The Worthington advance., 1899-04-14
GOV. LIND'S VET O..
He Disapproves the Anoka- astings
Insane Asylum Bill.

Insane Asylum Bill. .
The Bill Is Returned to the House With q
Message Giving In Full His Reasons
for Withholding Signature. @
| - s5:55 Favors Other Plans. -ys.
Coy. Lind. as anticipated by some and
! dreaded by others, returned to the house
without his approval the bill for the es-
lngs.
The message is as follows: e..
s&RSakep &he prdSlem aGsae 81 81
caring for our insane population has SO
long been the subject Of searching official
and the data deducible from experience
| and observations in other states, are so
complete, con th that certain propostions bear;
beyond controversy. They are:
| First-For the purpose of intelligent
treatment trreeaatnmaen as well as eustodial care. the
! classes. the acute and, chronic insane.
AS to the relative number of each. the
! trustees say IN their last report: During
admissions; About 40 per cent Of the ad.
| missions, either die or are discharged
during the first two years, cured or i'm
are known as chronic cases. It will be
| seen from this that the most of the pa
tients aE,on3o in our hospitals are permanent
second-That those suffering from the
disease in the acute stages require treat
ment in well-equipped hospitals for that
skill, and where the patient can receive
expert care: Our present hospitals meet
ha%e in all and
l3l ble their 81 present population Of acute in:
sane, II relieved Of the custodial care of
the chronic insane.
medical treatment. They require custo-
dial care. and can be benefited only un-
pHSf nder tych ane eondons sHabe thay
sometimes son aa1a 81 recover, ; though rarely, but
tented, They need only such occasional
medical care as is required by other per-
ns,c sons OF IKE age and are largely self-suP-
tai is neither suitable nor an economical
establishment for their condition. To con-
gregate them IN large numbers in the
Pennsylvania has proven utterly destrrc-
tive of. such intelligence and power Of
self-assistance as they possessed, where
and in Wisconsin, under the co1nty plan,
the same place, the best results have
maintaining them in hospitals it costs
$3.1 per capita per week; in Wisconsin
the aXerage We! @ is SIG. ,eao>,e->,
Pursuant to a joint resolution adopted
by the legislature of this state on the 10th
day of April, 1897, the board of correc-
and Of able and
consin county system last year and unan-
| imously recommended its adoption in this
| state, urging. it both on the grounds of
The hospital board of trustees also
made special investigation of the SUBJ
| ject of the care of the chronic insane.
for their maintenance and advocate the
so-called colony system. They say Of the
latter: 1T is the true solution of the
dations by purchasing farms and erecting
buildings within short distances from the
hospitals already built and under the
Officers. This viii save much cost in
administration, and is no doubt the best
| and most economical method that can be
adopted 10 summarize:
To maintain the chronic insane in large
| numbers in hospitals is neither humane
nor economical We already have hospi-
only, requires additional accommodation
| for the chronic insane, and this require
that cass 10 WITH
economy to the state, by adopting either
the county plan or the colony plan. Not
these fafts the present bill
two additional hospitals, the, first at an
immediate expense of a quarter Of a mil
lion collars s., It seems to me that nn
mer legislators, such propositions would
the present legislature.
The citizens of Anoka, and I presume
likewise of Hastings, claim that on the
| strength of former legislative action they
have in good faith expended upward OF
proposed hospital at a price within the
limits fixed by the act providing for it's
acquisition, and they argue strenuouSly
bound to erect the hospital.
That they are entitled to be reim-
bursed their actual outlay in this matter
Of a legislative mistake the state should
be bound to adopt system for the main
tenance of the dependent class referred
ment of those charged by law with their
ao pabte Co s Ss asanSt
so here the claims of this community
must yield to the higher interests of the
public: If this bill had been so drawn
of hospital trustees to establish asylums
for the care of the chronic insane under
I should have signed it, Notwithstanding
my convictions as expressed in my mes
sage. But it is in such form that the
board will. be compelled to build and
erected forthwith, and later and addition
al one. at Hastings. Section 5 Of the bill
prescribes! the first duty of the board OF
trustees that they shall construct an ad-
ministration building with a detention
ward. This would not be required fol-
first outlay of not less, than from $4,000
to $4,000. besides the burden of annual
Paragraph 1852 of the General Statutes
of 1894, which prescribes the duties of the
trustees with reference to ;, the, present
each hospital a medical superintendent
and assistant medical Superintendent,
who shall be we'll educated and regular
physicians; steward or accounting off,
Judgment are necessary, and such other
officers as they may deem necessary for
| the welfare of the hospitals
''These provisions are plain and imper-
ative. There are no qualifications and
no escape from them. The administration
under this provision exceed $4,000 a year
| in each hospital and would aggregate not
| less than $4,000 per annum in the two
proposed hospitals. In view of the fact
and facilities than we need, and that it
as only asylum accommodations that we
quire. it seems to me that to burden
| the taxpaver with such largely unneces-
sary charges. would be little less than
MY CONSENT t to % the biii SHSH ana l. t terefore s
herewith return H. F. 26o to the house
| Ne'y respectfully,
|