New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-02-04
TO ENLARGE INSANE ASYLUMS.
A BILL TO BE INTRODUCED IN THE LEGIsLATURE
DOING AWAY WITH ABUSES.

Albany, Feb. 3.-The presentmont Of the Grand jury
OF Kings County on Friday in relation TO the crowded.
condition Of the insane asylum Of that county VII
give considerable support to a bill which VIII be IN
troduced shortly IN the Legislature, at hs request OF
the State Charities Aid Association having for its aim
the enlargement of the States insane asylums so thar
they may be able TO for all the insane people Of
the State, with the exception Of those Of the counties
Of Kings, New-York and Monroe Although Kings
County ia excepted. the condition Of It's asylum for
the insane may be given as example Of what tho
association aiming TO prevent, namely, wretched
treatment Of the insane in county asylums The
terms in which the Grand Jury of Kings County speaks
Of It's asylum be applied to other county asyluns
"The Grand Jury after patient inspection Of the
county buildings at Flatbush find that they have
outlived their usefulness and do not the re-
qulrements Of the present day" Tho Insane Asylum
OF Kings County is Of these county buildings thus
declared to have outliyed their usefulness.
There are nineteen counties of the state which are
authorized to keep their chronic pauper insane. On
October J. 1887, there were 14,o62 insane people In
tho asylums, State and county, of the State OF
these 1929 chronic insane paupers were In the poor
houses Of the State exclusive of York, Kings and
Monroe counties and IL object Of the proposed bi
ot ue olate NhaLlAeS Au ASsociIuon, ePohop - -
above, 70 transfer these TO the better care OF the
State asylums. year ago the association had such
a bin before the Legislature but 4 was not PssSsa
exempted counties. The authorities Of those counties
made the objection 10 the BILL among others Llat
they could for their insane poor az less expense
in their county Insane asyums than they could have
them cared for at the cOuntys expense in the State
insane asylums. The present bill obviates that OBJ
lection by making the support Of all the Insane pa
tlents in the State asylums State charge. The ex
empted counties viii thus save money II the bill be-
comes law by sending their insane 70 the State asy@
ums instead Of keeping them In their county asylums
TO be expense 70 the counties supporting those In
stitutiOns.
The State. Charities AID Association IS animated BY
motives Of humanity In pressing the removal Of the
insane from the county asyums 10 the state asylums
It's visitors report that many OF the county asylums
are wretohedly managed, and that where well-maD.
aged there Is always reason TO fear that political
changes viii bring ia incompetent Eeepor, and defence
less insane men and women DO DLtrcated and
neglected. Necessarily also tho standard OF medical
treatment In the county insane asylums Is far below
that OF State asylum and insane patients chance
Of returning 10 sanity IS far less II may be added
that the food Is not good, that there not SUI
fcient number OF attendants, that the buildings are
we'll adapted for the care OF the insane 10 the
case Of the county asyluIns as In the case of the
State asylums
The past week the State Board Of Charities g5ye
some valuable testimony regarding the condition OF
the county insane asylums, Of which an abstract a.
given in The Tribune last Friday, and which cannot
fail 20 be of 10 the State Charities Aid ASSOCIATE m
when IL presses It's bill