New-York tribune., 1878-04-29
A BLOW AT PUBLIC EDUCATION.

THE DEMOCRATIC HOUSE TURNS 2O,OOU CHILDREN
OUT OF SCHOOL AT wAsHINGToN-A RECORD
WORTH REMEMBERING
IBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNEl
WAsHrNGToY. April 2S-The public schools OF
Washington will be closed next "Wednesday Tor the
season. unless they should subsequently De enaDleu
bv an appropriation from Congress to reopen. Ihe
usual time for closing the schools is the last week
Of lime but owing to the failure of Congress to act
in the matter of an appropriation the school funds
have been exhausted, and the schools Will be closed
two months earlier than usual.
Bv this event 10000 pupils Will be turned into
,bo streets and 300 teachers Will be thrown out OF
employment. One-third of the pupils are the cbli-
arsn Of of6ce-holders and employees of the Govern
mont and another third are coiored children
comparatiyelv small in taxes Is reallzeu lrolh
either of these classes. Government employees un
der the uncertain tenure of office system ol 'il's
country. rarely become property owners ana perm"
nent residents and the colOred people are gelefdy
too Door to own property. This leaves the eh'Ho
burden of the support of the school system upon
about one-thrd of its benehciares, ana IL Is lmlos
sible that they should be maintained TO any credlt
able degree of efficiency without aid from the OoN-
eminent Nor has any one IN Congress yet Deen
found who will say publicly that such aid is UNJUST
The schools have no separate fund appropriated but
take such portion of the annual fund appropriated
for the support of the District Government as the
Commissioners of the District choose to give them
1t has been customary for several years past for
Congress to make an appropriation for school pur-
poses and this has usually been done in deficiency
bill although it is not Teallya deficiency. In the
regular deficiency bill this year 1t came from the
House no provision for the schools was made; but
when it went into the Senate an amendment was
attached, appropriating $4,000 for the purpose
This with other amendments was sent TO confer
ence committee when the item was stricken ont, it
having been learned from the conferees on the part
OF the House that that body could not by any
be brought to accede to the provision, and unless 1t
was removed the whole bill would fail. This mat
ter was explained to the Senate by Mr.. Blaine last
Thursday, when reporting the amended bill from
the Appropriations Committee. He said ii was only
with the greatest reluctance that the committee had
consented to strike out the section making provision
for the schools but that owing to the feeling of the
House it had only had HObsOn's choice in the
matter. .
When the District Bill was under discussion in
the House two or three weeks ago, clause to the
effect that the Government should appropriate for
the District of Columbia an amount equal to that
raised by taxation from the inhabitants was agreed
TO with little opposition. The House thus conceded
that it was fair and right for the Government to
pay One-half the expenses of the local government
of the District II this had been done for the last
year the schools would not now be asking for an
appropriation. Some slight opposition TO the amend
ment was based upon the fact that this not really
a deficiency and was thus not properly placed in a
deficiency bill, but the objection was not pressed
and several other measures which were IN no sense
Deficiencies were added to the bill and met with
approval by the House cOnferees.
1t is not thought possible that special apprOpria
tlOn bill for this purpose can be passed in the
House. No reason is known for the defeat of this
measure unless IL be that the majority Of the House
is hostile TO the cause of education.