St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-02-14
Judge Henry R. Wells Dis
cusses the Care of the
Insane.
The Burden Of State Institu-
tons as Now In
creased
BY the Lack Of Proper Sys-
Il tenn in Their Ineep-
ton.
He Advocates the Wisconsin
{ Cottage Plan for the
: Insane.
81 feel the truth,
Your task is done.-I'm mad. I'm madI"
Lewis

81 feel the truth,
Your task is done.-rm mad! I'm mad"
Lewis.
Judge Henry r. Wells, Of Preston,
who has given a life's study to charity
the following letter to the state board
of corrections and charities:
Gas requested, respectfully submit
my views briefly in the matter of the
treatment of the chronic insane. The
tendency has been, and is to a very
large extent, to impose upon the state
as far as possible, the burden of main
tanning almost exclusively the care of
the criminal and dependentc classes, and
to large extent, the educational inter
ests OF the state. To such an extent
has this policy been carried that we
find state public institutions so multi
plying and the state charge so great
that the practical business sense
of the people is becoming inter-
ested, if not alarmed, and the
outcome contemplated with
degree of perpleXity to say the least.
The estimate for the support OF the
charitable institutions alone, for the en-
suing two years, is over S2,00O,000, and
the tendency is onward. While it may
our people lend willing, generous aid to
the care of the unfortunate and to the
upbuilding of our institutions, there
must come time when this tendency
will he checked and efforts made to
lOcalize and minimize the burden, else
our state policy will become too UNI
WieIdy, and such extravaganza and pos
Sible profiigacy obtain as to hazard, i'll
the rebound, the whole system itself
finding us unprepared, it may be to
cope with the emergency. The more
localized public burdens are. the better
as rule. and more economically they
are administered.
How best to accomplish this result?
AS to the prison SYSTEM had the
honor to submit paper recently sug-
costing the construction OF no more
state prisons, and the adoption of the
thus Kidding us at once of the county
Jail nuisance and dividing the expenses
of the penal system between the state
and such limited number of counties as
will contribute their prisons for state
uses, the state to fit them for such in
dustries suitable to the respective lOcali
stieS and to pay reasonable compensa-
ton for state convict support, the inStl-
tutionS to be administered under state
supervision.
| may remark in this connection that
our high schools receiving state super
vision and aia, might perform in de-
gree, with increasing efficiency, part OF
the work of the state normal institu-
tons. 1t might be we'll to consider
whether the further construction of
normal institutions by the state may not
with advantage, at least without disad-
vantage, cease. We have four "a be-
Iieve now; that number might be re-
duced and those remaining advanced in
grade, while the high schools grow into
greater usefulness and give further
relief 81
s In the matter of the insane doubling
in the state every seven years., it must
! be conceded that more than one-half of
those now being cared for in the state
hospitals are being entertained rather
than treated; in fact, they need no
treatment. They are of the class known
as harmless, chronic insane. Sound and
healthy in body, they while away the
days and months in comparative liStlesS
inactivity, and this induces melancholia
and mania rather than improvement in
mental condition. How can this best be
construction of great state institutions?
No other state cares for all its insane in
this way, and why should Minnesota
attempt it further? Wisconsin, by its
actual experience in the past eight
wears. has, believe, demonstrated that
the remedy is in the county asylum
system. Minnesota has three state
hospitals, and fourth is actually
contemplated. Wisconsin has two and
was Informed by Mr.. Giles. one of the
best observers, and who has had much
to do in building up their system, that
if one of their state aSylums should
burn, the state would not rebuild it.
They have now twenty (20) county asy-
Inns in which are confined, or rather
given homes, more than half the insane
population of the state. The advant-
ages actually obtained are that they
are cared for at half of the expense.
the cost per capita being lightweight
fssl dollars average in the county asy-
iums against one hundred and seventy
nine (l79) dollars in the large institu-
tons.
The state saves the construction Of
huge and expensive state hospitals,
while to the counties the cost of their
asylumS for the accommodation of from
sixty (6O to one hundred Q00) patients is
comparatively smali-one-ffth of state
cost.
The cost of superintendent and
management is not much greater than
the present cost of operating and man
aging the county poor farms in the
state. But the great and material adj
vantage is to the patients themselves.
They are brought into more immediate
contact with their old home relations
and friends. Their minds are occupied
in caring for themselves, tending their
in icti in q
farms, thus aiding in their own main
tenance. Experience shows that by
this means very many improve from
day to day; drift out among the p0pu-
iation, becoming again productive
members of the community. Too much
cannot be said in favor of this system
for the care of the class of insane re-
ferred to. 1t is the happy medium be-
tween the old poor house and Jail enor-
mites, and the unwieldly overgrown
state hospitals, where the in
dividual is apt to be lost
in the multitude to his friends
and to the world. 1t is said that it is
impracticable to establish this system in
this state, as we are now launched on
the sea of state provision, and have
drifted so far out that we cannot get
ashore. l think. with disposition to
reach the end sought, the result cannot
be doubted. Suppose the burden of
support in the state institutions is reim-
posed on the respective counties, of that
class of chronic, harmless insane, at the
present average cost per capita per week
Exceeding So per week-then with the
proffer on the part of the state to those
counties having a population of twenty
thousand (20,000l or more, which will
construct hospitals of their own, under
the supervision of the state. to accom-
modate no more than one hundred 600
patients; that the state will pay to
such county an account not to
avoead one dollar and fifty cents