Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-24
CHANCELLOR TALKS
School Superintendent Dis
cusses Court Decision.
RAISES COLOR QUESTION
Predicts the immigration of 100000
Negroes.
ANONYMOUS LETTER CHARGE
Revives the Accusation Against Car
dozo That He Once Withdrew
From the Case.
lNONYMOUS LETTER CHARGE

In the Washington Times yesterday ap-
peared an interview with Dr. William E.
Chancellor, superintendent of the District
public schools, in terms which will be GER
tain to afford text for widespread discus
sion. In this interview DIR. Chancellor ex-
presses his low opinion of the action OF the
District Supreme Court in ordering the re-
instat ement of Francis l.. Cardozo, whom
the board of education dismissed without
trial. and declares that this interference In
school administration destroys the power
of the board and the superintendent
The interview is herewith reproduced IN
full:
It's difficult to say who's going to con-
troll school affairs in Washington now-the
courts. Congress or the board of education.
1t really appears that in future our school
system is to be run by the teachers 'hem-
Selves upheld by the courts. ,..-
annuity They can't be discharged nor
suspended. They are in abso ute controi
1t is now practically useless for me 10 issue
orders because l can't enforce obedlenCe.
II was in this manner that DR.. Chancellor
of the local school system
summed up the situation as developed SINCE
the Supreme Court yesterday declared ne
gal the dismissal of Francis L. CaTdozo, the
deposed supervising princlpa! OF inc III
teenth division of the colored schools' rhe
decision being delivered by Justice amer
son. who directed that a writ of mandamus
be issued against the board Of education
compelling the reinstatement OF Cafoozo'
Reinstatement Sure.
When seen by Times representative al
his home last night DR.. Chancellor sad:
Yes Cordozo will have to be reinstated.
There is nothing else to do In the face OF
the decision rendered. There Is also nothlhg
in the theory that he can be suspended
after being reinstated. pending formal IN.
vestieatio1 of the charges against him. All
the investigation possible has been had ana
there is no authority for his SUSPENSION.
In fact it appears" he continued. that
we have no authority IN the premises at all.
Unless Congress changes the act regulating
the Washington school system. l and the
board Of education have practically no voice
in its management The courts have taken
the matter in charge. / have not read the
decision in its entirely but must say 1t Is
Very far reaching.
II understand that it has been decided
that Cardozo was both an officer and a
teacher 1t is just as reasonable 70 say
that an animal is both an animal and
fowl or that a business man who comes
home late at night and reviews his boys
lesson is school teacher.
Not Much Teaching.
LAS to the statement made that Cardozo
devoted only about an hour a day to official
duties and the balance in teaching-it is
simply absurd. 1t is just the reverse. Car
dozo could not attend to the duties of his
office unless he remained in it the major
portion of his time. He might occasionally
hear a lesson he paused in his rounds,
just as / do.
He was an officer recognized as such and
I W q n
order for him to receive both an officer and
a teachers pay. According to this ruling,
when 1 visit school 1 become a principal.
when in class room l am teacher, and If
| converse with pupil become pupil.
You may say that before going south
| visited ninety-one school buildings in
and in only one of them did I
find the supervising principal teaching
class.
But. regarding the merits of the case
and of the man, Cardozo is primarily not
fit, for the position. He admitted to me
That he had criticised his superior. and,
anonymous letters he said that the senti-
ments expressed In them were his, and that
the handwriting was similar to his. The
writing of an anonymous letter of this
character is to my mind in itself sufficient
cause for the dismissal of its author
Cardozo Not Fit.
"Cardozo is not suitable for q principal
Of schools. There Is no one to my mind
more despicable than person who would
write anonymous letters. The board took
a similar view of the matter. or the ma
ority did, and Cardozos dismissal resulted.
1T is of interest to note here also that
the colored members of the board We're
opposed to CardoZo. The coored people
Of Washington do not want him. If the
court sees fit to uphold persons of this
character, 1t is to be regretted that they
have to be foisted upon the teachers OF the
city who should have the advantages in our
schools of better direction.
There is now no central power. There
is not an equal of the Washington school
system anywhere in the weakness of its
machinery. Standing paramount is the
color question. If that question could be
settled satisfactorily here in Washington,
the same solution would be adaptable to
every section of the United States.
The Color Question.
THE color question figures in everything
the great desire on the part of many in
to show the colored man that he
can get his legal rights in Washington
Had CardoZo been white there would not
have been all this furore about his dis
missal. A white man would never have
been reinstated. A great deal of this ac-
tivity and strife ! attribute to certain news
paper influences in the city.
1T really would not surprise me in con-
of this last overture to the COL
ored man If there should be an influx of
100, eco colored people to Washington. 1t is
verify mecca for the race.
But, speaking of this feature" spoke
DR.. Chancellor in a most serious vein II
think it is high time that some attention
should be paid to the interests of the COL
ored parents and the colored children of
Washington and not SO much to Cardozo
and others of his ilk The colored peo-
pie want and deserve good teachers. They
don't want CordoZo. His reinstatement
does not crafty Them
The Lang Letters.
DIR. Chancellor spoke of the fact that one
of the local papers, in referring to this
case, reproduced letter he had received
from Ossian Lang, in October last, compli-
menting Cardozo and deploring his dis
missal
But said he this paper did not do us
the justice to print an editorial in Mr.
Langs newspaper, in which after learning
of Cordozo's alleged anonymous letters and
misconduct, he retracted his letter of mild
censure and fully agreed with US in sup
porting the action of the board. Cardozo's
whole scheme was to force Superintendent
Montgomery out of office, so that he Cor
dozo) might profit thereby
DR.. Chancellor stated that he did not
know what bearing Justice Anderson's de-
cision would have on other cases affecting
similar dismissals.
THE decision directs that we shall afford
nd nth q ria hnf