Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-06-18

The Second school Division Trouble.
CALL on COMMISSIONER wEsr-rHE RoARp
ENCEs.
Mr.. W. NJ Gait and Mr.. James H. Mari. resi-
dents of the second school division, called upou
District Commissioner West this morninv and
had talk with him in relation 10 the troubles
IN the second school division, which has re-
suited In proposition made by Trustee Biruey.
of that division, to transfer Mr.. Gage. the SUI
pervfsing principal To the fifth division or else
drop him altogether from tho school roll Mr.
Gait and MIR. MARI, when seen by a STAR ~
porter after the interview with Mr. West. stated
that their talk with him was entirely satisfac-
Nor 20 tne, w. ,, snere Is any wrong," said
rent that IL does not proceed from the Commits
sioners' office. The board OF school trustees are
largely independent of the Commissioners 4
think that it Mr. Biney has attempted 10 run
the board that body ought to have courage
enough To Tight its own battles with him.
IL Is Misrepresentation to suppose that we
called upon the Commissioners 10 apply for
anything or to make an appeal for ANYTHING,
and went wh simply TO nm hma 3ns What the law was
have and what powers the school trustees have
and we have found il out. The school board.
according to the law, is an independent lecisla-
tive body in educational matters and the Com
missfoners cannot do anything more than re-
move member If there is cause for removal"
lone thing Is evident" said Mr.. Mari, "Mr
man."
MI. Gait reiterated his opinion that the school
BOARD should take stand against Mr.. Birney
and 1t was for that body to fight out this case
He thought that Ii was "A defect of the District
government that there was no head. The pres
ent trouble illustrated this I'm an emphatic
manner as the District Commissioners APP
peared to have no power over certain branches
would be better to have a superintendent and
supervising principals -constituting "A board
governing the schools-and directly responsible
TO the Commissioners.
WHAT COMMISSIONER WEST SAWS
Mr.. West, speaking to a STAR reporter OF the
troubles in the second division, said that the
question OF transferring Mr.. Birney to another
division rested entirely with the school board
When the present Commissioners first APP
pointed board OF nine trustees they assumed
the power of assigning the members to different
divisions. After one years experience the Com
missioners became satisfied that such an AS
signment should properly be made by the
board of trustees Itself under the law which
conferred upon them full power i'm relation to
July 14th, 1888, the Commissioners passed an
order: THAT SO much of any previous action Of
the Board of Commissioners assigns the
school trustees 10 school divisions is hereby
revoked, and the matter of such assignments
is lett to the discretion of the board Of school
Under this order the board of trustees could
send trustee out to the county il they chose
and they HAD done that once i'm the case of Mr..
asked for the appointment of any teacher or in
tefiered in any way with the powers OF the ''care
and management" of the schools, which was
construed 10 mean the control Of the purely
educational matters as the Commissioners
were under the law charged with the disburse-
ment of the school funds. They could not re-
woke the action of the board i'm appointing a
teacher or assigning trustee. All they could
do was in case the board did not do what
seemed to be right to appoint men who would
do right. In the present case, he said, If IL were
desired TO have change made i'm the second
division the application should be made to the
board of trustees.
PETITIONS FOR THE RETENTION or MIR cacr
1t was proposed by number of the graduates
of Mr.. Cages divisionsto hold public indigna-
ton meeting to-day, but after conference TO-
day it was decided that some imprudence might
be committed in the freedom of public meet
ing which would not benefit the cause of Mr..
Gage. Instead of holding a meeting, paper
in Mr.. Cages interest will be circulated among
the graduates of the schools OF the second
division for signatures
Apetition which has received the signatures
of Messrs. John Randolph R. b. DERRICK. w.
j. Rhees, Simon Wolf, A. Hart, William Wood
ward, and number of other ex-trustees of the
Second division, asks simply 'that another trus-
tee be assigned TO the second division" Tothis
has been added the names of James l.. Barbour,
Samuel Norment. John +. Norris. and quite a
long list OF citizens who concur I'm the request
of the eX-trustees. All OF these, except Mr.. Bar
bour, signed statement to the effect that in
their opinion Mr.. Birney sis not a fit and suit
able person to be entrusted with the manage
ment of the public schools" a petition was
circulated among clergymen. who, however,
IT.
transferred, on the ground that If he were not a
suitable trustee for one division. he would not
be for another.
MR. BIRNEYs "BLACK LIST"
Mr. Birney is now absent from the tyattend-
ing the closing exercises of the Lehigh univer-
sity, and is not expected to return until Satur-
day. Before he went away, il is stated, he gave
Mr.. Gage until the time of his return to state
whether he would consent TO be transferred to
another division. Mr.. Gage has determined
not 10 give his consent to such a transfer. The
trouble which has been growing between Messrs
Gage and Birney culm mated, it is stated when
MIR. Birney recently gave Mr. Gage a list of six
ofthe teachers OF his division and instructed him
to notify these teachers that they would not be
renominated. Mr.. Gage declined To take upon
himself what he considered an unpleasant
duty, not belonging to his official duty
This list of teachers is what has been known
among teachers for some time Mr.. Birney's
''black list. 1t at one time, it is said was much
larger than at present, but has been reduced
for various causes. One of the teachers con-
cerned is Miss Billings, an old teacher in that
division. Mr.. Birney, il is said, offered to
nominate her for a leadership of the lower
Billings has not assented to this. Among the
petitions to 60 to the school board is a long one
in her behalf, Independent of those in behalf of
Mr.. Gage.
WHAT TRUSTEE CURTIS SAYS.
Mr.. Curtis, trustee of the fifth division, said
to a STAR reporter that the transfer of MIR.
Gage to his division would be satisfactory TO
him, il it tended to bring about the harmony
in the school management which he hoped
to see established before the new superintend-
ent assumed his office. He did not, he said,
urge this change, and he would not do anything
that might endanger Mr.. Janney i'm the schools.
In Justice to Mr.. Birney, he said. the proposition
to make this tranfer did not originate with him.
Mr.. Birney, feeling that he was embarrassed by
the lack of support given him by his supervis-
ing principal desired to make a change in his
division, and, as Mr.. Curtis understood il, was
fully determined not to renominate Mr.. Gage.
Mr.. Janney had suggested that rather than
have so good teacher as Mr.. Gage lost to the
schools of the District he would consent to a
change of place with Mr.. Gage. When this
proposition was made to Mr.. Birney, after con-
sidering it for some time, he approved it as the
best means of restoring harmony TO the schools
Mr.. Curtis said that he regarded Mr.. Gage as
an excellent teacher, and would welcome him
to the fifth division. There seemed to be- he
said, irreconcilable differences between Mr.
Birney and Mr.. Gage which ought not TO exist
il the schools are to succeed, and for that rea-
son, Mr.. Curtis said, he would approve the
transfer.
Illness Of Judge r. W.. BARLEY.
Judge T. w. BARLEY is lying critically i'll at
Oxl r