Evening star., 1915-12-14
Eliminating the Washingtonian.


appointed by the District Commits
sioners and thus be subordinated to
them, but should not be abolished,
either directly, or indirectly by dep
rivation of all substantial power !;
unless special and definite reasons
for this elimination exis. and are
openly stated in each case AS rule
it is highly beneficial to the capital
and 10 the people constituting the
capital community that public-spir-
tied citizens should render maxi
mum OF practically uncompensated
service to Washington in respect to
education. charities and other similar
municipal concerns. The greater the
number of Washingtonians perform
ing, in subordinaticn to the Commits
sioners, intelligent, sympathetic and
effective work in these, municipal
functions the more wholesome the re-
suit both in what is actually accom-
plished and in the promotion of local
public spirit. Subject to the supreme
legislative control of Congress, repre-
senting the nation, the greater the
participation of Washingtonians in
the management of their local af-
fairs, even indirectly, the wiser and
more equitable and more American
the government of this unrepresented
community becomes.
In the legislative recommendation
of their recent estimates the Com
missioners go far beyond the pro-
posal to secure for themselves the
appointing power in respect to these
cifizen boards, and either abolish
them outright or so rob them of all
real power as in effect to abolish
them. For example, not only is it
proposed that the Commissioners, in
stead of the District Supreme Court,
shall appoint the board of education,
but the board thus appointed is re-
duced in size and stripped Of power,
and, the Commissioners, through di-
rector OF education, are 10 appoint
and remove teachers. The Public
Library trustees are already ap-
pointed by the Commissioners; these
trustees appoint the librarian, and
the librarian names his assistants. 1t
is now proposed that the Commits
sioners shall take from the trustees
the power of appointing the Librarian
and from the librarian the power of
appointing the library force, and
shall make these appointments in
minutest detail themselves. The
board of charities is abolished out
right, and all its functions are to be
performed by the Commissioners
through a director of charities. And
SO with the other institutions upon
which the Commissioners lay mo-
nopolizing hands.
Washington knows by sad expert
enee the chaos-breeding effects of
merely the discussion and threat of
radical changes in the municipal sys-
teri- All of these disrupting propo-
sitions should receive careful and
thoughtful consideration by our leg
islators before enactment into law.
Washington will doubtless protest
against a procedure of which the
logical result is first to abolish all
citizens boards performing munich
pal functions in cooperation with
and in subordination to the Commis-
sioners and to eliminate every par
ticfe OF participation by citizens in
the management of local affairs next,
TO repeal by statute, following the
nuhfying decision of the Supreme
Court, the provision that the civilian
Commissioners must be Washing
tonians; and finally, when all the mu-
nicipal functions are performed by
bureaus OF the District government,
and when Washingtonians have been
eliminated from the commits sioner-
ships as well as from the subordinate
or cooperating boards, to degrade the
Commissioners themselves into whose
haqds. every municipal function has
been exclusively placed to the status
of a mere bureau in some national
department.
Then the 'natur ralization" OF
Washington will be complete, and
politically and in regard to partici-
patton in the management of local
concerns a community of $4,000
Americans will have been efaced.
The people OF Washington do not
wish to be thus eliminated as a fac
tor in the municipal equation, but de-
sire to participate more largely in
self-government and self-taxation
and. in every American right and
privilege consistent with full control
of the nations city by the nation
through Congress. Instead of sur.
rendering cheerfully the eligibility
provision which limits the President
to Washingtonians in appointing the
civilian Commissioners most of then
wish even to elect these Commission.
ers or at least to have power OF re.
call in" respect to them. Instead o.
turning over their schools and theil
public library, for example, to tn,
possibly imported Commissioners O
the future or to bureau of a ma
tional department, to become il
either case national, political and par
tisan spoils. they wish in the inter