The Washington herald., 1915-12-09
Cemuiss;snsrs Ak Mere Pswer.

The feature of the very comprehensive repor
of the Commissioners of the District of Colufnbi;
to Congress that will arouse the greatest popular
interest is the RECOMMENDATION that the Cominis
sioners instead Of the Supreme Court OF the Dis
trict be given the authority to appoint the mem
bers of the Board of Education and that all ths
powers now vested in the board be transferred t.
the Commissioners. The recommendation lis
part of their plan for the Capitalization in the
own hands of all District governmental factors in
cluding the Board Of Charities. They ask too, thai
they be given authority to make all appointment.
in such institutions as the Free Public Library
the Industrial Home School, the Temporary Home
for cx-Union Soldiers and Sailors and the Ma
ltonal Training School for Girls Beyond stating
that in their opinion such legislation would bring
about a more economical and efficient conduct o
the business of the local government" the Com
missioners present no arguments in support oi
their request for important extension of thei'
authority. 1t is be confidently expected that be-
fore permanently delcgating its control Of these
boards and institutions to the Commissioners Con
grcss will seek more light the subject and more
reasons; and that there will be opposition to plac
ing the government of the Capital SO completely in
the hands Of trumvirate appointed by the Presi-
dent there be no doubt.
1t may not be easy to refute the Commis sioners
theory that government completely centralized
may be more economically administered, but there
will be no hasty concurrence in their claim OF
greater efficiency in Board Of Education, for in
stance, appointed by the Commissioners and pos
sessed Of no authority greater than that Of mere
employees of the District government. 1t is seri-
ously to be doubted whether the services of citi-
zens SO we'll qualified for their important duties
affecting the entire population, the members OF
the present board could be commanded under such
circumstances. Such changes are recommended
would not only give much larger measure OF
control of the affairs of the $4,000 people OF
Washington into the hands of three men in whose
selection they have voice, but it would place
at their disposal a not inconsiderable amount of
patronage that is at present more widely dis
tributed.
The more ardent advocates of suffrage for the
District not likely to view with favor the pro-
posed changes which it cannot be denied would
have the effect of still further curtailing what little
influence the citizens may now possess in the di-
rection of their own affairs. If there must be a
change-whether for sound reasons or merely for
the sake of change-is not the opportunity pre-
sented for experiment with suffrage in the Dis
trict on modest scale, that could be extended if
the result proved satisfactory? Why not elect the
Districts Board of Education and permit the
women to vote? There is probably no obstacle
to such procedure that cannot be removed by Con-
gress without trouble or delay.
At all events the changes urged by the District
Commissioners are SO important and of so radical
a nature that the citizens ought at least to give
them consideration and express their views
through their various associations, that Con-
gress may know what the people want. whether
their action is influenced by such knowledge or
not