The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-08-02
HAS FAD BUSY YEAR
STATE AGENT GATES SAYS WORK
INCREASED GREATLY
Jail and Poor House Systems Greatly
lmproved-Difficutie in Way of
Handling Feeble Minded-Minneso-
ta's System the Fairest and Most
Satisfactory in the Country.

State Agent w. A. Gates, of the state
board of control, who attends to the
work formerly under the charge of the
board of corrections and charities, the
handling of insane and feeble-minded
people received into and deported from
the state, said yesterday that the in
crease In the business of that depart
ment during the past year had been
enormous. Il have not yet completed
my statistics for the official year, said
Mr.. Gates, "but 1 have no hesitation in
saying we have deported and received
% per cent more people in this state
during the past year than during the
year previous. Our work in other di-
rectlons has also greatly increased.
have visited more jails during the past
year and more warehouses than in any
previous year. The improvement in
these institutions during the year has
been very notable and encouraging
The jails of Minnesota were never be-
fore in such fine condition as they are
today. There are many new ones built
on plans suggesed by this department,
and many of the old ones have been
greatly improved and made more
clearly and sanitary in every way, and
our jail system is today in first-class
shape and no fault is to be found un-
der the circumstances. We shall con-
tinue to improve conditions during the
coming year.
'i7ll Better Poor Houses.
There is also a notable increase in
the condition and efficiency of our poor
7house system. The board of control
has taken hold of the state poor house
question vigorously and our plans for
model poor houses have been of great
help to counties. Then there has also
been great Improvement in the man
agement of poor house farms, in the
matter of making them more than
self-supporting by the produce raised,
and in the management of the poor
houses when there are no inmates so
as to result in no loss to the state"
AS the state increases in popula-
ton this part of the states work be-
comes more arduous and more i'm
portant and it is only question of
time until more adequate provisions
will have to be made in the way of
appropriations and assistance.
Mr.. Gates is kept unusually busy in
attending to the cases of insane and
feeble- minded persons, who either have
to be deported from the state or prop
erly cared for within the state. The
difficulties in the way of handling this
important business is an absolutely
just and satisfactory manner are many.
A short time ago certain county in
Iowa became involved in q statewide
scandal by a system of wholesale de-
portations of insane patients who were
dumped into other states where they
did not belong. The county in ques-
ton became overrun with patients of
this character, and in order to be rid
of the burden hired an agent to dump
this undesirable population upon other
states. The system was finally dis
covered and pilloried by public censure
through the case of one of the patients
who was unceremoniously dumped in
Northern Wisconsin in winter time
and, having no care, froze to death.
Minnesota's System Fair.
There is a law in Minnesota making
it a penal offense, punishable by i'm
prisonment and heavy fine, for any
person to bring an insane or feeble
minded person from another state into
Minnesota and leave him here without
proper authority The system of car
ing for stray patients picked up in
Minnesota is a perfect one and is wise
ly and justly operated. Whenever an
insane patient is picked up in this state
effort is made to locate his relatives OF
to find where he came from. If it can
not be ascertained where he belongs
he is not deported into some other
state, as is the custom in many states
but is cared for by the state until his
friends or his residence is located, and
he is then either turned over to his
friends or to the state in which he
lived. There has never been COM
plant from another state that Mime
| sofa has dumped patient upon it that
did not belong there to escape caring
| for him