Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-03-27

schools examine and approve all bills Of ex-
penuiIures and perform many other duties of
Each of these boards had all the powers and
performed all the duties enumerated above,
irn some OF them had still greater powers.
me Doard OF trustees for the colored children
OF Washington and GEORGETOWN, and the board
Tor the county, both of which were created by
purchase all supplies for the schools. to select
ana purchase school Sites to adopt plans and
MAKE contracts for the erection of all school
DuIluihgs. Inc colored school board elected its
superintendent of schools.
IN 1874 the Commissioners, under the new
boards into one board, which assumed the care
ana management OF all the schools under exist
Ing Ing, laws; From August sth, 1874, to December
SUM- 1855, the consolidated board exercised
an the powers and performed all the duties
s Wnlch had by law been given to each OF the
powers and duties relating to The expenditure
OF money. AS the Commissioners were bonded
mcers, neld responsible for all expenditures Of
District funds, they fixed all salaries, made all
purchases and contracts, ordered all repairs to
be made, and had the exclusive control of all
expenditures Of money. On the 3Oth Decem-
Del last the Commissioners addressed q letter
10 the trustees, in which they claim that the
trustees are not board; that they have no
powers or duties whatever conferred upon
them by law; that the Commissioners alone are
ciotned with the power to manage the public
SCHOOLS, and that the trustees are merely their
agents, whose proper duties are chiefly of an
advisory nature. The Commissioners are here
after to appoint teachers, assign them to their
posltlons, and attend to all the other duties
heretofore performed by the trustees of the
schools. 1t Is proposed tor time at least to
nave what they call an advisory board of trus-
tees, the members of which arc to be selected
without any reference whatever to q represent
t tation OF me people residing in the several
SCHOOL DIVISIONS, and who are to be clothed with
no powers, TO have no responsibilities other
than those which may from time to time be
citizens school bill now pending in Congress is
intended to provide for a board of trustees of
public schools composed of members that shall
represent the people who are residents of each
school DIVISION and to clearly define by law the
powers and duties of said board.
MR.. WOLF RESUMES.
Mr.. Wolf, resuming, said this statement
showed that the citizens bill asked nothing but
simply definition of the powers of the board.
The Commissioners, after having for twelve
years recognized these powers of the board, now
chose to construe the law otherwise He claimed
that there was n mlscOnceptiOn as to the pow
ercise. The Commissioners, if they had prop
erly represented the citizens, would have sug-
gested that they should draft a bill covering
that the school board should demolished because
there had been contentious among the men,
b be- THIS was natural in any body and health
ful and unobJect1Onable, provided that their
ollIerences arose from pure and just motives
and convictions. He did not, for moment, be-
lieve in this cry OF a school book ring, of sta
tionery ring, of coal ring, of school site ring
He did not believe such things compatible with
good government, and that there had been a
good government the excellent condition of
these schools attested, these schools which won
from Europe the highest testimonial and
brought back to this city the prize given at the
international exposition. The citizens could
not fail in their efforts, for it utterly mpos-
slbe that great Congress, representing the in
teillSence OF the American people, could fail to
see that that which was good for New York or
Ohio was equally good for this city, where we
have no political rights whatever. He approved
the bill and the resolutions, because they were
just, and asked for nothing but that which was
guaranteed under the Constitution.
DIR. DoMER's REMARKS
Rev. DR.. Domer, who was called on to speak.
said he did not desire to make a speech, but
simply to stand on the right side; it made him
feel fee good and strong question that rose in
people opposed to this bill, are they opposed to
the public schools as conducted thus far? He
met about the city, and had not found any
one who antasonized the position taken by this
meeting. "Have you:" he said. "There NAV
be, but don't know of any,
dience
DIR. Domer said he could not for the life of him
explain why it was that they had to fight for a
thing that every body wanted. He had talked
to the teachers on the sly, but he had not found
antaSonlZed the position this meeting had
taken. He did not know of any teachers on the
face of their teacherss II the COMMON NC school
system OF the country had grown up to it's
masnlilcent proportions under this popular
mentins, for the purpose, perhaps, of
seeing oo1 how much the people OF this
Schools sy could The psan in this to their
good deal, but they could not stand any more
They had come, positively, to their last stand.
abroad, they would not have to stand any
more. He referred to report of Il state super
intendent on the subject OF popular govern
states the school boards possessed even greater
powers than this bill proposed to give TO the
system popu .ha system
prevailed when the schools belonged to the
people, people; o when the schools belonged to
Why should they be antagonized in this mat.
ter by the commissioners: Why should the
Commissioners desire this authority and pre-
vent the people from taking care of the schools?
~ was mystery to him. He believed that in
this work they had everybody, the teachers,
ana even the preachers, on their side.
THE HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING.
Rev. G. o. Little called attention to the fact
that the city had got the High school building
from the trustees and not from the Commits
money should be spent for the building. They
wanted 1t for streets. Now, without any board
to interfere, the Commissioners would have
nothing to prevent them from using the money
for streets.
MR.. JOHN T. GIVEN,
who rose in response to very general call, said
That IL nau been u SUBJECT OF reproach that the
great mass of those favoring what was famil-
iarly known as the citizens bill were eX-trus-
tees. AS an humble citizen he was not subject
to this responsibility were reproach. For his
part he hOnOred the men who had given OF
their time ana OF their means to build up the
school system here. 1t was his unpleasant
duty, he said, to hear the argument on the side
of the Commissioners before the House com
mittee. He felt Inundated. He went there to
hear their argument; he came away disap-
pointed. There had been argument to sus-
tain Edmonds, West, BirHey and ME 100, VIM.
Is. Webb He was amazed when he heard
Mr.. Webbs statement of the case. He ad-
duced no argument He outlined his case
elaborated il to considerable degree. He said
that he had found chatting, contentious in the
board, when he entered Office, and wanted to
apply a remedy. He said there was scandal
connected with the board. The board OF trus-
tees was not the only body that had mani
1ested a want of harmony. He could have
Commissioners. About two years ago. they
remembered, one of the Commissioners be-