River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1896-01-23
CHRONIC INSANE ASYLUM.

should, without delay, post himself
upon the new plan, now being cOnsid-
cred. to secure a chronic insane asy-
/ lum within our borders. 1t is sim
pie business proposition easy to be
understood. The advantages and dis
advantages of such institutions have
been demonstrated by the experiences
of twenty-five counties in Wisconsin,
so no one need be deceived upon their
detailed workings,if.. he will but take
the trouble TO investigate. The per-
son who examines will learn that
every county in the state that has
tried the venture of a chronic insane
asylum has found it profitable, vast
saving to the taxpayers, and all that
has been claimed for such homes as
suitable habltations for our unfortu-
mates.
Let no man in st. Croix county,
| therefore. by reason of prejudice or
transformation, throw stumbling
| block in the way of securing so de-
sirable an institution for st. Croix
county. st. CroiX county ought TO
| have an asylum for the chronic insane
| for many reasons, among which the
| following are few, given in general
| terms:
/. There is still a demand in the
state for few more such institutions
and the State Board of Control in its
wisdom has so favorably regarded this
| locality as to grant st. CroiX county
perm ission to build an asylum.
3 We last year paid the state over
81 800 by direct taxation for the care
of our insane; when if we had a home
Of our own in which to domicile our
patients the state, by the terms of the
Law, would have paid st. Croix county
NJ arly this amount instead of our
paying il to the state, for the care of
our own insane alone.
3. In addition to paying st. Croix
county $3.50 a week per patient for
the care of each of its own patients
the state agrees to send us enough
more patients to fill our asylum and
pay us $500 each per week for their
support.
4. Were an asylum ready to be oper-
ated in st. Croix county to-day we
would have about 40 inmates of our
own to enter it. Twenty of them are
now at Dunn county asylum, eleven
at Chippewa, two at Marathon, and
| the others in other institutions of the
state aside from the remaining acutes
at Mendoza. For the care OF the
AiiAbhlNo We pos ~ NtiANNO NoAelbioi
81 80 each. per week, TO outside asy-
lums, or total of 50, 120, when ! they
were supported at home the state
would pay into our treasury SO, 100
This amount in a carefully managed
asylum would fully pay for the ca Of
all our st. G.. ok county patients and
leave the taxpayers $3, 100 better off
| financially tnan they would be under
the system of sending the unfortu-
mates away from home for support.
5. In addition to our forty patients,
had we an asylum, the state would
send us, say, 20 additional ones, from
counties adjacent that have no such
aSylums, and pay US $500 per week per
patient. This would make an aggre-
gate OF $l0,9 500. plus the So, 242 earned
or saved on our own patients, would
make the aggregate receipts $ll, 100,
exclusive of farm earnings by inmates
and income from other sources.
6. One hundred chronic insane peo-
pie can be maintained for 81 so each a
week, in addition to the products of
| the farm. This being the case st.
C"oiX county would have one-half of
| SlT 100 as its net profits per annum or
| $3.50 with which TO pay terest and
principal upon the purchase price of
an asylum.
I. 4 suitable asylum can be built,
with ample farming lands, for 500, 900,
fully equipped for service. Money can
be borrowed at q per cent. or 5000
| a year, which would leave almost $4,000
surplus in the treasury each year with
| which to liquidate our bonds as they
became due. Thus fifteen years time
would entirely pay for our asylum and
support all our chronic insane people
| i'm the best known shape, without the
necessity of a dollars tax from the
people.
s. The chronic insane, we must in
vest in, whether we will or not. They
ere here and they will continue TO
come. They must be supported some
how, somewhere.
8. Is there a man in st. Croix county
so stupid as not to want so good a
| financial Investment for caring for
these unforGunates, as the one pro-
vided by our great state Of Wisconsin?
| DO not dodge it, or beat about the
bush, by saying that ST. Croix county
| has not the honesty OF capacity to
prope- ly manage such an Institution.
Twenty-Five other counties in Wisc0n-
sin have found men sufficiently capa-
| bile 10 run such asylums successfully.
Have you SO mean an estimate of your
| fellow neighoors as to think them too
base and weak TO win where others
have won and are winning year by
year? Go in for an asylum. Demand
and deserve success in building and
operating it and you will get it in
| large measure as other counties have
IdOne.-Hudson Star and Times.