Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-25
OPPOSED TO 4 CHANGE
Local Views on Selecting Board
Of Education.
IT is A DISTRICT AFFAIR
Proposed Appointment by the
Court.
CAUSE OF DISSATISFACTION
Opinions Of Citizens Expressed to the
Committee Conducting Inquiry
Into the Schools.

tives in amending the school bill so as to
place the appointments of members of the
board of education in the hands of the Dis
trict Supreme Court has been received with
general dissatisfaction. The action of the
House was taken In the face of the almost
unanimous opinion of witnesses who APP
peared before the school board that the APP
pointing power should be left in the hands
OF the Commissioners. Representative Nor
feH called attention to this fact, stating
that in the face of the general opposition to
achange In this respect the committee could
DO nothing but leave things as they were
In view of the action of the House the
following extracts from the statements of
witnesses before the school committee. which
prepared the bill, may be of interest:
No Reason for the Change.
Evan H. Tucker. president Northeast
washington Citizens Observation-Disclosures
principal proposition Is the one that has
Deeh spoken OF by the Commissioner that
the schooi system shall be taken out of the
hahos or the Commissioners. That we will
nave to oppose; I belleve all the eitizens on
poss lhal- we have always felt that the
pupHc schools have been spIendidly handled
oy Inc Commissioners with the assistance
ol tne board OF trustees and the board Of
eoucauon. and we cannot see any reason
at all why the public schools Of the D;strin.
oI Soiumbla should be taken ont of the
Iahos OF the Commissioners In fact We
rnIa, al OF these municipal affairs like the
ponce department and the fire denartmant
ana the schools. should be under tha Gn,,,N
mlssloners properly"
Should Be Under Local Control
Mr.. Kelly Miller, representing On .
ciation of eolored citizens. the civil c1,,t
said: Nific oiuo'
III reference to the
the school system, there are but two rad
icai features, as we see it, In the pronosed
ieeisiation, and one is that the annotpt
ment OF that board of education should he
aaken out from the hands of the local gov
eminent, the Commissioners ana nI5oaa
In the hands Of the President az tba
United states; and the other is that sew
eral Diils propose themselves to regulate
tne internal technical details of the school
system instead of leaving such regulation
TO Inc educational expert of the board of
education, who Is the SUPERINTENDENT We
feel that both of these provisions are un
Wise that 1t would be very unWise TO
change the appointment of the school
BOARD from the Commissioners to the
hands OF the President We believe this
Tor several reasons. The school system
is one OF the features of the local govern
ment that interests every family in the
District, and it ought to be under local
mana cement and supervision and direction
as Tar as 1t is possible to do so. + think
the Commissioners are equally certain to
appoint as competent men and women as
1T Is possible to select for this service
The Commissioners know the local ma
terial here better than it is possible for
the President to know 1t. The Commits
sioners are in way responsible to the
local sentiment, which the President Is
not, and I believe that the Commissioners
are just as competent to give this COM
munity high-grade men and women in
these positions as it is possible for the
President to do. The President might just
well appoint the police officers or take
charge of any other feature Of our govern
ment to take charge of our public
school system. There is a spirit in the
District of Columbia that there should be
a larger local government than we have
at present. The President already appoints
the Commissioners of the District, and in
a sense the appointees Of the Commission
ers may be regarded the appointees of
the President, and what is the necessity
of his taking this function-the public
schools, the largest part or the local gov
ernment-out of the hands of the Com
missioners?"
Leave It to Commissioners.
DIR. A. p Pardon chairman of the COM
mittee on public schools of the Washington
Board of Trade:
s'These bills, speaking for the Board of
Trade, some propose that the appointment
of trustees shall be made by the Commits
sioners. some by the President of the
United States and confirmed by Congress,
and Still dn0thef Dill, i tllnk, provinces
they shall be appointed by the Supreme
Court of the District of Columbia. 1t Is
immaterfal where those appointments are
made, undoubtedly any one of the three
methods would result in the selection of
board that would be efficient and an honor
to the duties they would perform, but l
think 1T would be perfectly safe to leave
1t in the hands of the Commissioners of
the District.
'sThe Commissioners represent the local
people of the District of Columbia, they
come in closer contact with the people with
the teachers and scholars than these 9TH
ers, to whom 1t is proposed to give this
power, would come.
81 would like to make some remarks in
regard to the Foster bill In this bill the
members shall be appointed by the Presi-
dent of the United States. /. like num-
Der of others, think 1t far better to leave
1t with the Commissioners OF the District
of Columbia"
No Necessity for Change.
Mr. George ]. yesterday said:
Il understood you contemplate some
change in the public school system. and
want to state that I do not see the neces-
sity of any change. except In giving an in
crease In salaries to teachers. which con-
slider important. as the teachers are under
paid That is all wish to state. I do not
want to go into detail in anything. l sim
ply want to go record as fayoring In |
crease in the salaries of the teachers"
Mr. Willard Fillmore Thompson: ''rne |
consensus Of opinion that we want no
change in our school system The Bah |
cock bill, the same the Commissioner |
bill, meets our requirements and We urge |
rs passage"
Commissioners Best Qualified.
William G. Henderson: There are pro- |
visions In several of the bills to which |
see very strong objection. In the first |
place. in all the bills except what is known |
as the Commissioners bill. and sometimes |
as the Babcock bill, introduced by the
chairman OF this committee. provision is |
made for the appointment of the members |
o. the board of education by the President.
To that | am opposed. /. like all other |
good citizens OF this country. have every
confidence in the President of the United |
States, whoever he may be. because he is |
elected by the will of the people of the en-
tire country and Is worthy of confidence.
/ think, however. that In the selection OF
the members of this board for local govern
ment Of our schools the power should be
lodged with individuals or with commits
sion who are in direct touch with the pee-
pie of this particular community or District |
day In and day out throughout all the year. /
We are governed. as II were, by a board /
OF Commissioners consisting OF three.