Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-04-02
Washington's Public Schools. .

In their able report upon the Peters bill
Hid not confne themselves to the directly
pertinent considerations which make so
logical and SO powerful an argument for
the appointment of a school board or a
Girector of education by the District COM
nissioners instead of by the District Su-
preme Court or by any other appointing
power whatsoever. Very many Washing
tonians, including The Star. have from
the beginning vigorously expressed the
opinion that this power of appointment
should never in the interest of the Dis
trict have been taken from the Commits
Eioners, and TO them the argument for
that opinion is convincing and conclu-
eive.
Ii was not necessary, however, and 1t
tends to local injury for the Commits
kioners To raise in this connection the
question whether Congress, at the in
stance Of Jealous and persuasive board
OF education, with the assistance or as
sent of previous Commissioners. has ap-
propriated too large percentage of the
focal revenues for public education, in
the effort To make up accumulated ar
rearages of neglected school building
md to maintain creditably expensive
dual system of white and colored schools.
If the power OF appointment in this mat
ter is restored to the Commissioners 1t
should be for the reasons with which the
community is familiar, most of which are
well stated in the Commissioners report
on the Peters bill, and not at all on the
ground that the board Of education has
persuaded Congress to appropriate too
much money on the half and-half basis
for building public schools and paying
teachers i'll Washington.
The interpolated argument on this point
In the Commissioners report is unjust and
hurtful to Washington in another way.
BY its wording it tends to concede what
Washingtonfans have heretofore resisted
with reason and with all their might,
that in comparing Washingtonians' taxes
with those of Americans in other cities
the state taxes paid by the latter fairly
enter into the comparison. In measuring
CITY tax burdens to ascertain whether the
Washingtonian is or is not reasonably
taxed the figures Of the census bulletin
giving the statistics of 15s American cities
exceeding 10000 in population are used.
These figures for cities with which Wash
lngtons taxes are compared include tax
levies not only by the city corporation,
but by school districts and all divisions
of city government and include not only
general property taxes real and per-
eonaD, but special property taxes and poll
taxes.
The suggestion that state taxes paid by
other Americans and not paid by the
Washingtonian should enter into the CAL
cuation and comparison is unsound and
unjust. Why should Washington, enjoy
ing none of the rights and privileges of
burse funds of it's own raising for its own
benefit, not associated in bonds of state
hood interest and sympathy with thou
sands of other Americans spread over a
larger area and joint contributors in the
common interest TO tax fund TO be
spent in this larger area in developing
and upholding the honor, dignity and
credit of an American commonwealth, be
viewed as properly chargeable with the
expenses incident TO the enjoyment of
these rights and privileges? Why should
not the contributions OF state citizens
for benefits and privileges which the
Washngtonian does not enDy be elm
mated in fair comparison of tax bur-
dens and per capita tax levies?
When Washington is part of a state
and enjoys the expenditure within it of
thousands of state citizens outside of its
limits contribute il will be time to per-
nit state taxation TO enter into its COM
parative per capita tax figures. Munich
pal taxation, state taxation and national
taxation must logically and fairly be
compared separately in the different
cities. Municipal per capita figures of the
census bulletin are, therefore, properly
compared unaffected by consideration of
either state or national (as. for instance.
internal revenue) tax burdens.
II is desirable that the commissioners
should regain control of the school ad-
ADMINISTRATION without committing them
selves in advance an opinion and policy
which may compel them To refrain from
erecting needed school buildings or TO cut
down the salaries of not overpaid teach
ers; and without committing themselves
To theory of municipal tax figure cam
parison which. by including state taxation
In the ulation. tends unfairly to suS-
aest that the Washnstonian is under
taxed i'll comparison with the citizens oil
other American municipalities.