The times., 1898-01-14
MILLIONS ARE AT STAKE.
Effort to Defeat Enoch Pratt's
Cha rftabl Beuuest

Annapolis, Md, Jan. 13.-A bill to
change the name of the Sheppard
Asylum, in Baltimore county. to "The
Sheppard Pratt Hospital'' has been en-
crossed and will shortly be introduced
IN the legislature. The object OF this
bill is to comply with the conditions of
the will of the late EnOch Pratt so as
to enable the Sheppard Asylum to re-
ceiye the sum of money Dequeathed by
Mr.. Pratt. This sum, it Is said, amounts
to something like s2,0G0,006. The trus-
tees of the asylum have accepted ali
the conditions imposed by MIR. Pratt.
and it only remains for the General
Assembly to enact this bill in order that
they should receive the bequest.
In case the legislature should fail TO
enact this law, the money will go to the
collateral relatives of Mr.. Pratt in the
State of Massachusetts, seven in num-
ber Mr.. Pratt distributed among these
relatives shortly before his death the
sum of 81, ,16],100 and he declared that
having done so he had provided for
! his relatives all he wished to-
1t is currently reported here that a
powerful lobby has been organized to
defeat the charitable intentions of Mr.
Pratt in this disposition of his estate
)
of the State of Maryland, where il was
/ accumulated. into MASSACHUSETTS,. This
will be accomplished by the neglect Of
the Legislature 10 pass the bill for MIR
Pratt required the bill to pass at the
first session after his death.
No one doubts the existence of the
lobby for the defeat of the bill p is
freely declared that this is the richest
gold mine of the session. and the possi
BILE profits of the job are estimated at
$500, 900, or even more.
1t is inconceivabIe that the iobby's
work should prevail by any direct
method. therefore there is speculation
as To the method that will be EN-
ployed. There are various means for
defeating bills by indirect means, which
have been Tesorted to in the past. 1t is
much easier for the lobby to defeat q
bill than to pass Cne. The bill may be
stolen or lost or mutilated Where this
is prevented by the vigilance of those
| in charge of it. the method known as
stripping the House is sometimes re-
sorted to. This consists in inducing
/ those members who are under lobby in
fluence TO leave the chamber when the
bill comes up for passage and let il
fail for want of a constitutional major
ity. Then the policy of delaying action
until late in the session viii probably
be adopted.
After this bill is thoroughly under
stood it will perhaps be apparent to
members that there can he only one
motive for opposing il, and that cor
rupt one When this is fully manifest
it seems Impossible that the bill shall
be defeated.
The trustees of the asylum will also
doubtless be approached by lobbyists
and asked for money to pass the bill
! Their fears will be played upon and the
strength of the opposition magnided.
1t is to be hoped that they VIII resist
alasucfl attacks and rely upon the leg
islature for justice and upon the honest
public sentiment and patriotism of
the people to enforce it, should the leg
islature withhold it.
The Sheppard Asylum is situated
near Towson. IL has farm OF 3ii
acres, upon which buildings were erect
ed which cost 100000. This has been
done without impairing the original en-
dowment of $500 600 devised for this
purpose about fOrty-five years ago. The
institution is recognized as one of the
foremost of the kind in the world. OF
the whole number of patients treated
since the institution opened fully 20 per
cent have been discharged as cured.
About 10 per cent of the present in
mates of the asylum are charity pa
tients. 1t was with the view of in
creasing the capacity of the hospital
for receiving free patients and to en-
able it to reduce the charges for others
and to generally enlarge the scope OF
it's work that Mr.. Pratt designed his
endowment. There is no institution
where tbs. State can care for a patient
free of cost until cOmmittal as an in
sane pauper" Families of small means
revolt against this public degradation,
or what many regard as degradation,
and it is largely for the benefit of these
that Mr.. Pratt designed his beneIac-
ton.
There is much glib talk around tne
lobhies of the Sheppard as rlch
mans asvIum." If this were the case
il will not be made less So by refusing
the prOpo=ed endowment.