The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1880-12-17
The Asylum Report.

isluture. Their persistence Is admirapie
and it may possibly yet be crowned with
success.
The report of the joint Legislative
committee, which came down here to
look over our asylum few weeks since,
vas evidently written TO further this
scheme. 1t does not try it to impeach
the management Of the institution; II
has to admit, what is patent to everybody,
that DR.. Draper is an humane and
thoroughly scientific superintendent, that
The trustees and all subordinate officers
do all in their power TO properly care for
and treat the unfortunates, that the build
ings are clean, temperature equable, ana
all the arrangements of the most modern
style and in the best condition. But af-
ter admitting all this, they urge the State
to plunge into the extravaganza OF build
! ing new asylum. On what grounds?
Here let US say that the asylum man
agement has no quarrel with the COM
mit!ee on this subject. If the Slate
wishes, it is entirely willing it should
take away tie State patients, as it can
obtain ample support AZ private asylum
and is now losing money every day on
its State patronage. 1t is question to
be considered solely with reference to
the States interests, whether new asy'
lum should be built.
The whole burden of the commuters
complaint is that this asylum is a "pr-
| ya,e corporation" that the State has no
control over it, and ought not to farm
out its insane. Thisal sounds very plausi-
| BILE, but it is the verest nonsense, when one
is acquainted with the real facts. In the
first place-a fact which the committee
studiousIy conceals - the corporation
which controls the asylum,i is an eleemosy-
nary, or charitable one. 1t was founded
originally by a private bequest, and Is In
the hands of its own trustees; but no
body can make dollar out o. it, Its pro-
fits, ifany, have to remain perpetually tor
the enlargement and Improvement ofthe
institution. No one has the slightest per-
sonal interest to scrimp or cheat or MY
care for the patients 1t does not require
much insight TO know that this mustinthe
long run, be- vastly be tier for the patients
than any State asylum, in the hands OF
ofceho.ders, subject to all the caprices
and possible corruptious of politics. Phi
vale benevolence is always more trust
worthy than official service.
Ia the second place it is false that the asy'
lum "is legally independent OF state au-
,hority" Act 60 Of the laws of 1873 Great
ed Supervisory board with the amplest
power to corrot abuses, 70 visit and
thoroughly inspect the asylum once
month. hear grievances, investigate all
cases brought before it. with full power
of summoning witnesses and administer
ing oaths, if in any case legal proceed
ure is necessary the board is empowered
and directed to begin it at the expenes
of the state. What more in the way OF
) pervision is necessary VIVA: more
would be had. and if it was wholly state
asy lump Does any one pretend that the
asy lum has not been ready at any time
to accept any practical suggestions made
by state authority
The secret of the success Of this asy-
lunl has been the few cl anges In It's
Its policy has been steady
instead Of vacia,ing as i. would be II
wholly subject to the whims of success
sive legislatures. The chspges. tinker.
ings and overturnings in the superin +
tendency of education and agricultural
forcibly illustrate this point. Such
operations, the result Of legislative l>g
rolling, would utterly forbid anything
like an intelligent policy for humane or {
scientific Treatment Of tho insane.
The committee takes especial pains to
slur the asylum management, when in
speaking of the claim that the treatment
of The State patients costs more than the /
State pays, it says:
We do not exactly, however. understand Just f
now so bad a show lag Is made against the Sldse l.
n the matter OF the expenses. I he original cap
tai OF the institution was $40 to this the state
las added by gratuitous appropriation SzolW
n forty-four years of management this capital s
las been increased about ten iOld-ali OF ihls ~
rease of over three hundred thousand dollars d
las been ma lie out OF the public and private h
PATIENTS, and the former have at times amount
ID to about three-fO OF the whole. I
This is a gross, if not wilful, misstate- C
nent Until within the last 10 years n
he private patients have been largely in Il
sxcets of the public, and every member h
IF the committee had the tables before T
nim to show it. 1t was before the last S
en years that the asylum made its
money chiefly. a
The proposition embodied in a bill, t
introduced this We k, to take the convict |
insane from the Brattleboro institution
and have them cared for in depart t
ment at the House of Correction, is a S
good one, and substantially what DR..
Draper recommended in his report this I
year. But further than this, the State
has no Aeed for new asylum. Its pa !
tents are now treated for $3.50 per week. |
If, with the advantage it has in treating
private patients at the sane ume'
the asylum loses money at this price, the {
claim of the committee that the Stale
could build modern asylum and do II
for less, is ridiculous. The whole ques-
ton therefore, resolves itself, to this inc
insane are cared FIR better and cheaper
than they could be under new arrange
ment, the State has complete supervision
and all needed control over the present
asylum, what more in the cause OF hu-
manity or common sense i required
Why should one, two or three hundred
IT, ousand dollars, as the different propo-
sitions call for, be thrown away for the
sake of giving Burlington, Rutland or
some other place State institution
WE believe in temperance In its broad
est sense, in thought, word and deed. in
its full scope, healthful restraint
upon ones passions. Prohibitory legis-
lation in Vermont-very unfortunately,
we confes-has been fruitful in every
thing almost except in REFRESHING the
c,,sa of in,emperapce. Perjury has run |