Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-03
An Un-American Departure.

An Un-American Departure.
The declaration of the Senate subcom-
mittee on District schools that there will
be no health in the local school system
until the control of it is taken entirely
from the municipality and the people and
placed in the hands of some one with no
local faint. "a man entirely outside of
and in nowise amenable to any of the
local conditions or traditions is an unde-
served slur upon the District Commission
ers and the community.
The civilian District Commissioners are
Washington's municipal representatives
They must be permanent bona fide resi-
dents for three years Immediately proceed
ing appointment. They are selected and
appointed by the President and confirmed
by the Senate. Their administration is
reputed to be clean and honest. They are
not embarrassed by the demands or
threats of the political boss. the exigencies
of ward politics. the curse of political
graft. BY custom one of the civilian
Commissioners is republican, the other
"A democrat, and the Engineer Commits
sioner is an army officer, theoretically
neutral in politics. The evil of politics
is most unlikely to creep into school man.
agement under the Commissioners.
The commissioner of education is
national officer. appointed at the pleasure
of the President If he is endowed with
rich patronage in his own right there is
nothing to prevent him from becoming
political official. now republican. now
democrat with the changing of admins
trations. and using teacherships as parti-
sal material through manipulation of the
director whom he. solely and absolutely,
viii control.
The subcommittee declares that if the
Commissioners were called upon to ap-
point the director of schools they would
at once have precipitated upon them all
the factionaI strife and local political
prejCdices that has heretofore been
so detrimental to school interests" The
Commissioners are far better equipped to
harmonic or to beat down local faction
alism than some national official. lacking
all knowledge of local conditions, who is
sure to be captured by some faction or
other and used AS mere tool to his own
and the community's injury. as DR.. Chan
cellor admitted was his experience.
The Commissioners are the natural APP
as they are in respect to police, firemen.
health officers. library trustees and all
other municipal officials. If they aresun-
fit to appoint school superintendent,
they ere unfit to appoint the men to con-
troll any other important municipal func-
ton If they are unfit to appoint their
natural subordinates and lieutenants. they
are unfit to hold Office. and should be re-
CHI clr
Commissioners by this display Of lack of
confidence, unless it has (Which it has
mott proof of unfitness on their part; and
possession of this proof should mean, not
piecemeal disintegration of the powers of
the municipal government, but removal
of the unfit Commissioners and the SUBJ
stitution Of others to whom the natural
powers of the office may safely be en-
trusted. 1t is not commended by anybody
in or out of Congress. except by this
offensive indirection. that the Commits
sioners are unfit and unworthy of con-
fidence.
This is a singularly unpropitious time
for the Senate to select to remove any
function of the local government from
municipal to national control. The COM
munity is unusually sensitive over it's un-
American condition-360,O 900 Americans
without representation in Congress, their
municipal, state and national legislature.
Pacified in the past by Ii representation
that irrespective of forms local public
sentiment had control in the shaping of
legislation, the citizens now witness with
extreme disquiet the Senate committee
thus deliberately taking the schools,
which SO closely touch every home in the
District, and saying in respect to their
control that local sentiment shall have
no force or influence; that the local COM
munity-comprising parents, teachers and
municipal officials-is not to be trust d
and that despotic control must be given to
a national political official whose merit
is that he is entirely outside of and in
nowise amenable to any of the local con-
ditions or traditions"
While many of the local residents are
impatient at the small degree of con-
sideration paid to local public sentiment
in the handling of local affairs, and are
clamoring for the voting privilege in re-
spect TO this or that question of local in
terest. the Senate District committee de-
liberately robs the municipality of one OF
the most important of it's local functions
and turns it over to national and despotic
control.
1t is hard to see how any democrat can
vote for such a proposition. 1t is equally
hard to see how any republican can vote
for It, And. indeed, for any American to
yot,. for il should be imDosSihle