Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1872-10-18
Report Of the Commissioner Of ibe Isssae for
lN1i-1.

10 Hs ElaHAcy, J.L1s CJHr.rst. Cgr-
ernor Of Vermont
SIR During the pas, two ar- in which
| have had in charge the interests of the
people Of the State. as connected with the
Vermont Asylum for the Insane have be-
| come convinced that, considering the great
interest which they should and must have
in such an institution, the knowledge Of the
relations Of the people Of this State to this
Asylum i-yery limited. \ brief history Of
what the State has done and is doing for
the Institution, AMI the Institution Cor the
State, may not be ami~s
In 1885 Mrs. Anna Marsh. Of iliu>lale,
y. H., gave ten thousand dollars 10 estab-
lish an Asylum for the Insane, al Brattle-
boro, Vt. and the same year the State hy
an act of their Legislature gave ten thous-
and dollars, to be paid in iye annual install
mentS Of two thousand each. In 1896 the
State granted an additional two thousand
dollars In lS37, four thousand dollars
In 1910, two annual installmenJ~ Of two
thousand dollars In 1913, three thousand
dollars In all. twenty-three thousand dol
lars, all of the above for huilding par
poses
In 1862 the center building and wings Of
the Institution were burned. II was mme-
diately rebuilt. and again occupied in 1851
=
thousand dollars The whole cost of the
Institution mt the present time, including
twelve hundred acres Of land, is S23l SO,
in which amount the State has an interest
Of twenty three thousand
This Institution is owned and goyernedb by
corporation, the trustees OF which are
Asa keyes. y. B. Williston. Frederick Hol-
brook and Daniel Kellogg.
BY the acts Of lsiO-43, the corporation
own tlt property, and if it ceases to bean
Insane Asylum the State have simply lien
upon the property for the security Of the
twenty-three thousand heretofore invest
ed
In 1915 the Legislature made an annual
appropriation ofthree thousand dollars, to
be divided "per capita among the insane
poor of the State, who were received at the
Institution. This was continued until 1916,
when it was increased to five thousand dol
lars, which Is continued for the same pur-
pose at the present time. The price charg
ed the State for individuals receiving State
aid, is three dollars per week
In the support of the insane of this lnsti-
tuition there are three classes
|. Those supported entirely by the STATE.
(Transient)
.. Those Supported in part by the State.
(State aid.
3. Those whom the Institution receive,
which do not receive State aid
OF the first class there are about eighty
| eight whose support amounts to Sl3, ,539. .06.
| OF the second class there are about two
hundred and fifty. who receive about sixty
five cents apiece making the five thousand
appropriated for this purpose The third
class, of which there are about two hun
! dred, coming from without or within the
State, which are self-supporting or support
ed by friends or charities, with which the
State have nothing to do. and whom the
corporation charge what they please.
By the above it will be seen that the State
has paid, and in annually paying large
sums Of money TO this Institution, and yet
she has no controlling influence in its man
agement. The only connecting link be-
tween the Institution and the State. except
its Legislative appropriation, is by the cleo
ton Of a Commissioner on the part of the
State, who is required by law to visit the
Institution from time to time, and report
what he may see and hear but beyond this
he has no authority to suggest or advise,
as the present Commissioner was informed
by the Superintendent of last year, though
all suggestions would no doubt be kindly
received.
In the opinion Of your Commissioner, the
insane of this Institution are well cared for
and kindly treated. Especially is the pre-
sent Superintendent untiring in his efforts
to make the Instution as good as possible
with the means at his control and there
has been very apparent Improvement in the
Asylum since his acquisition to the office.
The money appropriated by the State is of
very great service to this unfortunate class
of persons 1t is the belief that the people
We serve will never tire of larger appropria-
tions for thi. charitable purpose.