The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1915-12-30
SUBSIDY SYSTEM
IN maryland
Policy Of Appropriations To Private In
situations Over a Hundred Years AGO.

pOilCy VI HldhlIlS appropriations W pIl-
vate institutions. At that time there
was no public school system and educa-
ton was not universally considered a
public function; however, county acade-
mics had sprung up in various parts
of the State, and in that year an ap-
preparation was made to the Frederick
County College. This was in the form
of continuing appropriation, and is
still being paid. From time to time
the other academies applied to the legis-
lature and were given aid by the State,
until finally every county in the State
was receiving money and the academies
developed into public school system 4"
The above is the opening paragraph
OF report entitled Subsidy in Mary
land, prepared for the Board of State
Aid and Charities by its secretary, W.
H. Davenport.
Continuing, the report says:
Long before the public school syste m
was well established, however, other
demands for appropriations were made.
The insane demanded and secured the
attention of the legislature; and the
Maryland Hospital for the Insane, now
the Spring Grove State Hospital, re-
ceived appropriations from very early
date.
IN the ffties, chlldren's institutions
began to receive State aid, and by 1870
some general and special hospitals had
found place in the appropriation bill.
In 1890 we find homes for the aged also
receiving quite a sum of money. Dur
ing the last 20 years each session of the
legislature has added both to the num-
Der and kind of institutions, and the
amount of money appropriated for
charitable purposes. 1t would there
fore seem that MARYLAND has rather
drifted into the habit of giving money
to private institutions almost without
any definite policy until, at the last
legislature, appropriations totaling ST.
S81, 244. SO were made to 1l9 entirely
private institutions. embracing almost
every kind of work known to the
charitable world.
In 1900. the legislature, realizing its
inability to properly deal with this sub
ject, created the Board of State Aid
and charities; the duties of said board
being to investigate all institutions re-
ceiving State aid; TO consider the whole
system of State aid to public and other
institutions; to make reports to the legis-
lature as to which institutions should re-
celve money and how much they re-
ceive, and to make such other recon-
mendations as it sees fit. The boa I'd
has performed these functions regu-
larly and gradually accumulated large
amount of information regarding these
institutions, 1t has inaugurated a com
plete system of reports and inspections,
which put it in close touch with the
work of each of these institutions, and
has made general study of the whole
system in this and other States.
However, its recommendations have,
in many instances, been disregarded by
the legislature. At the last session its
recommendations were followed more
closely than they have ever been in the
past, and while the legislature was
within per cent of that recommended
by the board, yet it departed from the
board recommendations in As out of
119 instances. During the last six
bo- IL Of
forts to have the State adopt some
systematic basis for making these ap-
preparations. However, the legislature
has never seen fit to follow the sugges-
tons of the board, ard at the present
time the state is paying for the care of
patients in general hospitals all the way
from go cents to $3.50 per day. per
patti ent. State appropriations constitute
from Is to 80 per cent of the income of
institutions for the care of children re-
ceiving public aid. 1t would, therefore,
seem that the state is annually ex-
pending the tremendous sum of $780,
622 Al with practically no other method
than that certain institutions which
embrace nearly all kinds of philan-
thropic endeavor, have come before the
legislature, convinced it that they were
doing good work, state their needs and
been given appropriations.
Under these conditions, is it not time
that Maryland should pause and con-
slider whether this expenditure of public
money is justifable? Can it be SAID,
in view of the above facts, that this
money is being spent in manner COM
mendable to the sound thinking sense
of the State?
The board makes the following sug-
gestions as remedies:
l. We believe that ultimately the
State should own and control all in
situations to which the state appro-
PIRATES money. We believe further
that all INDECENT and sick classes should
be cared for by the political units, city
or county, in which they are residents,
but where these units cannot furnish