New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-12-06

KEEPING THE TRUTH FROM THE PEOfLE'
The Board of Health and the Board OF Edu-
cation seem to be in sympathy i'll the pohcy OF
concealing from the people the exact truth
concerning the sanitary condition OF our
schools We do not think so meanly OF the
sagacity and judgment of all the members Oh
those boards as to believe them unit III TINS
mistaken course. No doubt there are Commls-
sioners in both departments clear-sighted ana
reasonable enough to see the mischief or Sc
crecy. but the controlling elements insist on
hiding what ought to have the widest publicity.
The argument they use is that the publication
of the repOrts would excite senseless alarm
among parents poor excuse for dangerous
error. Either the reports of the Health Depart
ment inspectors do show justly and falrIy the
condition of our school buildings, or they do not.
If they do, surely parents have a right to
know the dangers to which they expose their
children in sending them to breathe poisoned
air for five hours each day. If they do not,
surely taxpayers have right to know that the
Health Department is wasting their money on
brainless inspectors incompetent to tell
whether school house is sweet and wholesome
OF tainted and baneful.
Take it either way and the public has right
to the facts. some of our city officials have a
queer notion of their duties. They appear to
think they were put in office to decide for the
people of New York just how much 1t Is good
for them to know The people will not agree
with them on that point. There are far too
many dark corners in our city departments.
Certain of our Commissioners have way of
covering up what they do by holding secret
tlo In citiZpns only
what they consider wise and prudent to reveal.
But who set them up as rulers and judges III
regard to that7 A fine theory of paternal
government they hold. Do they regard them
selves as so far superior in intelligence, dis
erection and virtue to their fellow citizens that
it is their duty to dole out information i'll little
pellets lest the big doses of knowledge which
they can take without injury work harm to the
great body of the peOplef
The city charter and the laws of this State rec
ognize no such superior sanctity on the part OF
officials, and require that the transactions OF
all our commissions and departments shall
be open to public scrutiny. Commissioners
and other officials who love darkness rather
than light in their sessions and proceedings are
not influenced by motives that will bear investi-
Department have shown a deep-rooted attach
ment to secret sessions, and the result has been
extravaganza, mismanagement and all manner
of evil. Any department which is continually
trying to Keep something back on the pretext
that harm will be done by complete publicity
needs the attention of the Grand Jury.
When Professor Chandler was President Of
the Health Department there was no nonsense
about giving out information only at partic-
ular times and under particular precautions.
Subordinates were not then instructed to
withhold facts from the press until the head OF
the department had leisure to revise them and
put them in shape to suit himself. Since
Professor Chambers retirement we have not
noticed that the department has made any
prodigious gain in efficiency or public esteem.
Perhaps if more attention were paid in Mott St.
to essentials and less to martinez rulings nothing
would be lost.