The House of the Good Shepherd, located in Baltimore City, occupies a similar place in regard to women.

3. Reformatory Institutions for Boys: House of Refuge; St. Mary's Industrial School; House of Reformation for Colored Boys. The first two of these institutions are located near Baltimore City; the third is at Cheltenham, in Prince George's County. They are intended for the training and reformation of boys who have no home or who will not be subject to the restraints of their home; in other words, boys who are vagrant or incorrigible. Such boys may be sent there by any Court or Justice of the peace. The institutions endeavor to give the boys an industrial education and fit them to be good citizens. They are managed by private corporations, some members of whose boards of managers are appointed by the State.

4. Reformatory Institutions for Girls.- Female House of Refuge; Industrial Home for Colored Girls: The first of these institutions is in Baltimore City; the second is at Melvale, in Baltimore County. They are managed by private corporations, some members of whose boards of directors are appointed by the State. They fill for girls the same place that the House of Refuge and its kindred institutions do for boys.

5. Hospitals for the Insane; Lunacy Commission. Some of the people who have lost their minds are kept in county asylums, or are supported by their friends in private institutions, but many must be cared for by the State, and so two Asylums have been established; one at Spring Grove, in Baltimore County, and one at Springfield, in Carroll County. The State has

appointed a Lunacy Board to see that the insane have proper care.

The State supports an asylum and training school at Owings's Mills, in Baltimore County, for feeble-minded

persons.

6. Hospitals, etc. - Carrying out its policy of appropriating towards the support of private corporations rather than establishing separate State institutions, Maryland has no hospital under complete State control, but makes annual appropriations towards the support of eighteen hospitals, most of which are in Baltimore City. In return for these appropriations, the hospitals maintain a certain number of free beds. for patients residing in the State.

7. Other Benevolent Institutions. The State also makes appropriations towards the support of the following institutions, most of which are in or near Baltimore City: ten orphan asylums and homes for friendless children; four homes for the aged; three summer homes for women and children; two day nurseries; one home for mothers and infants; two homes for Confederate soldiers and their families.

CHAPTER XVII.

POLITICAL PARTIES.

1. Political Parties. There are among men differences of opinion as to how the government of any country ought to be administered. Those who have the same opinion on these matters naturally come together and vote for the same men, that the government may be carried on as they desire. When the men with the same views habitually act together and vote the same ticket from year to year they form a political party. As it is necessary for men to be in a political society in order to enjoy rights, it is also necessary for men to join together in a permanent organization, or party, in order to have the country governed as they wish. There are two main parties in the United States, the Republican and the Democratic. In general, there have always been two parties in this country. Since the Constitution of the United States was adopted, one of these parties has favored a strong central government and a liberal construction of the Constitution. The other has favored a strict construction of the Constitution and has been very conservative in giving power to the National government. Other questions have been combined with these, such as slavery, internal improvements, finance, currency; and the parties have not always been the same in name, nor have they always been consistent in

their position. In the beginning of the Nation's history, the Federalists were the party of liberal construction, and were led by George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and John Adams; while the strict construction party was called the Republican, and was led by Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Albert Gallatin. Gradually all persons came together in a party which bore the Republican name, but had many of the Federalist principles. About 1828 the party lines were again formed on the construction of the Constitution. Andrew Jackson and John C. Calhoun led the strict construction party, which took the name of Democratic, while Henry Clay and Daniel Webster led the liberal or loose construction party, which took the name of Whig. The Whig party tried to compromise on the subject of slavery and so fell to pieces. It was succeeded by the present Republican party, which was founded in 1854 as a loose construction party, which was bitterly opposed to slavery, and which insisted on the supremacy of the union. There are two smaller parties in the country: the Prohibitionists, who believe that all other political questions are of less importance than the prevention of the sale of intoxicating liquor; and the Populists, who believe that the other parties have not looked sufficiently after the interest of the common people. The National parties keep their organizations in State and local politics.

2. The Machine. When a party is a permanent institution it must have a fixed organization. This is known as the machine. Oftentimes the machine is very corrupt and unjust in its methods and does injury to good government, but in itself it is a necessary part of any

party system. We have recognized the existence of the machines in our laws and provide for the nomination of certain officers by the party organizations. There are times when one man gains control of a party organization and uses it for his own purposes. Such a person is often called a boss.

3. The Central Committee. In each county and State and in the United States there are central committees of the parties, which manage their affairs. These committees are made up of men chosen by members of the party, in the various divisions which make up the territory over which the committee acts. Thus the members of the county committee are chosen from election districts, those of the State Committee from the counties, and those of the National Committee from the States. These committees choose chairmen, call the convention of the party, and carry on the campaigns for the election of officers.

4. State and National Committees. At the head of the party organization in Maryland stands the State Committee, which conducts the State and National Campaigns. It has a chairman and secretary, and usually opens headquarters in Baltimore City, from which the work of the party throughout the State is directed. This Committee is composed of one or more members from each county in the State.

The National Committees only act during the campaigns preceding the elections for Congressmen and for President. They have headquarters in New York City and direct the campaigns in all the States. We see how complete an organization is the party machine.