Evening star., 1915-12-14
OPPOSED TO A CHANGE
IN SCHOOL RULERSH|P
Piney Branch Citizens Will Fight
Plan Of District Com
missioners.
Termed Political Move in Order to
Find Jobs for Party
Favorites.

Pictures of teachers from some out
of-the-way county in far western
state being brought here and placed
in the schools without regard to efflct-
ency, thus crowding the girls of this
city who were trained to be teachers
out of their rightly earned places, and
of 1aborers from politically powerful
states being brought here and placed as
janitors of the public schools, were
painted last night at a meeting of the
Piney Branch Citizens Associations in
the Iowa Avenue NJ. E. Church.
Members of the association who
spoke on the resolution condemning the
'roposal to place control OF the schools
iirectly under the Commissioners of the
District were indignant at such a pro-
posal. and 'fatly stated that it was a
political move, made purely in an ef-
fort to get plums to pay political debts.
The committee on schools was in
structed. in a resolution passed. to
watch the movement of the Commits
sioners' recommendation in this re-
gard, Investigate it and to take any
action which would result in baking
the attempt to change the present
method of school administration.
System Of Proved Efficiency.
Edwin NJ. Hasbrook brought the mat
ter before the meeting. He character
lied the recommendations of the Com
| missioners as a political move, and said
| 1t would change system which had
proved its efficiency for the past twenty
| years, to one Of inefficiency. 1t meant
| he said. that teachers or janitors, OF
1 ~
brought here from any state and put ir
| the schools without any regard for eff.
| ficiency. 1t would crowd out of these
positions the young men and womer
4 of this city who have been trained fol
| such positions as teachers, and would
prevent the laborers of the city from
obtaining the employment that belongs
| rightly to them.
DIR. L. ]. Battle said the people of the
! District have great deal of confidence
| and faith in the present board of edu.
| cation. Where the board now is ap.
pointed by the judges of the Supreme
Court of the District. themselves ap.
pointed for life, it would, under the
proposed new order of things. be ap-
| pointed by Commissioners for three
years. 1t would be very unfortunate
he said, IL the ideas of the Commits.
sioners. in this regard, were carried
! out. At least two of the present boart
| of Commissioners are not taxpayers ir
4
| one of these is in doubt at this time, hi
| said.
Fight Against Politics.
| John F. Robb also voiced his disap.
proval of the proposed change, and sale
he had it from the lips of the superin.
| tendent of schools that one of hi.
greatest fights was to keep politics ou
of the schools. He said the Commits
sioners are not always citizens of tn.
District, and didn't believe they shoult
have any more powers than they hav,
at present.
DR.. Battle said also that he yester
day attended a meeting of the com
mittee on schools of the Chamber o
Commerce. The committee voted unani
mously against the recommendations o
the Commissioners regarding the pro
posed change of school administration
He said that the Chamber of Commerc
would take action tonight.
| The secretary of the association wa.
instructed to bring to the attention o
the police the dangerous speeding O.
automobiles and trucks down the hill
in the Piney Branch section, and also t.
the matter Of boys with bicycles using
the hills as a coasting place.
| The association gave hearty fndorse
ment to the proposed plan to purify ad
vertising.
To Oppose Delay Of Justice.
| Rumors that influence was being
used to delay justice in the case OF
the occupant of an alleged disorderly
house recently raided in the Piney
Branch section were called to the at.
| tention of the association last night
and the members were urged to bring
any definite evidence to the attention
of Senator Works, who had promised
his aid to member of the association
| to prevent such practice.
| The annual election resulted as fol-
lows: President, George A. Finch; vice
president, Newton L. Collamer: secre-
tary, Frank E. Meloy; treasurer. Amos
Tyree; members of the executive COM
mittee, J. A. Chamberlin and e. S
Clarkson, two-year terms. and H. H
Butler, one year to fill the unexpired
term of DR.. l.. j. Battle; John F. Robb
delegate to the Federation of Citizens
| Association, and DR.. l.. J. Battle. al
ternate DR.. Battle remains a member
/ of the executive committee by virtue
of his office as alternate to the fed
l