It took a mediator and a series of exhaustive meetings, but the governor's office and the Maryland Disability Law Center have finally ended their bitter dispute. This clears the way for MDLC to receive $260,000 in federal funds that were being held up by the governor.

We're happy the two sides are no longer feuding in court but sitting down and working out their differences instead. The big winners are the mentally and emotionally disabled Marylanders in state-run institutions who are represented by MDLC. The new, formal arrangement means disputes over patient treatment should be resolved more rapidly and without engaging in a protracted and expensive legal battle. Talking, not fighting, always makes more sense.