Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1883-03-29
More LEGISLATION Needed,

INV ANttNtNs
The legislative committee on caarit-
able and penal institutions present
majority report on the recommends
tons made by Governor Rusk in his
message, in regard to the further con-
tinuance of the county system of caring
for the insane, which takes an entirely
opposite view of the matter than that
held by his excellency. The report
states, as the conclusions of a majority
of the committee, that in the county
system the problem of how best to care
for the insane is solved. The report
is printed elsewhere, from which it will
seen that the committee are quite forci
BILE in the presentation of their views,
leaving no doubt as to the sincerity of
their convictions. The report however
is of no moment except so far as reit-
iteration of a settled policy strengthens
thai policy. The state has already de-
cided upon the county system as the
one on which it will in the future depend
for the care of the chronic insane
The point now lacking, and which
various bills presented during the
present session have sought to remedy,
is the assistance necessary to carry this
method INTO effect. The present laws
in relation to the building of asylums
and caring for insane of the class
mentioned are contradictory and use
full for no purpose save to mystify and
confuse those who attempt to study
them What is needed is dissection
and codilicltion of these laws into such
shape as to combine the benefits of both
systems. In order to make the county
system 4 success, something more is
needed than mere permission for
counties to build, coupled with an I'M
derstanding that the state will not.
One of the very first prerequisites
is passage of law concentrating the
power into the hands of board of
trustees. AS this is q case purely and
simply of philanthrophy and not politics
the management of all county aSylums
should be removed from the latter
field altogether. A bill has been be-
fore the legislature which would do
this; that provides for II board of
three trustees, one to be appointed by
the governor and two by the county
board, all to be residents of the county.
Without some such common system of
organized management the insane are
left at the mercy of county boards
composed of persons, in almost every
instance, entirely unacquainted with
the needs of the asylum or its inmates
They are elected one year and the next
are likely t. be replaced for some other
man who is equally unprepared to deal
with these problems, rs his predecessor
and thus It gees until the so called asy-
lum sinks to the level of poor house,
against which system so much OPPOSE
ton is properly leycled.
Speaking on the point of county
management, Mr.. ii. H. Giles, OF the
state board of charities and reform. in
paper read before the National con-
ference of charities, says: objection
to this county plan are raised because
county boards are proverbially, stingy,
and politically designing. 1t is true
that they are composed of many self
prospective candidates for legislature
honors, ambitious to acquire reputa-
ton for economy and who have il in
their power to withhold the means for
making insane paupers comfortable. y
But the gentleman thinks, 1.-THE aid
from the state is an incentive to good
care and the best conditions to county
asylums." Experience teaches, how
ever. that such aid cuts but little figure
in the ease. If the state pays so much
and the county can succeed in reducing
the cost below the average limit, by
putting off until tomorrow, or cllmina-
ting altogether, what ought to be done
to-day. this much, in the estimation o.
those economists, is q clear saving IL
does not follow that this is the result OF
beartlessness or a desire not to impart-
ialIv care for the unfortunates committed
to their care, but being almost wholly
unacquainted with the needs of those
for whom they legislate, the committee