Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1913-10-03
ALEXANDRIA SCHOOLS.
Correspondent Says Workingmen
May Put up Candidates for
Council.

A letter from this city to the Rich
mond Union News says:
Early last spring the AleXandri;
Trades Council and its allied organi
cations in conjunction with several o
the fraternal organizations Of thu
city, /reaiizing the then congestet
condition of the public schools anc
that unless some steps were taken t.
provide additional room by fall, tina
all of the school children would bt
unable to gain admission at the be
ginning of the fall term, started al
agitation for the erection Of new
high school building, which would eff
fectively relieve the situation. A
that time many of the scholars of thu
schools were attending only half {
day, when they should have been at
tending all day, and in some Of the
rooms there were as many as sixty
scholars. The City Council had un'
DER consideration for many months
proposition to provide for the erec-
! ton of a new building, but up to that
time no action had been taken.
The labor and fraternal organiza-
tons appointed committees and re-
uuested a hearing before the joint
Committee on Schools and Finance.
At this hearing the conditions Of the
schools were brought to the atten-
tion of the above committees and
Council was urged to take immediate
steps to provide for the erection of a
new building. The committee did
finally, about the middle of the sum-
mer, make a report, but without max
ing any recommendations or provid-
ing any plan. 1t did, however, sus
gest what might be done in the direc-
ton of providing building
The Common Council took the mat
ter up at once and adopted plan
proposed by Councilman J. Y. Will
Iiams, making provision for the erec-
ton of a new high school. The; Board
of Aldermen rejected this plan and
the matter was referred to a Confer
ence Committee consisting Of Coun-
cilmcn ]. Y. Harrison, and j. Fred
Birrell, and Aldermen Henry X.
Field and Kenneth Ogden, and though
Council has been in adjournment for
several weeks, no meeting of this
committee has as yet been held.
As a result If this unnecessary &C.
lay on the part of our City Council,
and more especially on the part of
the upper branch of the body, a num-
her Of children were refused admis-
sion to the schools this fall. As the
majority Of the children attending
the public schools are those of the
working people, the matter is keenly
felt by them and some of the mem
bers of the Council are coming in for
some severe criticism. It Is even
hinted that unless proper steps are
taken at the first meeting of the
Council in October to relieve the sit
uation candidates will be put in the
field at the next election against
those members who are responsible
for the delay.
Why the Conference Committee
has not held meeting since the ad-
.iournment of Council is not known.
Mr.. Field is chairman Of the commit
tee and why he does not call the COM
mittee together, especially as some
members of Council seem to be op-
posed to the adoption of the Williams
plan because they had not had time
to give it the consideration they de-
sired, no one seems to know.
Ore thing is certain, the working
people of Alexandria are becoming
impatient and a movement is already
on foot to have them all pay their
poll taxes By December, so that they
will be able to play an important
mart in the election next spring.