Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-02-08
LINE THE GOVERNOR WOULD
DRAW

In his message, yesterday, advo-
eating withdrawal of State aid from
private institutions the Governor
said: 1.-THE more the grain is beaten
the sooner will the chaff be threshed
out and blown away" But he as
sumes the beating may be accom-
plished and the dust blown away by
the time of the referendum. There
are some who disagree on this point.
He classes all private institutions
together as being governed absolute
ly by the same principle. We do not
think State aid to a hospital is so
comparable with State aid to schools;
we fail to see that granting aid to
hospital is contributing" to the adj
vancement of any particular politi-
cal, religious purpose. 1t seems
to us there is principle en-
terng into the consideration of State
aid to schools under certain condi-
tons which does not enter into dis
cussion of aid to hospitals. In other
words we would have two questions
asked of the public in place of one,
il the matter is to be referred to
popular vote. Mischief, we believe,
may be done, especially in the put
ting of questions to the referendum.
through confusion of issues and def
inition of terms.
We do not SEQ how anyone can fail
TO agree with the Governor in his
recognition of the log-rolling process
to which the best Of measures and
the best of legislators are naturally
subjected in the turmoil of securing
at every session of the Legislature
the resolve in aid of this or that in
stitution. Part of that is inseparab BILE
from our democratic form of govern
ment and must be made the best Of
1t would seem that we have not done
that with respect to our hospitals.
They are going" institutions serving
the needs of communities and terri
tory adjacent thereto. They are not
exclusively for the benefit of the place
in which they are located, but for
the nearby towns as well. and are
able to render aid to the state in
caring for some. who otherwise
would have to be cared for by the
State through an institution OF its
own at probably greater expense and
less convenience and If they accept
State Aid they should be required to
render this service.
We think all will agree that a
hospital receiving aid from the State
should be subjected to inspection on
would not seem impossible that the
giving of State aid to such institu-
tions might not be under a definite
policy such that the individual cases
need not be thrown to the log -rollers.
1t probably would be difficult to per.
feet such an arrangement, but it
by no means ought to be impossible.
The end to be reached also seems
of sufficient merit to warrant an eff
fort. Indeed we doubt whether it
would be as difficult as the fixing Of
Q definite line, hard and fast, bet
ween the public and So called pri-
waite institutions. The Governor rec
ogniZes that exceptions must be
made in the case of the University
Of Maine, If not in the case of an
academy performing the work of a
high school but not in a way to re-
cerve the aid which high schools re-
ceive. He recognizes the Children's
Hospital in Portland as another ex-
ception. Would not exceptions null
tiply. would not new State institu-
tons he called fer from time to time?
Would it not he better. in this mat
ter of the hospitals. to first make an
effort to give some State encourage
ment in n methodical. properly SUI
pervised way, than to attempt at
this time to get the state Constitu-
tion changed 70 bar them from any
such encouragement? Not only the
towns in which those hospitals are
located but the surrounding country
need the relief they afford. Their
up-keep is not an obligation on the
community in which they are, neces-
sarily. 1t is almost necessary that
they should be scattered over the
State. Already the country people
are suffering from lack of physicians.
They should not suffer from lack of
hospitals.