New-York tribune., 1903-03-05
Mr.. SKINNER AND Mr.. AINswoRrH.

Tho Discussion of the educational issue oeIore
tbo Senste committee at Albany last TUESDAY
did not perhaps directly shed food OF hsh'
On the Brown bill, which was nomlnaly the
subject of debate, but 1t can hardly IAN to
strengthen the prevalent belief that the De-
partment Of Public instruction is getuhg over
head and ears in politics. To start "lrn' Sups'-
intendent Skinner and his deputy, MT Alne-
worth. appeared, for the first time we neheEe
as ardent supporters of Senator Browns scheme
te create a board of education within the Boaro
of Regents, which would have the effect and
very imperfectly conceal the design, OF III
eressin9 and preionging the present partial SUD-
iac+ion of the schools to political influences. 10
he entirely frank that intention appears IN the
first section of Mr. Browns BILL providing tnat
+be neu hoard of education shall be eIecteo Oy
the legislature of 1905-that is to say Dy the
legislature elected in 1904, Presidential year.
when it is fortunately probable that the people
will express their preference for State gov
ernment Republican in all its branches 1hdt
is a hit of calculation which, reasonable as II
is and cheering on general grounds, Mr.. Brown
himself will hesitate to cite as PROOF OF MS
determination to take the schools out OF poll
tics; nor. we think, is such profession sup
ported by other provisions of his bill which we
do not care to discuss just now.
The real interest Of Tuesdays proceedlngs
Law in the naive and rather amusing, though
not altogether deeorous, exhibition OF aninesity
! toward the Regents, and all who are actively
on their side Of the present controversy, ID
which Mr.. Skinner and Mr.. AinswoFth indulged.
Mr. Skinner, in particular. seems to think that
he is an object of scandalous vituperauon.
Now. he NAV have scrutinized even more close
IL than we have the almost unanimous demand
of educational bodies and the public press that
tho school system should be unified under the
| Regents but so far as we have observed, he
! has been let of pretty easily, considering hls
| own extremely tart contributions to the DEBATE
The Tribune, at least, as ne must be aware, mas
treated him with wellnigh extravagant respect
and our strong impression is that our example
| has been generally initiated. At all events, SO
long as nobody calls him hypothenuse or an
| isosceIes triangle Mr.. Skinner, who takes
broad view of controversial proprieties when he
himself has caught the Speakers eye, ought not
to complain.
AS for Mr.. AinswOrth, some allowance must
be made for the fact that he has been IN bad
school for several years, but he really can't al
ford to be so careless. Here he is talking ABOUT
Mr. Depew and Mr. McKelway and Mf. Reid
and Mr.. Lord and Mr. Fitch and Mr.. Smith as
if il were somehow disgraceful that they should
prehend that there are some men who are glad
to serve their fellow citizens to the best Of their
ability in an Office to which there is no salary
attached when the legislature of their State
invites them to do it? He says they are
all politicians But because they may think
that within fits proper sphere, an interest IN
and attention to public affairs, politics is an
honorable pursuit, indeed, sbout the highest
pursuit man can engage In, does it neces-
sariIy follow that they want or could De per-
suaded to carry politics into their administra-
tion of the schools? Or is Mr.. Ainsworth IN
able to see the difference between politicians
of their sort and the men who make living
by it, seem incapable Of making living with
out it, and keep soliciting their friends to op-
pose this bill or favor that one because their
hold on the public treasury may depend on it?
To suggest a sort Of an analogy, there is Mr..
AinsYorth himself. In most OF the affairs or
life he is said to be intelligent fair minded, dis
Greet and amiable. But he doesn't take those
qualities with him when he goes to attend
meeting of the Committee on Public Education.
For more than a century the successive
Regents of the University have shown that they
were resolved and able, in that capacity, to
drop politics completely. During their brief
tenure Mr. Skinner and Mr.. Afnsworth have
shown that politics is their first thought and
chief reliance In all their efforts to retain their
power and pay. It is natural enough, we dare
say: and that is the curse of the system they
represent.