Graham guardian., 1915-01-01
MUST TAKE CARE OF SICK

The enforcement of the old ace
and mothers pension law is going tc
work a great hardship on the indl
gents in this county. Those who are
entitled to help from the county al
this time and are being cared for al
the county hospital. will have to be
turned out. and unless they are over
sixty years of age and have resided
In the State for five years. they will
not receive any financial assistance
from the State.
The county hospital will be abol-
ished and the building and grounds
must be sold for the best obtainable
price. The money secured from the
sale of buildings and grounds must
be turned over to the State Board
Of Control. which will have entire
charge of the fund and who will
order payments of the warrants
issued by the board of supervisors
in favor of those persons who are
entitled to receive benefits under the
law.
All indigents in this county under
the age of sixty years and who have
been receiving a stated sum each
month from the county. will not be
entitled to any further financial as
sistsnce. unless they are widows who
are mothers of dependent children,
or are wives whose husbands are
confined in penal institutions or in
sane asylums and have children un.
der the age of sixteen years.
The object of the old age and
. mothers pension law is undoubtedly
good, and the idea to give pensions
to men and women over sixty years
Is a very worthy one. but serious
mistake has been made in not pro-
viding for indigents who may be
worthy of aid, whose age and resi-
dence in the State is less than is re
quired by the law.
In this county we have a case that
may prove worrisome in its disposi-
tion under the new law. At the
county hospital there is now a wo-
man, suffering from tuberculosis,
who has three small children. This
woman is under sixty years of age
and she has not been a resident Of
the State for five years. The county
must cease to give her any financial
assistance and must turn her and
her little children out of the home
kindly and humanely provided for
them at the county hospital by the
board of supervisors, This woman
is unable to do any work on account
of her illness and the oldest child is,
perhaps, eight years of age. Her
case is one that is going to be hard
to solve as there is nothing in the
new law covering cases Of this kind.
Perhaps way to get around this
new law would be for the county to
engage in some industrial pursuit in
which the buildings and land could
be used, and in such an event the
county could use the proceeds of
such business for the purpose of
aiding worthy indigents not provided
for in the new law.
We have a county hospital where
those who are sick and unable to
pay for doctors services and medi-
cines, can get such treatment at
county expense and also be provided
with place Of residence temporarily
while under treatment. Theoretically
the county hospital is not an aims
house and should not come under
the provisions of section / of the
new law. 1t is such a place as is
provided for in every large city to
take care of the sick.
We must take care Of our poor
sick in this county at all times and
the county hospital should not be
abolished. 1t tshould remain as it is,
a place where the poor sick. not
otherwise provided for, can receive
the care and attention of the doctors.
The rich sick do not need the aid of
the county.
A county hospital should not be
d'ffned as an aImshouse and there