Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-21

b, l. u LooAL, IDIt u AN !
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| Brown. It detailed-tke work of the COM
mittee and of the Board of Trade in Sc
curing codifcati} p the laws of the
municipal code.
THE directors Il e Bar Association
have courteously a4eA to submit to that
| association" the r@ioH states, ANY sug-
gestions which maj approved by the
Board Of Trade. re tecesslty for an in
obvious. Laws which SO closely affect the
rights and interests of the citizen: which
impose penalties and prescribe duties.
| should be stabei aInifdfm and easily Access
sible The task is, hswever difficult and
| could only be accomplished In harmonious
| concert with the municipal authorities and
the Bar Association. The committee rec
| ommends that the board now take action
| and determine whether effort shall or shall
| not be made to secure the preparation and
| adoption of sucfDicodet
There has been referred to the commit
| tee the following resolution adopted by the
board at its meeting of February IT, 1904:
Whereas the code of laws for the Dis
| trict of Columbia requires juror to serve
two consecutive months. and also to serve
again within twelve months from date of
original service. therefore be it ...-
Resolved, That the committee on code
| be requested and authorized to have en-
acted an amendment reducing the term of
a Juror so serving shall be exempt from
jury duty for three years.
1.-The committee will submit this desired
amendment to Congress for adoption. but is
bound to report that the prospect of its pas
sage is remote. ,a
Promiscuous Use of Title.
"The attention of your committee has been
called to the use of the word university
in the titles of corporations organized in the
| corporation act where the organization has
no faculties is organized with a capital
stock and is carrying educational work
for profit. 1t has come to the attention of
your committee that this has been a subject
of severe criticism by educators in this
country and abroad. The District code. pro-
vldInS for the organization of corporations
has several subchapters; the first of these
provides for the organization of institutions
of learning, comforting upon such institu-
tons the power to grant academic degrees
In the first subchapter 1t is provided that
institutions of learning shall hold property
solely for the purpose of education and not
I for the individual benefit of themselves or
any contributor to the endowment fund.
In case pending before the Appellate Court
OF the District of Columbia the distinction
between institutions of higher learning and
those carrying on lower grades of work is
stated thus: ia tt't.-,. g.
The lower education when it is not given
by the state. or through some public agen-
cy or by some religious organizatio as a
matter of benevOlence. is usually left to in
dividuals to be conducted as a business:
while instruction in the higher branches of
human knowledge is generally disseminated
through those institutions of learning, pop
ularly known as such. which owe their
origin to public or private munifcence and
are established solely for the public good
and not for private gain. GU. S. ex rel Chi
cago Business College agt. Payne, 20 D. c.
Appeals, 606)' -
20 Intention of Congress
"It Is apparent that Congress, enacting the
code, intended to confine the granting of
academic degrees to, institutions carrying on
the higher learning, upon public and private
endowment without profit or gain to indi-
viduals and thus TO maintain a high stand
ard for such degrees in the District The
name university is associated with this
higher work .throug hou the world, and to
permit common use of it in educational
work of a lower grade, and especially for
private gain in the District, tends to de-
grade the name. Your committee therefore,
recommends that legislation be asked pro-
hibiting the use of the word university in
the title or name of any corporation organ
lied under the laws of the District or of any
corporation carrying on educational work
within the District which has a capital
stock or is organized for private profit or
gain. ~
There has been referred to this committee
the resolution of the board urging legsla-
ton TO prevent the Speculative. use of the
Incorporation law ofsthe District by persons
who were apparently engaged in creating
paper corporations Of all kinds and to meet
all possible future demands. An incorpora
ton under the code, being advertised as
existing under federal law, gave value to
these paper concerns which creation under
state law would not apparently furnish.
Your committee took up the subject active
ly before the District committee of each
De-. -, H. l. 80
special message to Congress, and as the re-
suit Congress has recently passed an act
which puts efectual stop to this reprehen-
sible business.
"a general incorporation bill has been
framed by the commissioner of corporations
in the Department of Commerce and Labor
and is pending in the District committee of
each house.
Discussion of Report.
Mr.. Clepbane moved and the motion was
adopted, that the part of the report re-
ferring to universities be not made to apply
to universities that have been incorporated
in the past so that it should not be re-
froactive.
DR.. Custis suggested that this committee
should take into consideration the bill
pending in Congress giving George Wash
ington University power to charter other
institutions of learning. That, he said, was
power 1t should not have. He spoke of
experiences in the District in the past with
bogus medical institutions. and said, while
he is friendly to the George Washington
University and believed in its present board
of trustees, he does not wish to trust such
power to trustees of the future.
Mr.. SiddonS said 1t seemed from the ex-
PLANTATION of the bill, as made by DIR. Curtis.
the George Washington University is look
ing to the establishment of a trust in edu-
cational institutions.
Mr.. Edison, trustee of the university,
said this legislation was merely in line
with power given oxford University in
England, and Mr.. Clephane said the propO-
sition made in the proposed legislation
merely allows colleges that desire to affili-
ate with George Washington University to
incorporate. although the diplomas of such
colleges are conferred by the university.
The question of the ACCESSIBILITY of the pro-
posed legislation for the George Washing
ton University was referred to the commit
tee on universities instead of to the commit
tee on the code. as desired by Mr.. DuStis
Taxation and Assessment.
The report Of the committee on taxation
and assessment brought out a lively dis
cusson over the proposition of the commit
tee to return to the rate of 81 per 500 of
valuation on agricultural land in the Dis
trict of Columbia.
The committee report stated that: 1.-The