The Washington herald., 1915-12-28
Whole City Should Protest.


There can longer be any doubt that large
majority of the citizens of Washington are op-
posed to the radical change in the public school
system recommended by the District Commission
ers in their annual report to Congress. A suf-
fcent number have formally expressed their views
to justify the position which The Washington Her
aid took, Immediately upon publication of the re-
port, in opposition to the proposed change. Every
civic and social organization that has considered
the question has placed itself record against the
plan; nowhere among parents, citizens and tax
payers, who alone directly concerned, is there
support for it. That every association of citizens
will take action upon this important matter now
seems assured, with the promise that Congress will
for be confronted with something approach
ing unanimity of opinion on a District policy.
When every interested organization has given ex-
preston to the views of its members special
committee of not more than three should be Sc
lected for the duty of placing before the District
Committees of Senate and House the record of
the action thus taken.
With this indisputabe evidence before it of the
practically unanimous opposition of the people of
the District to the change recommended by the
Commissioners, Congress may be depended upon
to reject it.. 1t cannot be said that the Commis-
sioners have represented to Congress that the
people want such change; no doubt they were
sufficiently well informed to anticipate the oppo-
sition that has arisen But, has been said be-
fore, the Commissioners do not represent the peo-
ple nor are they concerned with what the people
want or do not want. They simply asked that all
the authority now vested in the Board of Educa-
ton be taken from it and given to them in the
interest of efficiency and economy in govern
mental administration" That economy would re-
suit is, of course open to question. That greater
efficiency would be attained by substituting a
board appointed by and subordinate to the Com
missioners, with all of its acts subject to super
vision, for the present administrative body COM
posed of public-spirted and representative citizens
The Herald denies. 1t is unreasonable to suppose
that persons possessing the high qualifications of
the members OF the present board would consent
to fill these positions they deprived of all
authority and made mere servants of the Commits
sioners. 1t is logical to assume that much less
efficient board would be obtained to perform rou-
tine work that the Commissioners could direct ap-
prove disapprove they fit Certainly the
Commissioners cannot spare the time necessary
to master the details of school management and
the result would inevitably be inadequate ad
ministration OF the school system, supervised in
haphazard fashion by higher authority more or
less ignorant of the entire subject 1t has been
suggested that another result would be the in
trusion of politics into the school management, an
evil OF which happily altogether free.
Those who believe such an undesirable condition
is remotely possible will resist the effort Of
the Commissioners as long they have the wei
fare OF the city at heart.
But leaving politics out of the question, there
is yet to be advanced single reason why the pres
cnt system. which ever since it was adopted has
proved admirably efficient practically frictonless
and has been productive OF the least ex-
travagance, should be sacrificed to experiment
that promises nothing but deterioration, unless it
be chaos. Congress should hear the voice of the
whole city in protest