Evening star., 1954-10-08
6. 0. Coasts
On Mental Ills,
.ByrdCharges
Hospital Program
Not Being Pushed,
Candidate Asserts
By Gene Goodwin

VA VAC AC4CAAoANC A1
gubernatorial CAM
paign, today accused the Repub-
lican Administration of coast.
ing" on the States mental hos-
pital program.
The Democratic candidate for
Governor cited recent disclosure
of a complaint by a st. Marys
County woman that the ward her
son was assigned to at Spring
Grove State Hospital is "a dirty,
unkempt snake pit"
"This will come as something
Of a revelation to many Mary
landers who have been hearing
Gov. McKeldins glowing ac-
counts of improvement in the
mental hospitals" DR.. Byrd said.
Gov. McKeldin was campaigns
ing in Hartford County today.
His Office last night attempted
to answer questions raised by
DR.. Byrd yesterday concerning
the Governors former law part
ner and confidant. M. William
Addison.
Business Question Raised.
DR.. Byrd demanded that the
public be told whether the Gov
ernor's law Office in Baltimore
had been getting State business
to which it was not entitled. He
said Mr.. Addison "is a licensed
insurance broker, representing at
least nine companies" and the
Governor qualified as an in
surance solicitor as far back as
June, 1941."
An aide to the Governor re-
piled that Mr.. McKeldin had dis
continued his partnership with
Mr.. Addison when he took Office
in 1851.
Gov. McKeldin has no law
Office, and, of course. no law
practice, partnership or profits"
the aide stated.
He also said that Mr.. McKeldin
never renewed his insurance au-
thority since becoming Governor.
Insurance solicitors licenses
have to be renewed each year.
the aide said.
Washington County Toured
DR.. Byrd released his state
ment on mental hospitals as he
set out today on tour of WASH
ington County with Edward Ry-
an, Democratic candidate for
Congress from the 9Th District.
He based his latest blast on a
newspaper story concerning Mrs.
Stuart Edmonds of Clements.
Md, who claimed she moved her
37-year-old son from Spring
Grove to Johns Hopkins Hos
pital because of mistreatment he
suffered in the State hospitals
maximum security ward.
CDR. T. Glyne Williams. clin-
ical director of Spring Grove.
denied today that patients are
neglected at his hospital. but
acknowledged that the main
building where the maximum Sc
curity ward is located is old.
improperly lighted and fur
nished, badly overcrowded and in
need of more nursing personnel.
CDR. Williams, who said the
building was erected in Civil
War times and is crowded with
about 900 patients, declared
that hospital authorities have
been trying "for four or five
years to get a new building.~
Byrd Credits Lane.
Whatever improvement has
taken place in our mental hos
pitals during the present Re-
publican Administration can be
credited to the program inSti-
tuted by" former Gov. Lane, Mr..
McKeldin's Democratic prede-
cessor, DR.. Byrd charged.
Since then, he added, the
Republicans have taken over
without a program of their own
and have been "just coasting
along"
! Last night, in another state
ment, the Democratic challenger
said his charge of extravaganza
involving a State Roads Com
mission contract with David M.
Nichols lis amply proved by the
commissions admissions"
DR.. Byrd had charged that Mr..
Nichols and others would receive
commissions of from SIS million
to SO million on a contract for
acquiring the land needed for
the proposed $143 million Balti-
more Harbor tunnel. He said the
contract called for 7la per cent
commission on the cost of the
land, which Dr.. Byrd said would
run anywhere from $40 million
to $40 million.
$9.7 Million, Says Commission.
The commission denied this,
stating that the land is to cost
$9.7 million, according to expert
estimates. The fee to Mr..
Nichols, former Democratic
minority member of the COM
mission, and his associates would
be about $732,900. the commits
sion statement added.
DR.. Byrd said he hopes the
commission is right but expert
ence has shown that preliminary
estimates of property costs are
usually too low"
I'm any event." he added.
there is no excuse whatever for
paying Mr.. Nichols and the
others any such sum as $750.000
for work which largely should
and will be done anyhow by the
consulting and regular engineers
and other employees. including
lawyers paid by the State Roads
Commission or its consultants.
He said the contract should
be rescinded.