Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-02-27

| Mr.. L. Luchs favors board OF trustees COM
posed Of the right kind Of men, to be selected by
| the Commissioners, and to exercise full control
| of the schools The Commissioners he thoupht.
| schools.
| FAvoRs GIVING THE COMMISSIONERS THE VETO
| POWER.
| Mr.. r. Beresford favored q school board such
! as 1t was I'VE or six years ago. with power "a
| control educational matters the Commissioners
to have q veto power to exercise when neces.
| sary.
| CAN MANAGE BETTER THAN THE ooxnu-
sIoNERS
Mr.. e. f. French thought that the trustees
should undoubtedly govern the schools, and he
believed that they are vested with full au.
| thority. 81 think that every member OF the
board should have resigned, "he said ,"when they
received thatletter from the Commissioners
should have resigned had been one of them I
think the trustees can manage the schools
much better than the Commissioners Thew
give their personal attention to them. some
thing that ia a. It is impossible for the Commits
VIEWS SUBMITTED TO THE DIS
TR1CT COMMITTEE.
The committee OF citizens that memorialized
Congress in favor Of Senate bill 1888, to create
school board and define its powers, has dur
Ing the past few days sent out circular letters
to many citizens asking for an expression of
on the question of the proper method of man
aging the schools. The responses received to
this circular were fled to-day with the Senate
District committee.
Mr.. GARDINER g. HUBBARD's VIEWS
Mr.. Gardiner 6. Hubbard, to whom the Conn
missioners have rendered an appointment as
school trustee, wrote in reply to the circular
sent to him: 81 have no doubt that some chance
In regard to the school board is necessary for It
is impossible to have efficiency where the
teachers are appointed by one board and the
schools managed by another. do not how
ever, believe in the wisdom of q board of "a
members, and think that one Of 8 members
on1d DC zen more ecient ana that the members
Doard oil "A members cannot feel"
APPROVES THE PRINCIPLES OF THE BILL
Rev. Dr. j. L. Mills, of the 9th.street NJ. P
church, writes: ~ approve the general features
of the bill, and especially the principle on
which 1t is based, viz: That the management of
the public schools should be entrusted to q
board Of citizens chosen by the Commissioners"
WELL DEFINED IN THE BILL
Mr.. Anthony Hyde writes: "With regard to
the propriety of entrusting the MANAGEMENT of
pubic schools TO board OF trustees, rather than
to the Commissioners of the District. 7 beg tn
say, as an abstract question, that think the
powers and duties of each we'll defined in the
bill! The want of harmony heretofore manifest
raises serious obstacle to the existence of so
large board, which would otherwise be with
out objection. In the twenty-five years OF my
connection with the Georgetown schools the
corporate authorities voted us a certain sum
and left its expenditure to the absolute control
and disposition OF the trustees Consisting of
seven, and in all that time every thing worked
smoothly and the schools increased to a stan
dard Of excellence quite equal to that of WASH
amendments to the bill, one of them proposing
to add to the clause prohibiting the board from
naming school buildings after living persons a
sentence saying, "and those now so named shall
be changed
HEARTILY APPROVES THE BILL.
Rev. G. B. Patch, pastor of Unity Presbyte-
| rian church, writes: 81 heartily approve of said
Senate bill No. 1888, entrusting the manage
citizens"
FAV0Rs LIMITING TIE POWER OF THE CoMMIs-
sIoNERs.
Rev. George o. Little, pastor of Assemblies
Presbyterian church, writes: 81 am not certain
that l favor as large board of trustees as "a,
but am in favor of limiting the power of the
commissioners to the appointment OF the trus-
tees. ana OF making the trustees directly re-
sponslble TO Congress and the people We have
in the enforcement OF the law in licensing sa-
looms, because the Commissioners were not
made responsible to the people, and we do not
ters."
OPPOSED TO THE BILL.
MIR. J. r. k1ingle writes In opposition to the
bill. He says; "One trustee for each of the
eight school districts is sufficient with one at
large: making nine in all. The trustees should
oe salar1ed officers. AS q rule, men who serve
the public without pay render service proper
Ionate TO the compensation Notwithstanding
to advise with the Commissioners"
NECESSARY TO THE SUCCESSFUL RUNNING OF
THE SCHOOLS.
Mr.. Alexander Farley, an ex.trustee writes:
"Said bill embodies in my Judgment all the
features which the school board in the past has
deemed necessary and advantageous to the sue
cessful running of our public schools Most of
its provisions have governed the administration
OF our schools in the past, and the few new
features contemplated by the bill are such as
tenn and definitely settle the powers and duties
OF both Commissioners and trustees in their re-
iation severally to our public schools"
IN ACCORD WITH THE AMERICAN IDEA.
Mr.. Appleton p. Clark, member of the
school board, says: 1.-THE welfare of the public
schools depends largely upon those who select
the teacher, hence it is that this power should
not rest in the hands Of q single individual,
a aai1ng no one with whom ne must consult but
be in error. TO have a local committee Of
three members will check hasty nominations
relieve the committee OF the suspicion OF favor.
itism, better satisfy the community and be
more In accord with the American idea of
scnooi supervision. An enlarged board Of edu-
cation, such as the bill cOntem plates with we'll
defined powers, If selected from men OF literary
attachments, men of business experience, men
Ideas whose professions or employment leads
them in different directions viii make the
strongest combination for q wise and efficient
administration Of the public school economy"
PROTESTS AGAINST AUroCRATIc RULE
Mr.. Carl Roesse, ex-school trustee, writes: 81
consider it my duty 10 protest herewith against
the autocratlc rule of the Commissioners, and
approve fully Of the Senate bill No, 1898.
drawn by the citizens committee and their
memorial"
THE ONLY RrMrnv 1rrr
Mr.. John II. Brooks, of the school board.
writes: Il look to the enactment Of tins bill as
the only remedy left to the people to save their
schools from injury and the proposed vicious
system of one-man political machine"
DANGEROUS GENERALIZATION OF POWER
Rev. DR.. John Chester writes: u would ex.
press my decided conviction that the principle
on which Senate bill No. 1888 is based is the
true one should regard the project to trans
fer the powers of q school board to the Com
missioners as not only dangerous centraliza-
tion Of power but also direct evil to the
interests OF the schools"
HEARTILY APPROVES THE BILL.
Mr.. z. Richards, formerly superintendent Of
the public schools, writes: "The bill has my
most hearty approval, and am ready to do
anything In my power TO secure its passage"
ANOMALOUS AND DEPLoRABLE.
Mr.. Benjamin p. Davis, an ex-trustee,
writes in approval of the bill He says:
"The present condition OF things is anoma-
Ions and deplorable. The assumption Of COM
plete control of public schools by the COmmis-