The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-02-03
DR. HOBBS GIVES
 HIS OPINION ON
 BAPTIST HOSPITAL
In Open Letter Baptist Minister Reviews Progress and Status of the Movement to Es-
 tabIiSh Plant


 pr. J. R. Hobbs tf the First Baptist
 church. Birmingham, reviews in an
 open letter the situation regarding the
 Baptist hospital, as follows:
 "In the current issue of the Alabama
 Baptist appears an article signed by certain members of the board ot trustees of the Alabama Baptist hospi- tai and entitled, "To the Baptists or Alabama This article also appears Tn The Birmingham Age-Herald or date' January 27, 1921.
 "Inasmuch as the writer was mem Der of said board until recently anu prior to that g. member Of the AiaoAnia Baptist hospital commission, he deems if not improper to add a few facts to those given in the above-mentioned
 article in order that the situation may be more fully clarified.
 The article states that the com mission was handicapped by lack oA funds gives the percentage or the s75, 900, 900 campaign to be devoted 10 the hospital, and observes that all the money cannot be reasonably expected to come into hand.
 This is true as far as it goes, put the convention at Decatur upon recon mendation of the hospital commission instructed the board of trustees Of the hospital to hypothecate the credit ol the convention for as much as SzoV'VoV in the following lanebage:
 "'That inasmuch as $250,o0O is the approximate amount set aside Dy the convention out of the $7o,0O0,Oo0 (Ior the hospita) the convention authorize the board of trustees to- issue bonds TOT any part of the said sum or to finance 4 ha Sai n advisable by them.
 Thus the board ofstrustees is limited in the expenditure of $250,O00 only py their ability to finance that amount. If the board had abided by the in structions of the convention and had awarded the hospital to some city of- fering a site and definite sum of money with these assets backed by the credit of the convention it's part could have been financed very easily. This action of the convention indicates that l the convention expects the whole sub scription to the $75,o00,ooo campaign 1 in Alabama to be paid in full whether | now or later.
 PRESENT SITUATION The real reason for the present ! situation of the hospital matter is the ] failure of the board of trustees to abide by the explicit instructions of I ] made upon the recommendations of ] the hospital commission which after
 the convention, which instructions were 1 trustees. These instructions are con- 1 tained in article No. z of the instruc- l tions the board and are as follows: 1 "~rhat the convention approve the l policy of requiring financial aid from the community where the hospital is l located in the sum of not less than one [ -A T Al. ~~.,t hx- ft.ah n | of trustees in addition to. a free site ~The history of this policy is worth while. At i. a meeting of the hospital commission September 16, 1920, the fol- 1 lowing resolutions among others was adopted:
 That the minimum requirement fo- the location of a hospital at any place shall be free suitable site and a donation of sum equal to that to be invested by the commission
 Shortly after that certain citizens of Albany addressed a communication to the members of the commission talk ing exception to the requirements set forth in that resolution. The writer replied and sent copy of his reply to each of the other six members of the commission. Five of them wrote in acknowledgement, and four of them gave expression to emphatic indirse- S commission and it's policy. When the commi ssion met at Decatur November IS, 1920, it unanimously adopted as a part of its report to the convention the
 article as quoted above. It was not until Selma appeared with proposi- ton not meeting the requirements of this article that the board considered
 reversing its former action in asking
 the convention to instruct them in the language of said article.
 I SELMA'S APPLICATION
 "The history of Selma's application for the hospital is in place here. Selma
 was the first city to ask for the hospi- tai This was done last spring and
 from the first it's representatives i'm I sisted upon early action on the part of
 the commission. When the commission l met September 16, 1920. and set Janu- lary 1, 1921, as the final limit of time
 in which to decide upon location, very
 soon thereafter Se1ma's proposition
 was withdrawn. While attending the ,l convention at Decatur, the writer re-
 ceived a letter from Ernest Lamar
 dated at Selma, November IS. 1920. ir which he wrote in part as follows
 "Tf you decide to build Baptist
 hospital and decide to change youI
 ruling on the resolution of matching
 dollars" I will be glad to present 2 , showing from Selma to secure thu hospital.'
 "November 2s. 1890, the writer ad dressed a circular letter to the severa } cities, which had made application fol the hospital. One of these letters wal sent to Mf. Lamar. To this letter MT
 Lamar replied November 26, 1920. al 2 follows:
 "Ts thank you for your letter Q . January 2s. Will you please write m' l whether the commission is going t hold to the proposition No. 5? HI
 quotes this prcposition as follows T Third that the board of trustees 2 chosen be authorized to meet and or tyanixe temporarily by choosing ] president. vice president. secretar,
 and treasurer. and that when so or ganized to choose location for tn . hospital The writer replied in . let ter, dated November 37. 1920, statini : that he would do his best to get tn board together December .. 1920. am i, to procure definite action.
 , MIR. LAMAR WRITES i, November 30. 1sao. Mr. Lamar wrot z as follows:
 Il CT thank you for your letter Q
 January 27. PleAse let me know .
 once whether the eommission h goini
 to absolutely stand by and deman