The Washington herald., 1914-06-19
SCHOOL BOARD in
STORMY session
Officials to Open Petworth
Fairgrounds. Despite
Heated Protests.
WOULD SET PRECEDENT
Committee of Residenh. When Dis
missed. Refuse to Leaye Room and
Continue Their Complaints.
WOULD SET Precedent

Despite the violent proteete o1 COM
mittee of residents living edjacent TO the
Petworth school AGAINST the pisysroun1
at that building. the Board OF Educa-
ton yesterday agreed to open the PLAY
ground for the children on the scheduled
date. July L
For awhile the meeting was an uproar
Of protestations. and when the DELEGATES
were dismissed. they refused to leave
the room but stood about In groups dis
cussing the situation and tts possible
outcome. .
"Fairness 20 All"
.srhis is the first occasion when the
public fairgrounds have been protested
In the District of Columbia" President
Blair said. ''I feel that all the citizens
Of that locality. however. should have
their wishes respected, and the boards
ambition Is to be fair to ALL
The protestants declared 1t was not
their intention to nght the Playground.
but would aid them In any manner, 90
long as the grounds were not adjacent
to their property and spoiled the vaca-
ton time of the residents themselves.
They suggested Libby Park. four blocks
from the school site, or the ground con-
nected with the west end Of the Num-
cipal Hospital grounds. where tubercu-
losis patients are treated for q play
ground site.
w. H. Parsons opened the protesta.
tions. telling the board that he repre-
sented twenty-one residents Of Taylor
avenue and q number in Ninth street,
who objected to the Fairgrounds at
Petworth. not only for the fact that
their summer vacation would be ruined
with the noise Of the children, but be-
cause the site was unshaded, hot, ano
not q comfortable place for the young
eters to disport themselves.
w. L. Gutelius, chairman Of the schoof
committee. Of the Petworth Citizens As
sociation, added that all the protestants
present had given literally to the fund
for the playground. not knowing where
1t was to be placed. He also declared
1t to be a neighborhood nuisance, and
suggested Libby Park as a possible site
How About Hospital Patie,tsf
To William H. Saunders, who suggest
ed the site of the Tuberculosis Hospital,
President Blair, of the Board Of Educa-
ton. said that he believed the children
would do the patients In the hospital
more harm than the citizens In the play
ground vicinity. r. E. Adams and Mrs.
John A. Holmes both voiced protests
against the playground. declaring that
they would not trust little children to
play on the cracked stone surface or
In the unshaded rays of the summer SUM-
Mrs. Holmes recommended Libby Park
as place having natural advantages
with picnic grounds, shade trees and
swings and other amusements, and de-
clared that Mr.. Libbey, the owner of
the park. was always on the grounds;
that IL was policed, and that large
colony Of tenters lived In It during the
summer.
An argument ensued with the address
to the board given by Mrs. Samuel
Moores, who stated that to her knowl-
edge the park suggested by the protest.
ants was no f1t or safe place for chill
dren to play in, and that she was a mem
Der of an investigating committee that
proved the danger of the place lay in the
old soldiers who roamed through 1t.
Mrs. William c. Loney declared that
the citizens who protested knew the site
had been chosen and acted upon by the
school committee Of the Petworth Citi-
zens' Association before they contributed
to the fund, and also stated that some
Of the residents in Taylor avenue favored
the playground, at which a chorus of
the protestants arose. only one" they
called in unison.
protestants. told Mrs. Loney she did not
live in Petworth, and, therefore, knew
nothing about what she said.
Would Set q Precedent.
Mrs. Susie Root Rhodes entered the
motion that the Petworth Fairgrounds be
opened. and 1t was carried by the board
under the consideration that II they
acted in favor of the delegation every
citizen living adjacent to a public play
ground would Immediately fle a protest.
The Home and School Association of
the Fillmore School was represented at
the board meeting yesterday with COM
mittee who objected to the continued use
Of that school to accommodate the pupils
Of Western High School until such time
as that building could be restored. The
board promised them due consideration
Of the matter, but gave them little hope
that the Fillmore School could be return