The Washington times., 1913-01-07
|PI, ANS TO FIGHT
FOR SCHOOL, s. USE
Chairman M l. Weller Hopes to House Visiting Military
Organizations at Inauguration in PUBLIC Educa-
tiona Institutions.

Chairman NJ. /. Weller, of the public
comfort committee. Is still determines
to push his plan to ask Congress ioi
! the use of school buildings as barracks
during inaugural week, despite grow
ing opposition. He declared today tnat
this request had never been made pre-
viously to Congress, and that once De
fore when the Board of Education was
not in a receptive mood, the petltloh
was abandoned Immediately.
The legislative committee in framing
resolutions for presentation to Congress
took no action on the subject or re-
ouesting the use of schools for the
visiting military organizations, but Mr..
Weller is arranging the details OF MS
proposition so that the general lnaus-
ural committee may consider II at 'ne
Thursday morning meeting.
Mr. Weller feels that his plan Is tne
the most available one. and that II ls
practically the only way in wnicn ms
committee can accommodate all the
troops. u,.,- col
Il want to say that the citizen sol,
diers of this country are gentlemen anu u
would not deface the school buildinss.
said Mr. Welled this afternoon. urtn
ermore charges that these puiloinss
were defaced previously when the u A.
r. used them were groundless. lnves-
tigation showed that some OF the Walls
had been marked with shocking IN
scriptions by pupils in the schools ana
not by the veterans"
Calls It a "Rider."
Mr.. Weller declared that the act OF
March 3, 1898 forbidding the use OF
purposes was a rider on an appropria-
ton bill, resulting from false charges
over the G. A. r. occupation OF the
schools.
Ouartermasters will be asked to give
bond for damages to any building oc-
cupied by troops. 80 Mr.. Weller believes
this will be an effective measure against
any depredations in schools.
Capt James F. Oyster. of the Board
of Education, Is a member of Mr.. Wei
Ier's committee and probably will be op-
posed. as hitherto, to quartering troops
in the schools, but Mr.. Weller Is de-
termined to put UP a sharp fight, and
he says that 1t will undoubtedly be sue
cessful.
In City Hall.
"Why is there no agitation against
quartering troops in the old city nall
where the most valuable court records
are stored" said Mr.. Weller. Il think
II Is far preferable to have soldiers In
the old schools, which by the way have
been condemned in many instances. A
fire in many of them would be bene-
fit. for 1t would mean that the District
would have some new sructures'
worthy of the city,
Regarding the opposition TO his plan.
because of keeping children out of
school. Mr.. Weller says that 1t involves
only five schools days, one OF which Is
holiday. On the four remaining, ne
believes % per cent OF the pupils would
play hockey" any way.
Inasmuch as Congress out OF the ma
tion.s money appropriates one-half OF
the expenses of the schools, Mr.. Weller
says that this body undoubtedly VIII
feel free to abrcgate the old law and
welcome the soldiers to school quarters.
Oppose Use of Buildings.
Departmental opposition to housing
requests of the public comfort commit
tee has developed. The committee would
Ike to use some Of the buildings in the
fiye squares bounded by Fourteenth and
Fifteenth streets and F street and Penn
sylvania avenue, and owned by the Gov
ernment. Government departments now
using these buildings for storage pur-
poses are trying to block the commit
tees effort to obtair them.
Some Of the houses on this tract the
departments are willing to give over to
troops, but the larger build
IL gs. in which valuable records are
stored. the departments refuse to have
disturbed.
one Of the larger structures on the
tract is located on the Avenue near
Fifteenth street, and is used both for
Governmental purposes and as room
ing house for employees OF large hotel.
This would be fine for the purposes Of
the public comfort committee, but the
Treasury Department controlling all
the structures, says the tncoiivenience
OF quarterirg troops for several days
v ouid make II practically impossible to
grant the desired permission.
Mai Gen Leonard Wood. chief mar