,
at this time there is no place where
the persons who will be taken care of
under this appropriation can be pro-
vided for in the city of Washington
except by putting a burden upon pri-
vate charities which would be too great
for them to bear.
The, obligation of the government to
take care of these unfortunates cannot
be met unless the service is rendered
IN some private institution"