The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-11-23
An Attempt to Equalize the Cost of
Maintaining the Several
Institutions.

-
In furtherance of the success of this
scheme it was deemed advisable by the
Governor to call meeting of the directors
of the institutions and consult with them
as to the best method TO be pursued.
When the conference was called to order
this morning at IL o'clock there were
present directors from the insane asylums
as follows:
Stockton Asylum-H. o. Southworth, ]. D.
McDougald, A. Mcdonald and Joseph Steffens.
Napa Acknowledgements Shurtliff, r. Howe,
A. J. Hull, r. P. Lambden, DR.. A. M. Gardner
and J. c.. Martin.
Mendocino Asylum. H. Seawell, M. Gard
ner and C. O'Connor.
Agnews Asylum. Upham, F. Gould and E.
White.
Southern California Asylum Home for Inc
briates. etc.)-H. L. Drew, ]. A. Gibson and
F. A. Miller.
In introducing the subject under discns
sion, Governor Budd said:
''In going over the accounts of the
various institutions of the State we ind
MANY things which the Board of Exam
liners deem should be radically changed.
For this reason we have desired the at
tendance of you gentlemen. We find on
examination that the insane asyIums are
flooded with INDECENT idiots, fools, victims
of drink and harmless imb beetles who are
not entitled to admission into these lnstl-
tutions and who are a burden upon tpe
State. DR.. Gardner of the Napa asylum
informs me that at least 200 of the patients
under his care should be cared for else
where and in the Stockton asylum there
are at least 200 who are not possessed OF
any dangerous mania and are no more
entitled to support by the State than are
thousands of people who roam the streets
OF our cities.
1.-THE act of 1885 governing insane asylums
provides that if kindred or patients possess
sufficient means they must provide for
their support, vet | find in the course of
my Investigations that this is not done in
single instance. The throwing out OF the
former class of patients is a hard matter to
arrive at, but, nevertheless, it must be
done, as every undeservirg patient ex-
cluded means saving OF at least $3.50 per
wear to the State. l would also recon-
mend that a similar system of book
keeping be adopted by all the institutions,
so that the board would encounter no diff
ficulty in examining the accounts"
President Drew of the Southern Cal1for-
MIA institution recommended that in the
future more pains be taken at the exami-
nation of the supposedly insane. In four
cases lately recommended to the lnstltu-
ton under his charge all had been refused
admission.
Director Howe of Napa desired to be in
formed as to what fund could be drawn
upon to return rejected patients to the To-
cality from which they came, and the Gov
ernor informed him that the contingent
fund of the institution could be used for
that purpose MI Howe then desired to
be informed as to what should be done
with the class of patients who were
not entitled to the benefits of the asylum.
If the Sheriffs of the various counties from
h; oh fhau haH Shnnld
fuse to receive them and place them in the
county hospital, where they rightly be-
longed, what redress could be obtained?
The present law, he said, specifically pro-
vided that any person discharged from an
asylum must be permanently cured. These
idiots and mbeciles were not permanently
cured, anu it would be violation OF the
law to turn them out upon the roadside.
He was in favor of making test case in
the matter and having the courts decision
and the Attorney Generals opinion before
taking any such action.
A spirited discussion followed IS to the
power to discharge patients, Governor
Budd claiming that all persons not dan
gerous to the community at large should
be discharged and otherwise provided for.
President Shurtleff of Napa, who has been
| ftlv named the Father of California
asylums" because of the time and atten-
ton he has devoted to the care OF the un-
fortunates. stated that he considered the
law governing these institutions to be
very lax, and in his opinion legislation
| was greatly needed.
"In our asylums," continued the speak
| err, 'there are to-day nearly 5000 inmates,
| many of whom have been sent from other
| States. California is q catch-basln for the
riffraff of the East, and laws should be en-
acted providing for the deportation OF alien
| insane to their own countries, while out
IciI CHI ho States
| whence they came"
| 81 fully agree with you," remarked the
| Governor, "and believe that if 4 meeting
of this nature had been held seven years
ago we would have three less insane
! asylums in the State"
| Superintendent Hatch of Agnews pro-
posed that counties be required to pay for
the support OF those they forwarded to the
| institutions. If such were the case their
| Boards of Supervisors would soon insist
upon stop being put to the practice of
unloading weak minded hordes upon the
| State.
"Make the counties also pay for trans
portation-that would certainly insure
| that patients be forwarded to the nearest
| institutions" said Governor Budd, instead
of them being sent to the furthest, as is
| often the case now, in order that deputies
could make more salary. Why, the State
! has been mulcted in the sum of thousands
of dollars for people who should never go
to an asylum. know of one man, an IN
mate of an asylum, Who is to-day writing
| far better editorials than are published by
half the papers of the State"
Senator Seawell of Mendocino, through
whose legislative bill the Mendocino Asy-
lum was established, said it made no diff
ference whether the people contributed to
the support of imbeciles in State asylums
or maintained them in county insttu-
tions. He did not believe the people of
the State shared in the demand of the
Governor to expel this class of patients
from the asylums. The asylum in Men
docino, he said, was of 10 especial benefit
to that county.
mo; that's fact" retorted the Gov
ernor, NOR to the State either, for that
matter, and the bill establishing il should
have been repealed. 1t cost $73 more for