Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-24

y
that the people Of the District elect the
trustees; ana, gentlemen. when you get
down TO the bottom facts about II, that IS
the only one Of these propositions that has
any common sense in 1t. fApplause.)
4 see the gentleman from Ohio. Gen.
Keller. applauded that statement. / will
give him piece of advice and some infoT-
nation very suddenly. The gentleman has
a bill pending here now to do what have
introduced a bill in three Congresses to
accomplishing give these people local self
government. But You viii be a great deal
older than you are before you get that bill
passed. daughter and appiauset learned
much by experience. my friend from Ohio
will do likewise. I entered upon that cru
SADIE full of hope. but the longer / kept at
ii the more hope diminished, because the
people who rule public sentiment in this
city do not propose that that thing shall
happen-not IL they eaa prevent it.
Calls It woaa. Ruled City.
TT is commonly asserted that this is the
best-ruled city on the continent. / deny 1t.
1t is the worst-ruled city on the continent.
applause on the democratic side.> do not
criticise the Commissioners. They do the
best they can. no doubt. l inveigh against
an evil system, for any system Is bad that
deprives people Of their rights or relieves
them from their responsibilities as citi-
the District OF Columbia today, right under
the shadow OF the dome of the Capitol. is
the severest condemnation OF our entire
system of representative government that
human ingenuity could devise. If had my
way about 1t, I would put the people OF the
District a fat-footed equality, so far
as home rule is concerned, with the rest OF
the communities of the United States. and
they should work out their own salvation
with fear and trembling. daughter and
applause.) Give them back the right to
vote; compel them to levy and to collect
their own taxes and to disburse their own
revenues. Then their ideas of economy
will be much improved. Let them cease to
be wards of the nation. Let them wrestle
with the problems which influence their
prosperity and happiness. 1t is not always
a pleasant function to participate in public
affairs, but 1t is a th-gfving perform
ance nevertheless. If the Congress could
be induced to attend to its own business
and the people of the District could be in
duced to attend to theirs, we would all be
better off.
Duties Of the President.
$50 far as giving the President the right
to appoint these trustees is concerned, am
opposed to it. I think that he already has
duties enough to discharge. They are null
titudinous and multifarious. BY the
time he runs Congress Qaughter) and makes
100000 appointments, and lectures The man
with the muck rake and educates hus-
bands and wives as to their domestic rela-
tions. and roasts federal judges for mis-
carriages of justice-God knows they need
roasting-and establishes peace betwixt
warning nations, and policies the western
hemisphere, and attends to those other
things of which he seems to take supervis-
DRY interest, think he will have enough of
the white mans burdens on his shoulders
without assuming any more of them. Gap
plause and laughter.) L know that he is
a remarkable man. in the very flower of his
years; / recognize that he is a man of vast
energy, sort of human dynamo; but you
need not expect to have that sort of a man
In the White House forever and eternally.
Suppose you put a man in there next time
with only ordinary energy and ordinary
powers of endurance, and then load him
down with this new burden. 1t will be
decidedly unhealthy for him. We are legis-
lating for the average President and not on
the theory that we will have President
Roosevelt with us till the end of the world.
Teachers NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Excellent.
Il do not intend to criticise this present
school board. The gentleman from Ver-
mont says he has no personal interest in
the matter. l have. have boy and a girl
going to school, and, so far as have been
able to ascertain. the teachers are efficient.
the schools are most excellent, and my chill
dren have learned very rapidly, but evil
IDENTIFY there is something out Of Joint about
the administration OF the school affairs in
this District.
II do not know who Ia to blame in that
long-drawn-out controversy which they had
last summer. but / do know this, that to
have a controversy about whether q certain
man shall be superintendent Of one of those
schools drag along for four or FIVE months
in the newspapers every day is absolutely
ruinous in the end to the discipline of that
school, no matter who was right or who was
wrong In that case the pupils were against
the teacher In this last case that Is on the
boards now the teachers are against the
principal. / understand 1t by rumor-if the
gentleman from New York (Mr. Cockranl
will permit me to quote a rumor-I under
stand the fact to be that the boys in tho
Mckinley School, and the girls, too, as lar
as I know, are enthusiastically IN FAVOR Oh
that principal, whom eleven of the teachers
have asked to have thrown out of there.
The difficulty last summer could have been
settled In a week, and 1t ought to have been
settled In O week. This controversy about
the MCKINLEY School could be settled In a
week, and it ought to be settled In week;
and If the present system of appointing
trustees In this city does not get board
that will work out results IN reasonable
length of time then surely you ought 10
change the appointing power"
On motion OF Representative Gudger the
bill was amended to remove the limitation
as to the personnel Of the school board.
An amendment. offered by Representative
Madden. for publicity In all meetings of the
board OF education. was rejected
Selection Delegated to Court.
The Foster amendment. providing that the
members of the board of education be ap-
pointed by the District Supreme Court was
then adopted On this point Mr.. Gilbert of
Kentucky said:
This bill, in my judgment. Is clearly in
violation of the Constitution. We had pre-
cisely similar piece of legislation enacted
by the legislature Of Kentucky, comforting
upon the court of appeals of Kentucky au-
thority to appoint three commissioners ike
these. The court of appeals refused to eX-
ercise that function. refused to enforce that
piece OF legislation. and took the position
that under the Constitution you could not
thrust upon judicial tribunal any legisla-
tive or executive function. The Supreme
Court of the District of Columbia will say,
You are undertaking to load us up with GER
tain non-judiciaI duties, certain legislative
and executive functions, which do not har-
menize with the duties of the court. and we
will refuse to execute the statute
On Mr.. Fitzgerald's motion the provision
for a superintendent of buildings and sup
plies was stricken out.
At hak-past clock the House adjourned
without having completed consideration of