The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-03-08

ing to the insane and insane hospitals
There was something of a spat over
the position of the bills on the order.
Mr. Grondahl claiming that the Staples
bill was given first place on the first
edition Of the order printed several
days ago, but since that time a sec
ond edition had been printed and his
measure was showed to the top.
He questioned by what authority the
clerk had made this change, and init
mated that there had been an attempt
on the part of the Hastings-Anoka
combination to give him the worst of
it.
Mr.. Staples denied this, and quoted
from the journal to show that the sec
Ond special order printed was the COR
rect one. Mr. Grondahl attempted to
get vote. and show the strength of
the house on his proposition by NOV
ing that the bill Of Mr.. Staples be Civ
en- first place on the order.
Mr.. Jacobson objected and claimed
there was no time for clubbing. The
problem would have TO be settled by
the hon~~
be any change in the present system
OF caring for the INSANE, anu Tic ...-..-
beiS wouIu ana couid Vote lnte.4.s~n.y
on the question no matter what the
position of the two bills We're on the
orders.
Mr.. Grondahl. after the bill had been
read. started In with his argument.
AT noon he had been talking only for
ty minutes and recess was taken to
o'clock. immediately after recess
Mr.. Grondahl again took the floor and
spoke for two hours.
Mr.. Grondahl contended that there
was something radically wrong with
the present system of caring for the
insane in Minnesota. The trouble was
not with the management of the insti-
tutions but of the system which
crowded the patients into buildings
which were built to accommodate but
half the number.
The persons interested in the man
agement Of the institutions with a self
ish interest and banded themselves to-
gether to prevent any change. In thic
they were backed up by the cities
where the institutions were located.
For the past eight years the COVER
nors Of the state had recommended
increased facilities for the insane.
There was not one state in the Union
which had the same system as Min
nesota that was not suffering from
the same condition. One of the foul
est blots on the state was the lack of
legislation which had followed the
course of the Hastings-Anoka hospital
fight. Gov. Clough had vetoed the bill
1OI lHS I1dSllHSS dSylUIQ, ana the
members of the legislature had not
the back bone to pass the bill over
the veto. Now the two cities had
banded together for selfish interests,
and the insane of the state were to be
overlooked and forced to suffer- He
argued at length for the adoption Of
the Wisconsin plan, and stated that
Lind.
His bill was in the interest of hui
mainly and economy. Patients could
be maintained in the county hospitals
for SO per week, and the cost for build
1Egs under the present system, which
in the next fifteen years would amount
to 100000. would be saved Fewer at
tendants would be needed. as the
chronic insane were physically well
and needed no attention of expert ply
sicians. Tie bill represented the b9st
ideas Of those in this state and Wis
consin who had made the subject a
life study. The political features of
the Wisconsin bill had been eliminated.
All authorities agreed that the state
should have no more large hospitals.
The legislature had been invited to
go out to one CT the county hospitals
in Wisconsin. and he suggested that it
accept the invitation.
The bill provided that in counties of
less than $4,000 inhabitants hospitals
Will d Capacity VI LOU patients SnOulQ
be erected, with the sale of bonds to
the state at per cent interest In from
fifteen to twenty years the state would
have the buildings, and in the mean
time the chronic insane would have
been cared for at less than was being
paid under the present system.
Mr.. Stivers Oem), Of Crow Wing,
followed Mr.. Grondahl and opposed the
bill. 1t had, he said, been prepared
with care, but it was not a good one
The state was to pay So per week for
patients and to loan money to build
the hospitals at per cent to the coun-
ties. The plan proposed was neither
in the interests of the state, the in
sane, nor humanity. 1t was in the in
terests of two or three counties. Coun-
ties of less than 10000 inha bitants could
build and care for only $50 patients.
but the patients to be cared for bv
counties over that size were not limited.
and 1000 could be taken care Of
1t was simply money-making
scheme for the counties, and the in
situations would at the end of twenty
years have the buildings and after paw
ing for the bonds have $31, 600 to the
good. This was on the basis of having
only 100 patients.
The Pioneer Press admitted that
there would be large profits to the
counties which adopted the plan. In
tic Lace VI lIllS II was urSeQ that the
system would be more humane than
the present one. He did not wonder
the plan had friends and hackers.
Nearly all such schemes had a certain
class of men behind them The passage
Of the bill would mean a struggle for
cheapness, and it was not in the inter
ests Of the unfortunate insane.
Mr.. Staples (Rep.), of Dakota, picked
the bill to pieces from business stand
point. There was much talk about the
bill being in the interests of human
ity, but, If there were no profits in the
scheme, there would be no asylums
built. The author Of the bill had call
ed them hospitals, but they were moth
ing more or less than asylums, for
there were to be no physicians except
the county doctor. The counties TAX
Ing advantage of the bill were to be al
lowed to pick the men from the state
hospitals and would naturally select
those who could do the most work.
There would be fight in each coun-
ty as to the location of the asylum, and
there was too much politics in the
plan. The board Of corrections and
charities, who had recommended the
bill and were back Of it, had been for