Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-04-25
4 TRIUMPH OF PETTY SPITE

Chairman Paxson of the special sub-commit.
tee investigating school conditions is to be con.
graduated on the skill, the ease and the dexter
ity with which the entire investigation has been
conducted to bring out a onesided, oneman re-
port twisted to the ends that the chairman
wished to serve
There was never doubt from the moment
hecemmittee began it's work that the report was
to be biased, partial and unfair. The committee
held no general public hearings, called just what
Witnesses it wished to hear in order to get pref
indeed evidence, burTowed and nosed and delved
ID devious ways to secure statements that would
help to make out a case a55linst superintendent
W T. Pope and Principal Edgar Wood of the
Normal School sf
The one thing Chairman Paxson did openly
was to advertise that the committee was pre-
pared to, listen to behind the-back evidence.
Otherwisa.the work of the committee vas done
il the dark As matter of fact, it is very evil
dent that Mr.. Paxson really constituted the COM
Ikittee, and the Star Bullefin is informed by a
confidant of the eminent chairman that Paxson
wrote virtually the whole report and some of the
members did not know specifically what it con-
tained e5;ctNs
The Star Bulletin said weeks ago that the
committees methods were discrediting its work
and would discredit its report, and the statement
was not exaggerated The report submitted to
house and senate is full of inaccuracies that look
suspiciously like intentional misstatements.
One instance will suffice The committee lis Of
the opinion" that Miss Eta Davis. for whom it
takes up the cudgels, was not Informed that she
would be required to- teach & gfade work un'
til the actual converting of the school year. This
Aopinion" is given by the committee although
the committee had the statements of three mem
bers Of the department that Miss Davis had been
Informed long before by Commissioner Wilcox
bf what work she was to do. These statements
we're made before the committee but apparently
overlooked. when Mr.. Paxson came to write the
report for Commissioners Wilcox's declaration
is not even referred to.
This instance above is mentioned not because
Il is particularly important, for the petty SQUAD
bling of some discharged teachers has been
flrashed out dd nd,iseam in the past, but because
it shows the level Of the committees inyestiga
tons and the level of its report.
The investigation was carried on in the dark
the report was showed in on the house and senate
at the busy end of a handwriting session, and
was perforee accepted,
And Representative Paxson now has made
good his campaign boast about what he was go
ing to do to the department of education. For
this he is to be-eongratulated.
The amazing thing about this report is that it
contains so little constructive criticism, so much
petty spite and amateur observations on educa-
fional subjects. And another amazing thing is
that the report should have been 'put over on
several fair-minded and intelligent committee
members. The only explanation fors this latter
fact is that they have been too busy on other
matters to pay particular attention to this, and
that is inst what Chairman Paxson was able to
count on. -.