Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-04-01
DR.. INQUIRIES REPLY.
ANSWER TO THE FACULTY or THE
MEDICAL COLLEGE OF VIRGINIA.
The State Appropriation and the Uses to
which IL Is Put--lIe Closes His Side
OF the Discussion.
(Communlcated.)

(Communicated)
The public who had read the contro-
versy between the Faculty OF the Medical
College of Virginia and myself are no
doubt familiar with the questions ut issue
For the benefit OF those who have not
seen the previous letters, will state that
near the close OF the recent session OF
the Legislature / learned that the finance
committees OF both branches had recon-
mended the passage OF a bill making an
approprlation 10 the Medical College or
Virginia OF 5000 for 1894. and similar
amount for 1895.
Knowing that tho State derived no bene-
fit from the appropriation, and feeling
sure that the recommendation OF the
committees had been made without iuli
consideration, / determined to enter my
nrotest against what | knew was mis-
spproprlation OF State funds l therefore
wrote several letters 10 prominent menu
bcrs Of the Legislature, and urged them
TO investigate the bill before allowing
II to pass
In a letter ! wrote TO Senator Mush-
bach, | said: mo sick poor are 10 DC
cared for with this money, or poor men
20 BE- educated. but this sum IS 10 20
TO a dozen doctors, and added to the ices
they now get from their class" This
statement was used by the member on the
floor of the Senate in his speech In OPP
position TO the bill
I made no graver accusation against
the Faculty Of the college than that they
received money for which they made no
return My letter contained the plainest
business proposition, whose truth or
falsitv could readily have been determin-
cd. and ] was greatly surprised at the
bitter and malicious attack which II called
forth some weeks later. 1t Is unques-
tionable that the money appropriated by
the State goes "to help the salaries or
ten or twelve Richmond physicians.
The Medical College of Virginia, although
nouinaIly a State institution, Is essen
TALLY n private corporation. The MEM
bcrs of its Faculty are its stockholders,
and they each year divide among them
selves the profits OF the session. The
profits. OF course, are represented 10y the
difference between the gross receipts ana
the disbursements of the institution. ana
arc directly Influenced by an increase in
the one or a decrease in the other. Now.
# the state makes an appropriation which
pays the expenses Of the college. and in
creases its expenditures or adds to its
liabilities. does not the money so GDpro-
prated directly increase the profits or
the institution, and go into the pockets
Of the professors? They say 1.-THE college
is the property Of the State. and should,
therefore. be cared for by the State"
The Legislature may choose 10 accept
this view. but the Faculty have come to
consider State aid as an inherent right
q. uVt1 tic ftgff
tinuance and increase. They seem to for
get that the State might reasonably eX-
poet some return for the money IT has
so laVishly given them. Since its organi-
cation the college has received $l2O,IO
from the State, and in return has given
the state absolutely nothing. OF tins
sum. 5000 has been secured in the last
ten years. and yet $4,000 Of the Faculty's
private funds according TO their own
statement were also required TO run inc
States property during that time. IL
was Sydney Smith. | believe, who says
that there is nothing so uncertain as
figures save facts, and equally appl!ca-
BE IS the pun Of "Poor Richard" that
nothing lies like figures, 1iguratively
speaking"
The Faculty OF the Medical College of
Virginia deny that the State appropria-
ton Is OF personal pecuniary benefit 10
them. and refer the public to their an
nual reports to the Superintendent OF
Public instruction for information as to
its expenditure An examination Of their
own figures confirms the statement / made
I'm my letter TO Senator Mushbach In
their last printed reports the total re-
ceipts from fees from students for the
year is given as $40 while the amount
of inorey divided among the teachers Is
stated az sG.2S0Ol, difference Of only
sl2999 Every expense Of the college is
charged 70 the state, and the Faculty are
thus able to devote to private use the
entire receipts from teaching, less 4-9@.
They charge the State with everything
with fuel and gas. with wages OF clerks
and servants. with equipments for teach
ing. with dead bodies for dissection, with
advertisement and printing, with their
stationary and postage-stamps-ard bland
" wind up their account by saying that
the State did not this year give them
enough money by Sl.000S to pay II all.
] presume that this is the way they will
explain their statement that they have
paid out Of their own pockets $4,000 in
the last ten years. which, in their opin-
ion, could logitimately be charged TO the
state DR. Joynes, as / showed in my
former letter. ran the same property on