The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1913-08-08
Establish a Regular System For
Appropriations

To say that the appropriations to
religious denominational institu-
tons should continue as was stated
last week, does not say that lump
appropriations to institutions with
out any standard of quality, or
without any reference to the
amount of work done, should con-
tinue. As long as these factors
are disregarded in parceling out
the States money to institutions,
SO long will the present dissatisfac-
ton and criticism be heard on all
sides.
The remedy--is not to stop the
appropriations, but to establish
regular system on which such ap-
propriations should be given out.
A consideration of the details OF
such a system is beyond the scope
of the present article, but there
are certain cardinal principles which
may be stated, and which, If fol-
lowed, would place the approprlat-
ing Of the States money beyond all
criticism. Some of these principles
may be stated as follows:
The State should make sure that
the work for which it gives money
is such work as the taxpayers are
under obligation to support. For
&c a.
ton to take care of its prisoners,
whether juvenile or adult; it IS
under obligations to take care OF
it's dependent children,S and prob
ably it's sick, but whether it is
under obligations to give its citi-
zens an outing to the country dur
ing the summer, or to take care
of the children of mothers during
working hours in certain localities,
are questions of which there is
room for argument, to say the least.
As I see it, unless the work done
by an organization is such as to
form real obligation of the tax
payers, not only is the Legislature
under no obligations to make ap-
preparations to it, but it is COM
hitting q breach of trust if it does
SO. 1t is taking money from the
taxpayer involuntarily and giving
Fl fo peopie WIG nave no e claim to
1t.
Having shown that the work
done by institutions is such that
the taxpayer is under obligation:
to help carry on the work, the mex
step is to make sure that the State
is in a financial condition to dc
for all of its citizens what it i:
willing to do for a few. For in
stance, if the State is unable t.
educate more than one-half of tht
% 81 70 5sKe money from
III Of the taxpayers to educate the
children OF one-half of them. If
it is unable to take care of all of
the insane, it has no right to take
entire care of part of them and
levy the tax on the whole State for
the support of that part. Similar
ly, it has no right to take care of
the dependent children unless it
is willing to take care of all of
them. We may, therefore, name
as second general principal, that
any charity in which the State en-
cages should be Statewide. If the
State cannot take entire care of
all of certain class which has a
claim on it, it may pay a definite
portion OF the expense of such
care.
Next, if the State is going to
take care of a certain class of peo-
pie, dependent children, for instance,
it should have a certain minimum
standard for the she. This stan
dard should make rtain that they
are sufficiently ched and fed,
that they get a cain amount of
education, and siLssar other things.
This standard should be the same
For dependent children, no mat
ter whether the State takes care of
the children in its own public in
situations, or whether it hires pri-
yate institutions to do this work for
it. Such standards should be set
for all classes of people which the
State feels under obligations to
support, whether in a whole or in
part, and it should enforce the