Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1909-06-04
Governor Has Plat.

A definite plan toward State care for the
insane was adopted on Thursday OF ias'
week, when the State Board Of Lunacy
meeting jointly with the MANAGERS OF the
Springfield State Hospital, Sykesville, at
the hospital, decided to draw up bills ior
presentation at the next session OF the
Legislature.
Governor Crothers, president ex-officio OF
the managers of the institution. presided
over the combined meeting.
Two bills bearing directly on the care OF
the insane by the State and the conse-
quent relief of the counties will be intro
duced 1t was decided to have DR.. Arthur
P. Herring, secretary of the commission,
confer as soon as possible with Attorney
General Straus and draw up the measures
The first bill will provide for an appro-
priation of 100000 to be spent in the
erection of additional buildings at SPRING
field Hospital, in order that 400 more pa
tients may be cared for and for the estao-
lishment of special hospital for the negro
insane. The latter will probably be built
in Southern Maryland. as large proper
ton of the colored insane come from that
section of the State.
The other bill will contain provisions
giving the State Lunacy Commission the
power to transfer insane patients from
county aims houses to State hospitals,
making it obligatory on the counties to
obey the orders of the commission. The
bill will also provide for duties of super
vision of county asylums by the commits
sion and the enforcement of high stand
ard of care of the inmates.
Immediately after the annual meetineof
the managers of Springfield the Governor
called the joint meeting to order. DR..
Henry NJ Hurd, member of the commits
sion, made an address. in which he said
"A system of State care is the only one
that should exist in civilized community.
By admitting the insane to county aims
houses great damage and Generalization
is wrought on the people compelled to 90
there, and the practice should be discon-
tinued. Such people in an almshouse de-
moralize the community, and the sooner
the State does away with this system the
better.
I'VE feel that Springfield and Spring
Grove should be enlarged and that provis-
ion be made for the care of the c0lOred in
sane"
DIR. Herring, secretary of the commits
sion, called attention to the fact that the
State is committed to the care of the in
sane after 1911 He said that in answer to
set of II questions sent out to number
of States it was learned from the Is that
answered that only two require the cOun-
ties to help pay the expense of the main
tenance of the insane.
He said that by relieving the counties of
the burden of maintaining their insane the
county taxes would be reduced S or 8 cents
be only nominal.
Governor Crothers took leading part in
the discussion that followed and heartily
showed his approval of the plan to relieve
Tic COuIitlto anu DChCit thC ihouhc VI
Maryland. He said he believed that the
people are ready for the question, but that
he was not in favor of relieving the coun
ties entirely of obligation. Discussing the
problem of the State raising the money If
the State treasury would be too much tax
ed by the appropriation. he said
II am opposed to bond issue, ! believe
that when we take hold OF this thing we
should do SO by paying for il first. We
have recently put on road bond issue of
$5,000.000, and if it were not for that
there would be less objection to bond
issue for this purpose"
The Governor, still discussing ways and
means, suggested the possibility of an in
heritance tax.
"If the people would accept an inheri-
lance tax. properly graded so that no OPP
preston would be felt" he said, the
money thus raised could be very well de-
voted to the State care of the insane. If
the people do not wish to accept such
tax then the only way to raise the money
for this purpose will be by direct taxation"