Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-03-17

The President laid before The SEN
ate Majority Report fought to pass
and report OF minority fought not to
pass on Resolve in favor Of the Az
gusta State Hospital for Nurses
Home.
The PRESIDENT: The pending
question is the acceptance OF either
report.
Mr.. Fulton of Aroostook: MIR Pres
idert, l yielded To the Senator from
York. Senator Cole.
Ny. COLE of York: Mr.. President:
The matter of the Augusta State Hos
pitai, which is before US at the pres
ent time. is one which those OF us who
We're here two years heard something
about, relative to the condition of the
wards in that hospital.
The Committee on Insane Hospitals
have recommended an appropriation
OF $4,000 for the renovation OF an
other ward at this hospital. In add
ton 10 the requests from the hOspi-
tai trustees for renovation was a re-
quest for $4,000 for the renovation of
the heating plant There was also a
request for the erection, or for an ap-
preparation lOI tt.t SlcCL1OA. VI
nurses home.
The Committee. after considering all
the matters pertaining to it. voted
against the resolve for renovating
OF the heating-plant. whether wisely
or unTisely 1 don't know. l believe in
my own heart it was Unwise to SO re-
port.
Now comes the matter Of the nurses
home, on a divided report. L don't
know hardly how to go into THE sub
ject this morning as thoroughly as it
ought to be gone into, but l simply
want to say TO the Senate here that
the Augusta State hospital has near
~ reached its capacity. There are
nine hundred seventy-five inmates to-
day in the institution. There is no
place where the sixty female nurses
who are in attendance there can sleep
apart from the wards over whom they
have charge. They are living there
twenty-four hours a day, unless they
go out to take g walk, in those wards,
eating and sleeping there, passing
their whole existence there.
The State of Maine ought to. and
is. taking care Of its unfortunates to
the best of its ability. If this Legis-
lature passes the appropriation for
$4,000 it Will probably be doing its
full duty toward the renovation of the
wing of that hospital. thereby increas-
ing the efficiency Of the hospital and
making pieasanter the stay Of those
who are confined there against their
will; but nothing that can be done by
this Legislature, unless this appro-
priation passes, will alleviate the con-
dition Of those who are there of their
own will, and who are doing their full
duty as citizens of the State Of Maine
in taking care of these unfortunates,
and l feel we should look at that, not
from the standpoint of sympathy, but
from the standpoint Of pure human
ity. to consider whether we are doing
| our duty to those who are going there,
young ladies. those young girls who
go into this hospital, perhaps to earn
a livelihood.
1t may be said that If they are not
satisfied with the conditions there that
they may go elsewhere and work, but
that isn't the way we should look at
it. We should ask ourselves whether
we are doing our full duty to those
people who are giving their best SER
vices for the care of those unfortunates
in that hospital. and whether we are
doing our full duty as a state, when
we don't give them the same oppor-
tunity to enjoy life outside Of their
duties that We ask the state to give
US. We are Independent citizens.
working at our various trades, profess
sions, or occupations, and we are free
to go and come as we please, to enjoy
that freedom the best We may when
apart from our work
Now there are sixty female nurses
in the Augusta State Hospital, who
are just as good citizens as you and
l, who are servants of the State. earn
ing the munifcent salary Of seven