Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-03-28

day IL November
Public Utilities
By MI. Allen of Sanford: Remon-
STRANGE of c. A. Blanchard and ~ 9TH
ers against passage of An Act to reg
ulate motor vehicles as common car
riers; also remonstrance of, John w.
Briefly and IT'S others against same
also remonstrance of Charles S. Holmes
and 236 others against same; also re-
monstrance of Lincoln Holmes and ia
others against same.
Mr. COLE Of Eliot Mr.. Speaker. be-
fore we pass to the next item of bus
mess, I wish to introduce resolution
out of order under suspension of the
rules, and move its passage without
reference to a committee. The resolu-
ton is as follows:
STATE OF MAINE
IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD ONE
THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED AND
SEVENTEEN.
Resolve, in favor of the appointment
of commission for the study Of the
feeble minded.
Whereas, the State is mourning con-
siderable expense on account OF its
care and treatment of the feeble mind
ed. and
Whereas the State is not in possess
sion of definite information as to the
needs of the future, and
Whereas, a study and survey of the
conditions and needs would materially
assist a future Legislature in determin-
ing policy to be pursued in the mat
ter
Therefore, be it resolved: That he
Governor with the advice and consent
of the Council, appoint three disinter-
ested persons to be known as Com
mission for the study of the Feeble
Minded The commissioners shall re-
ceive no salaries but their actual ex-
penses shall be paid out of any funds
in the treasury not otherwise appropri-
ated The commission shall make a
thorough and complete study of the
problem relating to the care. treatment
and needs of the feeble minded within
the State and report with recommends
lions as to the future policy of the
State"
I move the adoption of the above reso-
luton without reference to a committee.
Mr. Speaker. and l wish to say word
in explanation. For a number of years
the State has been pursuing policy re-
garding the care of the feeble minded
which has been exceedingly indefinite
and has been the subject of more or less
criticism. The needs of that institution
are constantly growing; there is a large
waiting list. Feeble minded are admitted
to the institution indiscriminately, ac
cording to the waiting list without re-
gard to the welfare of the communities
from which they come or the welfare Of
the parties who are admitted. The Off
Gals of the State have no knowledge as
to the number of feeble minded within
the State, nor is there any definite policy
regarding the care of those who cannot
at the present time be committed to this
institution. The Rockefeller Foundation
has assured the Governor that if some
commission like this can be appointed by
him it will put into the State specialist
whose salary will be entirely paid by the
Foundation, and who will give year Of
his time in going through the State an
making a list of the feeble minded in the
various towns according to the present
methods of determining those: and after
that careful study and survey will make
recommends tons for the State to follow
in the future as to their care
Those of you who have given the mat
ter any thought at all or studied regard
ing the matter as conducted by other
states will realize that the feeble minded
is one of the largest problems that we
have at the present time 1t is estimar-
ed by experts that two per cent of the
children of the public schools come with
in the category of the feeble minded
That does not mean that feeble-micded
person is an idiot or an imbecile, be-
cause the danger to the community does
not come from that class of people. The
danger comes frcm the hgh-class feeble
minded who are known as morons. The
are in our public schools. and if you will
cast your minds over your own commune
ties you will find coming within your
purvicw number of children probably
who have arrived at the ages of 10, 16
or II years who have been unable to get
beyond the third, fourth or fifth grade
in the schools, who have not been able t.
keep up and who as early as the law
allows drop out and become members OF
-
as members of society, they become
our voters and as the years go by they
marry and more likely than not inter
marry. The offspring of those people
are like the parents. 1t is said by those
vino are in position to know that six
times out of six feeble minded parents
produce feeble minded children. The
problem came up to New York City d
few years ago regarding it's care Of
the feeble MINDED. 1t started num-
Der of colonies, one at fleetwood,
whereby they thought they could take
care of the feeble minded of the State
by segregating them in colonies. When
they had segre gated some 10000 they
found they had not got all Of them in
New York City even or only a small
portion of those in the State. Then
they started ard formulated a plan
and took those who needed to be TAX
en- and removed them from society In
order that society in the future might
be protected.
Our marriage laws allow the mar
riage of any persons who can have the
ceremony performed. There are no re-
strictions. and as the years go by the
more marriages there are among fee
BILE minded people the more feeble
minded the State will have to take
care of, and the problem and menace
is increasing each year Our insane
hospitals are filled with feeble mind