Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-15
GIVES HIS VIEWS
FOR PUBLICATION
DR.. Chancellor Tells of the
School Situation
IN A PATERSON NEWSPAPER
Will Be Examined in Reference to
the Statements.
PART OF THE PENDING TRIAL
cts Bedlam Board" superintend-
ent Says of Body Sitting in
Judgment of His Acts.

| 1t Is Sa1d is from the Paterson N j.
Call. giving an interview with DR.. William
E. Chancellor, superintendent of public in
| struction, in regard to the charges on
which he is now being tried. 1t is ex-
pected that Dr.. Chancellor will be con-
fronted with the article when he appears
before the board in his own behlaf, and
will be asked in reference to the state
ments credited to him.
| The article begins:
| washington, November 23-It's a bed
lam board. 1t will probably remove me
unless Congress abolishes the board first,
is the way William e. Chancellor, super
intendent of schools of this city, summed
up his fight with the Washington board
of education in an interview with cor
respondent
After mention of the trial, then about
| to begin, the article continues: 'In his
general charges Mr.. Chancellor accuses
the board of having held secret caucuses
and meetings contrary to law; Of having
| traded votes in matters concerning the
white and colored schools; Of having made
tool of P. Nj. Hughes. board employe,
| by inducing him to sign his name as su-
| perintendent Of documents, for which the
superintendent's signature could not be
secured; of unlawfully promoting an as
sistant superintendent without the rec
ommendation of the superintendent; Of
| changing minutes of a former board and
| of having formulated a document demand
! ing the superintendents resignation at
secret meeting that was Illegally held"
Saws Situation Is Almost Incredible.
The article newt has to do with the
counter-charges of DR.. Chancellor. which
were filed with the justices of the District
Supreme Court, and refers specifically to
| those against Prof. Evermann and Mr..
Horner. Then, quoting DR.. Chancellor, it
continues: =
washington has probably the worst
conditions in its public schools of any city
in the country" Mr.. Chancellor asserted.
when called on him at his home last
night Things I could tell you about
the schools are almost Incredible. The Ord
board of education was abolished because
of the immortality prevailing and OF scan,
dals that had arisen. Since have been
here, have made some changes. but what
have done was only beginning OF what
should be done and what will be done II !
have a chance. Last year l had to SEND
my own daughter to private school be-
cause there wasn't room for her In the
high school. In one of our high schools
there are 226 seats for 724 pupils. In the
elementary schools conditions are worse.
| Children are crowded in. almost piled In
| IN
| rooms of saloons and all sorts of holes
! and corners, and still the children in many
| Of the lower grades are on half time
| Then. to cap the climax, we have gang
| of helots. incapable not only OF remedy
ing these disgraceful conditions, but even
| of understanding that they are disgrace
| full in charge of the school government,
with the legislative powers vested IN
Congress made up of non-residents, many
| Of whom know nothing OF the conoltlohS
here, and care less.
! Reference to Evermann.
The makeup of the present board of
education is next considered in the article,
| and it also mentions DR.. Chancellor's trip
to southern schools. the expense of which
the District paid. 1t continues:
1.-The member of the board with whom
| Chancellor has had the most trouble Is
| Evermann a clerk employed in the govern
ment fisheries bureau. Shortly after
| Chancellor's arrival here there was some
| thing of scandal over the remova' OF
| female teacher. Chancellor says that
Evermann had much to do with instlgatlng
/ the woman's removal. There was lot of
| indignation caused over the teachers re-
| moval, and Evermann, when ne round now
| things were going, seems to nave sHd
| from under and placed the whole respon-
sibility on Chancellor's shoulders. Cnan-
| cellor SAYS now that he believes great
| Injustice was done this woman, and that
| Evermann was responsible for It, Since
| this incident there has been a feud De-
| tween the two men,.
| The article sets forth that matters came
| to a climax when Dr. Chancellor put into
effect a new course of study-German and
Latin courses in the seventh and elghtn
| grades. Then the article taxes up the
charges and outlines each in detail
| So far as what DR.. Chanceiior sdld' the
article is as follows:
| "'TIl tell you anything you want TO
| know Mr. Chancellor said when called
| at his home to ask him about the charges,
but il tell you the whole story there
| will be a lot of 1t that you can prlnt' pe-
| cause it is unprintable.'
All the Crimes in the Calendar.
| "The charges" DR.. Chancellor said.
Well, they've got me charged with
| about all the crimes in the calendar. If
they have left any out it's only because
| they did not think of them. 1 am not
worrying about their charges, although
they will probably remove me If Con-
gress doesn't meet and abolish the
board before they get a chance. I have
assurances of support from all the
members of the Senate District COM
mittee who are in town, and within the
last two days three represent tatives
have offered to introduce any sort of a
bill want as soon as Congress meets
Il
the schools Of this city. and whether
they throw me out or not, I'm going to
stay right here until it's over. Two OF
the members of the Paterson board Of
education I was under are in the peni,
tentiary, and some of these people will
do some tall squirming before I get
through with them / am not worrying
II / have now two university lecture
appointments. and last year I collected
royalties on sales Of over seven hun
dred thousand of the twenty-four books
have published. so you can see they
won't scare me off or stop me by cut
ting off my salary here"
After declaring that Chancellor denied
the charge that he had stirred up sedi-
ton, the article quotes him as follows
There really is little use for a boart
of education in this CITY," Mr.. Chancello
said. cit has practically no authority
The building and repairing of schoo
houses is under the control of a com
mission appointed by Congress. All .th'
supplies are purchased by the Dis
trict Commissioners. all the bills ant
| Continued on Fifth Page.)