The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1901-12-14
TO RESTRICT STATE AID.
The New Board of Charities to Re-
port Against State Aid to Col
leges and Medical Schools.
From the baltimore sun. Dec. Il


The abolition of all free scholarships in the
State and a fat refusal to appropriate a cent
to any medical college or school, 1t IS stated
on the best authority, will be the features Of
the first report of the Board of State Aid and
Charities to the Legislature, which meets next
month.
In the matter of the scholarships the stand
taken by the board is that the coming Legis-
lature should curtail them very decidedly and
that they should be finally abolished. 1t is
claimed that many of these institutions abuse
the privileges given them, and that the aid
they ask for in return for one scholarship to
each county and one to each legislative dis
trict in Baltimore city is simply raid on the
State Treasury, without proper compensation.
Members of the board point out that in one
of the legislative districts of the city there are
200 600 people, and but one person of all these
derives any benefit from the aid given by the
State. Moreover, it is claimed, a large num-
Der of these institutions are getting great
deal too much money. Some of them have
been getting annual appropriations since 1885,
and at various times since have had the amount
increased by the Legislature until now it is al
most impossible to tell just how much money
some OF them do get The board has recently
been looking up the records of these instltu..
tons, going to the first time when they asked
is the determination to recommend that the
Legislature, either very greatly reduce the
number of scholarships or abolish them alto
gether.
The board takes the position that the schol-
arships are not really important from an edu-
catioaal point Of view and that they offer
nothing that cannot be supplied by the public
schools, upon which the State expends large
sums of money. The idea is that the appro-
priations made year by year for these scholar
ships, with the amounts increasing annually,
is au unnecessary burden upon the State, and
the money should remain in the Treasury.
The amount saved would be large one, aud
could, it is argued, be used for other and more
practical purposes.
AS TO MEDICAL SCHOOLS.
The prospects are that neither the Univer-
sity of Maryland Medical School, the Balti-
more Medical College nor the College OF Ply
sicians and Surgeons, each of which received
$4,000 from the last Legislature, will get a
cent this time. although each asks for SIG, 666,
or $4,000 for all.
The board, it is understood, will recommend
that these three applications be declined upon
the ground that they are all private institutions,
at which the students pay tuition, and ought to
be self-supporting.
NO AID IN OTHER STATES.
Secretary James r. Brewer has for num-
Der of weeks past been in correspondence with
officials in other States and finds that in no
other State are medical colleges or schools
given State aid The claim has been made
on behalf of the Baltimore colleges that other
States did this very thing. The board has dis,
covered that they do not, and will state the
fact in its report, also lrging that they see no
reason why such institutions should receive
any money from the State.
All other medical colleges asking aid will be
tested in similar way by the board, which
has made an exhaustive investigation OF the
matter.
LESS FOR THE HOPKINS.
The Johns Hopkins University, which asks
for $50 900 annually for the next two years.
will not it is understood, get that amount;
The board will recommend that to limited
extent an appropriation be made to the uni
versity. 1t will speak of its temporary embar-
rassment and say that its application is worthy
of consideration and that it does not mean to
become permanent burden to the State.
In its report the board will state its opposl
ton, on general principals, to giving State
aid TO schools and colleges which are not under
State supervision.