Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-08

in charge Of presidential appointee. There
must be either unlimited popular control or
no local control at all
The publication OF this article brings once
more to notice the persistent efforts Of GER
tain backbiters to blacken the reputation OF
Washingtonians and OF Washington. to rep
resent it as an abnormal community, IRA
tional, unprincipled and devoid Of civic
spirit. DIR. Butler IL an old offender In TINS
respect. Nearly seven years ago he poured
the Walls of his wrath upon the defenseies<
capital because 1t saw At to take issue with
the educational methods of the then super
intendent of schools. his personal friend.
He called the District a community OF bar
barans Now he Is at work again, either
with his own pen or that of another, seek
ing to demonstrate that the federal city Is
unfit to have charge of it's schools, through
board of education. unless 1t is carefully
educated to the exercise of the suffrage by
a process of presidential school admins
tration.
DR.. Butler is beyond the reach of the
just Indignation of the slandered citizens OF
Washington. But DIR. Chancellor, who ac-
knowledges that he participated in the
preparation of this latest indictment drawn
by DIR. Butler. is an officer of the District
and is open to the admonition that 1t Ill
becomes a public official to aid and abet in
the PRONUNCIATION of caluInny upon the
community in whose service he is en-
ployed
The Star does not undertake to discuss
in detail the accusations and innuendoes
contained in the article in question. 1t
brands them sweepingly as false. They are
the echoes of the defamatory utterances of
al s.,bn coll pio a va
been accepted by Dr. Chancellor as the voice
of public opinion and of the truth Washing
ton is not misgoverned; on the contrary, it's
municipal government Is conspicuously
Clean honest and efficient
Its people are not degenerates. corrupt,
selfish. factious. lacking honor among the
younger men and lacking civic spirit among
all men. Among all American cities its
standards of intelligence and of morals are
notably high. The record of achievements
of public-spirited Washingtonians in the
physical. intellectual and moral upbuild-
Ing of the National Capitalize city of the
nation the city Of its people. the city
of which We are all 50 prOud-is too long
for present reproduction. Nor is 1t neces-
sary for the enlightenment of readers of
The Star. The facts are known in Washing
ton. however obscured they may be in Pat
erson or In Columbia University. New
York. 1t is not meant that there are no
local residents of whom Washington is
ashamed. This community repudiates with
disgust the filthy birds infesting 1t. which
habitualiy befoul their own nest. 1t Is not
meant that perfection has been attained
either in the schools or in any other
branch of municipal growth. Betterments
possible, and the community p a
whole through the Commissioners and
ether local officials. citizens organizations
and the newspapers. has been and Is now
earnestly and conscientiously striving to
cure them in the public interest.
DIR. Chancellor. In consultation with DIR.
Butler. has incorrectly diagnosed both the
his misfit remedies are posons to the pa
tient. In respect to the schools he has
been woefully misled as to the character
and extent of the ailments which he I'M
dertakes to treat. He has from thee first
msconceived local conditions, public Opin-
ion and congressional intent AS conse-
quence he has been in almost constant fric
ton with the community. this city SEEM
ing to him to be a most refractory, I'M
reasonable and cantankerous patient. He
has warped the new school law so far
from its benevolent purpose that instead Of
blessing the teachers and community, as
intended. it has been a curse. Washington
will hope that DR.. Chancellor may admit
a mistake in diagnosis, and make a radical
change in treatment. The public conviction
is growing stronger every day that either
a change of treatment a change in ply
sicians is inevitable.