The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1897-03-26
CURFEW IN MICHIGAN.
Representative Donovan's Bill
Receives Favorable Report.
MEASURE VERY LIKELY TO PASS.

Kimmis' Bill Concerning Treatment of In
sane Females Strikes Snag I'm the Sem
ate-The Appropriation for the Feeble
Minded at Iapeer--H Home Rule for Cities
Mortgage Tax Repeal Biil-Governor
Pingree and the Beet Sugar Bounty Bill.
Lansing. Mich. March 23--It looks as
IL children under 10 years Of age will
have to keep clear of the streets Of cit
les and villages after o'clock in sum-
mer and o'clock in winter, Represen-
tative Donovan's curfew bill embodying
this provision having received a favora-
BILE report from the judiciary committee
OF the house. The sentiment in both
houses is in favor of the passage of the
bill.
There were but eight adverse votes
cast in the house on the Kimmis bill
providing that female patients in asy-
lums for the insane shall be treated by
female physicians. The bill has, how
ever, encountered a snag in the senate,
where 1t is In danger of either being
killed or amended so as to require the
employment of a single female physician
lum authorities say that by the terms
OF the bill the female patients would be
deprived of the benefit of the skill of
the leading male specialists in female
diseases who are on the consulting staff
OF the asylums. although not directly
connected with the institutions. 1t is
also claimed that the bill would render
| "a int nf ha
lums liable to the penalty prescribed If
he should even visit the female wards.
The house very sensibly made sweep
ing amendments to the bill relative to
the correspondence of inmates of the
asylums for the insane. AS introduced
the bill was vicious and dangerous in
the extreme. 1t provided that all let
tiers written by inmates should be for
warded by the asylum officials without
inspection, and that all mail addressed
to patients should be delivered to them
unopened. A moments reflection would
seem to convince most any one that
these provisions were improper, yet
there were some DIRECTORS to the amend
ment made. Many of the patients imag-
inc themselves the husbands, wives chill
dren or other relatives Of this, that or
the other prominent person, and are
constantly writing them letters Many
Of the letters written by patients are
obscene to the last degree. The folly of
forwarding all these is obvious. But
the most vicious provision of the bill
was that requiring that all mail ad-
dressed to patients should be delivered
to them unopened
Some Patients Are Foxy.
The fact is that SOME patients are so
foxy that they have to be examined
several times a day to keep them from
concealing articles which they could use
to the injury of their attendants or fell
low-patients, while it is quite necessary
to search nearly all of them when they
come in from taking exercise. If the Of
ficials were to be required to hand them
unopened all the mail matter sent them
many would soon be armed to the teeth.
This provision was even made to apply
to the inmates of the asylum for the
criminal insane, the inmates of which,
being criminals, have pals on the out
side who would like nothing better than
an opportunity to send them weapons,
tools, or poisons in mail matter. For
tunately the asylum authorities sue
ceeded in convincing a majority of the
members Of the houses of the danger
lurking in the BILL and 1t was shorn of
its fangs. The asylum for criminal in
sane was exempted from it's operations,
the section requiring mail addressed to
patients to be delivered unopened was
stricken out, and that relative to for
warding letters without inspection
amended so as TO apply only to near
relatives, guardians, etc. This bill Is
noticed at this length for the purpose
of giving an idea of the ill-advised
measures which find their way on to the
files.
May Fall into Error.
In its desire to be economical the leg
islature Is in danger of falling into q
grave error with reference to the APP
preparation for the home for the feeble
minded at Lapeer. AT this institution
1t is absolutely necessary, for obvious
reasons, to keep the sexes separate.
Consequently in providing for the care
Of patients 1t is necessary to construct
cottages in pairs. The time has come
when something should be done for the
epileptics, as there are now on file at
the home applications for the admis-
sion of 234 of this class Of unfortunates.
This does not take into consideration
the numerous epileptics in the several
asylums for the insane, where they are
a constant menace to the other patients.
IT will readily be seen that it must have
bad effect on a convalescent patient to
have an epileptic fall down in fit in
his presence several times a day, but
this Is constantly the experience, for the
reason that there are no separate accom-
modations for them at the asylums
The law provides that epileptics shall
be treated at the home for the feeble
minded and epileptic." and yet the leg
islature has thus far persistently re-
fused to make provision for their ac-
commodation there. The pending APP
preparation bill calls for appropriations
for three cottages for epileptics, there
being one cottage that can be used for
this purpose, thus making two for boys
and two for girls The disposition on
the part Of the legislature is to mate
rally cut this appropriation and that
asked for additional cottages for other
classes of patients There are now on
file, all told, a total Of nearly 700 appli-
cations for admission, none of which can
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