Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1883-11-15

sary. the county nlnst provide for the furnishius
OF the Asylum and County Farm with all the
stock, farm implements. household furniture,
provisions and money to pay the hired help. nee
eessary to run the farm. poor house and asylum
The members Of that Board have repeatedly
visited it and inspected every room and every
patient. II has not found fanIf with the ylum.
| nor with the keepers.
II has not expected impossibility but has adj.
| yised with your committee and made many sug.
gestions. and among others that our system is H.
able TO abuse, and must be changed.
| Again, 1t has repeatedly advised us that the
county must furnish employment for every pa
| tient who can be coaxed TO do anything: some
! agreeable employment, whether profitable or not
Do this, and nearly all restraint can be removed
Insane people are sick people. Yet what little
mind and muscle they have must be exercised in
some way. They mnst never be driven to their
work The many viii voluntarily go or can be
led and when that is done there is but little need
of locks, bolts. bars, hand-caifs maffs and re-
straints. To accomplish this and care for so
many as you have on your hands. you need more
stock and systematic industries of some kind
suitable to the sex, education and tastes of the
| patients. Experience demonstrates that these
patients cannot be made self supporting but can
contribute something towards the supplying
1 themselves with the necessaries of life and at
/ same time by work alleviate their own condition.
| Your committee have visited the asylum many
times. commencing with the selection Of the site.
From that day. every step including the selection
Of the material for the building its construction
completing, furnishing and filling with patients,
has passed under the personal supervision OF
yonr committee. All of which your committee
| respectfully requests each member of this Board
10 examine and inspect for himself.
All of which is respectfully submitted.
JOHN g. CLARK, Chm.
GEO. ": RYLAND.
II. GRIMM
C. G. RoD0LF.
Mr.. WILsoN-Are the bills before the
committee and claims?
Mr.. CLARK--Ycs; | think So
Mr.. WILSON, move that so much
of the report as relates to the building
be accepted and that the part relating
to the care of the insane and to the
system, lay over for discussion and be
made the special order tomorrow even
ing when we meet at o'clock As
understand it the committee was auth
orized to go on and erect the asylum
you went on and did erect 1t cost
more than the original calculation
you asked an additional Appropriation
and got it for the purpose of completing
the building. | think that it was done
as cheaply as possible under the circum-
stance. Now desire that the property
be turned over into the hands of the
committee on county property. But
there are great many other things to
be considered. Some of you understood
my attitude upon this question last year,
but / am satisfied with the work of that
committees; satisfied that they are EMIT
led to the thanks of this board and of
the people, that 1t has been done cheap
have no doubt. There was "a mistake
of Judgment IN calculation upon $40. 600
being sufficient. | make this motion in
good faith, but there are other matters
that are proper subjects of discussion.
have no doubt that the expense has
been necessarily incurred and think a
special appropriation should be made
to meet the extra expense.
The CHAIRMAN understand the
motion is that we receive and adopt
that part of the report which relates to
the building and that the property be
turned over to the committee on County
property Seconded and the motion
prevailed.
The following is the report of the
Committee on Insane:
Your Committee on the Insane to
which was referred the matter of as
pertaining the financial condition of the
insane of Grant County and how many
of its patients are State charges have
endeavored to discharge the duty de-
volving upon them.
A circular letter was sent to each
member of the County Board last win
ter. In many instances no reply was
received. A second circular was sent
that did not elicit reply in every in
stance.
Then letters were sent with but little
better success. 1t was however ascer-
tanned that the insane generally belong
to families that are very poor or in
straitened circumstances and could not
contribute toward the support of the
patients without depriving others of the
necesSaries of life.
These enquiries have demonstrated
that the town officers keep no public
records of their actings and doings SO
far as the insane are concerned, and
that they as rule do not transmit to
their successors any knowledge what
ever of the patients that they have
committed during their term of office
As rule complaint has BEEN made
that some one was insane. An exami-
found insane. Residence given as
Grant county and if there is room in
the State Hospital, sent there. If not,
to the County Poor House. Generally
no inquiries have been made as to the
place whence the insane person came,
and no reports made to the Sheriff or
Chairman of the Board whose duty it
is to make affidavit of non-residence.
The town officers are charged for Others
who have no knowledge of the fact
and none of the law. The individual
perhaps unknown before is forgotten
and taxpayers are surprised at the cost
of the insane. Your Committee has
advertised this matter in the papers and
has sent circulars into every town in the
county since the last meeting of the this
Board. Yet it has come to light that
since last November, several non-resi-
dents have been quietly saddled upon
the county at the County asylum and
Mendoza. This has been going on for
many years, and the result has been
that this county has paid many thous-
ands of dollars for the support of non
residents.
The following is partial list of those
we have been paying for improperly;
Tohn Pedro -....-..H Hazel Green
Charles Richards Smelser
George King ----.----- s--.- PotoSl
James FOSTER. ------ $500. Clifton
Mrs. Grissei. 49, Plattevllle
Henry SchirSner-- ---- Naupun
Charles F. Moran. $500. 1890 Pla'tevllle
Jacob Zentz- -.--------- -------- Muscoda