The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1931-01-08

sirable and paying venture, or one
OF two across the lower Patuxent, OF
across the Choptank, or others over
the Susquehannah-indeed, over any
OF all of the great water courses
which make Maryland so charming
and yet which make it so difficult to
get from one point to another. 1t is
this bold effort to speed up all intra-
state road traffic, logical enough
development from the good-roads pro-
gram, which adds immeasurably to
public interest in the bridge proposal
and promises to make of it one of the
most important considerations OF the
session.
There are numerous projects of
Statewide concern involving social
welfare work of one sort or another.
Most important, perhaps, is considera-
alton facilitated by the existence of
the Welfare Board, which is charged
with administration of the States in
situations and the general policy I'M
der which they are run. For there is
new prison to be built, chiefly be-
cause the old Penitentiary is over
supplied with inmates and there is no
indication that the candidates for in
voluntary admission are going to be-
come less numerous.
But that is not the only justifica-
ton for a new penitentiary; there is a
growing belief that the State should
do more to reform its criminals, and
that it can't reform them very well
by purely repressive methods; the
prison farm idea is clarly gaining ia
vor. Moreover, the recent Federal
act, making it possible to bar prison
made goods from interstate trade, is
going to end many of the existing
prison industries and Maryland must
very shortly find substitute. This
is the Welfare Boards job and to it is
related the question of what sort OF
prison is going up on the land lately
acquired for that purpose.
More funds are to be sought for an
extension of the parole system, which,
if anything, will be widened by appli-
cation of the new idea in penal adj
ministration. It may be that more
examination of applicants will be
needed; it is surely the case that more
personnel for reporting the behavior
of paroled men will be sought.
1t is we'll known that the insane
are increasing in number-perhaps
200 new beds are needed each year in
Maryland. This means additions to
existing buildings and, indeed, per-
petual consideration of whether pres
ent confinement methods are always
wise; alienists are far from agreeing
on this. The only certain thing is
that the problem is more serious
each year, and in default of other
ideas the State is compelled to raise
more and more money for the control
of these unfortunate sufferers. One
new building is sure to be recommend
ed by the Governor. This is for the
colored feeble-lninded, who just now
are confined with the colored insane
at Brownsville; the white insane and
feeble-minded are separately housed
and this separation is the aim at
Brownsville, too.
A third class of dependents remains
to be cared for adequately. This is
the paupers, whose miserable estate in
dozen Maryland counties has long
been something very close to scan
dial. The commission which has been
considering the matter long ago rec
commended abandonment of the coun-
ty almshouses and creation of sim
gle institution on the Eastern Shore,
to which would be transferred all the
paupers of the nine counties, and a
like one on the Western Shore for
housing the unfortunates now scatter
ed through all the county almshouses
west of the Bay. The State will be
called on to build the structures and
each county to pay its pro rata eX-
pense of boarding the number of in
mates coming from that county. No
great opposition to this principle is
expected, but again it is difficult to
forecast complete agreement with the
method.
This brief survey suggests the i'm
portance which social welfare now
has in the States program. 1t is not
so long ago that in education and pub
lie health the State was so backward
as to provoke angry demand for i'm
provement. The advances in these
reforms have been really spectacular
and instead of being backward in
health and schools, Maryland is now
admittedly we'll in the forefront of all
States of the Union. This is far from
true with regard to social welfare and
herein, patiently, is the reason for the
concentration of so much attention to
these problems of the insane, the
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