The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-09-04
STATE HAS T0pAYlT
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WILL
ONLY TAKE ALIEN INSANE AT
THE SEABOARD.
NEW RULE TO BE ENFORCED
BY THE NATIONAL AUTHORITIES
IS SERVED ON THE INLAND
STATES.
Will Also Be Considered Mt the
Board Meeting Which Takes
Place Next Week.

"One of the subjects which will be of
foremost interest at the meeting of the
state board of corrections and chart
ties next week." said Secretary H. H.
Hart yesterday, will be that pertain
ing to the deportation of insane and
pauper foreigners, who have not been
residents of this state in good faith.
There are many of these. We have
discovered cases where the relatives Of
these insane patients have shipped
them over to this country to get rid of
them. Hitherto there has been little
difficulty for the state in disposing of
these cases, as the federal government
has sent for them, in the event that
the case was reported within a year
from the arrival of the patient or pau
per in this country. Now, however, the
government has decreed that 1t will
only act in the return Of these patients
when the person is delivered by the Of
Tended state on the sea board, which,
in the case of an inland state like Min
nesota, greatly increases the eXpen e
of returning the incapables to their
homes.'
During the last six months the state
board of corrections AID chasi is, I'M
der the law passed last year.. has been
pursuing a vigorous campaign for the
roofing out of these incapables, who
are not entitled to maintain a resi-
dence in Minnesota anyway, especially
as wards of the state costing from 5000
to $500 year annually for their main
tenance. When the federal govern
ment looked after the quickly discov-
cred cases the expense to the state was
comparatively light, but now that, in
addition TO the original expense en-
tailed for delivering old occupants of
the insane hospital to the proper
neighborhoods, 1t devolves on the
state to pay the expenses of transport
ing each to the coast, the expense is
materially increased. This will make
a serious inroad into the small
fund, comparatively, allowed the
state board, and the board will have
occasion next week to consider the
best way out of it's dilemma
The steamship companies also en-
barrass the department in it's efforts
to tranship these INDECENT and insane
aliens, as they are, or at least have
been, getting the worst Of It at both
ends of the line, and even though a
patient or prisoner is accompanied by
the officer of one of the states, the
companies, if they know the character
of the charge, will refuse to accept the
fare. For this reason, when Secretary
Hart recently took two patients back
to foreign lands it was necessary for
him to smuggle the men On board ship
without betraying their ailments to
the ships officers.
Another subject that viii require the
attention of the board at it's next meet
ing is the planning OF tne visit of the
board to Wisconsin to inquire into the
county plan of caring for the insane,
which has been in vogue IN the Badger
state with some success for no little
time The last legislature authorized
an inquiry looking to the adoption of
a similar system in this state, and it
Is possible that the next legislature
may adopt it.