Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1901-01-17

Oh guardian Of John l.. Cox, on account
| OF the money paid by the said county 10
| the state for tho maintenance of John l..
Cox at the Mendoza State Asylum up 10
the the sum me Of 10" .,..,...........:. 40 80
That have also collected from j. II.
Cartwright for money paid by the county
Ia the state for maintenance OF his wife
in the Mendoza State Asylum up to the
3lst day Of September, A. ID. 1900, the No.. 49,
sum Of 1Oo 80
s 1896 50
That have paid over to the County Treasur
or tho said sum OF $jJj SO, and have taken his
receipt therefor, which is hereto attached.
That tho above sum of money IL all the money
that have collected, belonging to the county
and as said District Attorney. ] most respect
fully call attention of the Count" Board TO Sec
ton 56i2, of the Statutes Of 1898, which provides
that on the goth day of October III each year,
the president and secretary of the Board of
Control shall iile with tho County Clerk, n
statement with the name of every inmate in
either Of tho State Hospitals for the insane,
in the Industrial School for boys or in tho
Home for Feeble Minded at any time during the
fiscal year. ending on tho l3l h day of Soptcm
ber next preceding, for whose support, in
whole or in part the county is legally Charg-
able, tho length of time for which such support
is charged, and the amount due from the county
for such support, Of such innate stating scpar-
Htely the amount due for board and clothing.
Such statements should be and should have
been laid before the County Board at each
annual November session.
IL appears from tno proceedings or inc
County Board for the last twenty years, that
said statements were not laid before the County
Board and no action whatever by the County
Board was ever taken ON such statements.
Section 600, of the Statutes of lS!G Is as fol-
lows: The several District Attorneys, under
the direction of their respective County Boards,
shall, in the namo OF tho county, sue for aud
collect from the property OF any patient main
tanned at the hospital, at the cost of the county,
or from any person legally bound to support
such patient, the amount charged to such
county for such support.
From the rGndiug of tho above soction.o of the
Statutes it appears clearly that the District At
tornoy has not the power to collect the said
money paid by tho county to the state for the
support of tho insane from the county, in the
State Hospitals, only by direction of tho County
| Board and such direction should be matter of
| record IN the proceedings OF the county hoard.
| 2. 1t scoms that the county has lost n great
! dnnl of money 10y reason of neglect Take for
| instance, the case of John Richards, of Linden,
| for whose support IN the state Asylum the
| county paid the state nearly 500 and who has
| been nm inmate Of tho Iowa County Asylum
for nearly fourteen years at AN expense of about
! $SS 90 per year. This man had quito an estate
| and he was, and ~, under guardianship, yet
| not one dollar has been collected by the county
| on account of the said money paid for his sup
| port to tho state, or for his support at the
| County Asylum,
Thcrc arc many similar cases too numerous
| to mention.
| desire to call tho attention of the County
| Board to tho provisions of Sections 1902, 1903
| and 1901 of tho Statutes of 1898. Section 1902
| provides that "thC father mother and children,
| being OF sufficient ability, of any poor person,
who ~ blind, old lame, inpotent or decToplt, so
! as to be unable to maintain himself, shall, at
! their own charge, relieve and maintain such
| poor person, in such manner as the Commits
stunCrs Of tho Poor of the county, whcro such
pcrson may he, aud upon the failure Of any such
| relations to do SO, the commission of the poor
of such county shall apply TO the County Judge
of the county wherein such poor person may
| be- for an order to compel such rehrt
| IhCn such section prcsCrlbCs the mode of pro-
ccodings before tho County Judge IN Urdur to
! obtain such order.
! bilitios ms follows: "rhe father shall first toe
required to maintain such poor person, II of
sufficient ability and il therc he no SUCH then
| tho children, II any If sufficient ability, If
| sufficient ability,
There is no question but husband is Liable
| for tho support of his wife and for tho support
| of his minors, in tho county Asylum without any
| order II I'm the County judge, aud an action
| could hn maintained against him for the
| amount but a father mother or children are not
| liable for the support nl adult persons, except
| as above stated, without first obtaining an
order from tho County Judge therefor.
There are quito "A number of patients at our
| County Asylum and some of them have been
| There for number of years, that their relations
are Liable and arc Of sufficient ability for their
| support Furthc time such patients have hnrn
! IN the County Asylum without obtaining such
/ order from the County Judge, the county will
loso tho amount due for tho keeping of such
! patients.
| Liable pay for the Keeping OF those patients
| in the County Asylum, only operates ns to the
| future expense Of such keeping OF such patients
I and not to tho past, and until the county pro-
cures such orders, the amount due to tho
county, for such keeping will he entirely lost.
There arc quito number Ot patients IN the
| County Asylum, who are under IA general guar
! dian, aud tho guardians have property briuuE-
! ing to- such wards in such cases II socms that
1t is duly of the Trustees of the County Asylum,