Jasper County Democrat, Volume 14, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 May 1911 — IS A BAD ORDINANCE. [ARTICLE]

IS A BAD ORDINANCE.

The Democrat of Saturday called attention to the ordinance “regulating” the itinerent or traveling doctors,’ which will come up for final passage before the council at its regular meeting next Monday night. This ordinance, as then stated, is aimed to put a fence about Rensselaer arfd keep all other doctors out unless invited in by a local practioner to assist in “assimilating” a fat fee. It is primarilly aimed at Dr. Finch, the Indianapolis specialist, who makes regular monthly visits to Rensselaer, and should the ordinance pass with its license fee of $5 for the first day and $3 for each additional day, it would mean that the people who have been doctoring with him must pay the license fee which would be added to his regular fees, or must go to some more broadminded city where no local practitioner is afraid of outside competition. So far as The Democrat can learn there is no general demand among our local doctors for the passage of this ordinance, and it seems to us that it would be poor business policy to pass this restrictive measure. s In the first place there are people who have tried the local doctor and got no relief, perhaps some can not be relieved. They will then try some outside physician, some specialist, and sometimes they do get relief. If the specialist does not come to Rensselaer they will go to him, and Dr. Finch has patients from all sections of Jasper county, who come to see him here and leave quite a little money each time with Rensselaer tradesmen besides the fee paid the doctor. In this way their coming here indirectly helps the town in general and the business men in particular. Is it not better'to have these people come to Rensselaer than to have them go to Monticello or Hammond, for instance, and spend their money with the merchants and tradesmen of those towns? Another thing, if Rensselaer passes this sort of an ordinance, some crank doctor in neighbory. —_—. r 1 ■ • “■*

ing towns will want his town or city council to pass a like measure. Dr. Turfler of Rensselaer, a large property owner here, a resident practitioner, makes regular visits to Monticello and Lowell each week, Monticello two days and Lowell one. If those towns should pass an ordinance like this it would c.ost him $8 each week at Monticello and $5 at Lowell. The result would likely be that he would cut out both towns. He has pa'ients from all the surrounding towns who do a little trading each time they visit him with the merchants, and from a business point of view, if nothing more, it would be poor policy to shut him out. This ordinance has slipped along here unnoticed by the ptLlic until The Democrat called attention ,to it, and unless a remonstrance is, filed against its passage it is sure to go through next Monday night. It is up to the people to act in the matter, but while it is believed that ninetenths of the citizens of Rensselaer are opposed to it, unless someone takes the lead the thing will be done.