Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-20


politics. has it?'
I'VE have only had that for mat
ter of six years." said Mr.. Blair. Now
1 say if in twenty years you can prac-
tically destroy the intent of the law as
to the source from which your Com
prepared to say in ten years, or hve
years more or twenty-five years more,
that you won't change the whole situa-
ton here: 1t is the danger OF the the
questioning the motives of any gen
tleman who is urging the proposition
it is the danger of the thing that turks
in the proposition which can be SO
| easily avoided"
rs it not just as possible" asked
| Representative johnson, for the pres
ent control of the schools to put them
! into politics as it would be FOR the
Commissioners Of the District Of Co
lumbia to put them into politics II
| they had that control?
! II should say no..
| Representative Johnson asked:
Has the present board of Commits
sioners evidenced the fact that they
are in politics.?
| II have tried to say that I am not
seeking any personal controversy on
| this question
Yes. but / am trying to get light
upon the oft-repeated charge in the
newspapers that if a change is made.
| it does throw the schools into politics.
Mr.. Blair answered.:
Il think the inevitable result would
| be it would throw the schools into
politics. or would afford an opportunity
| to do So.
The source of the appointing power
| is political under the proposed change.
The source of the appointing power
| under the proposed change is not only
| political, but the appointing power 1T
self lacks the element of permanency.'
Politics in the Departments.
Chairman Lloyd asked: Would you
| not suppose that the present Commits
sioners, who are democrats. would see
to it that the men under their employ
| occupying anything like important
places were democrats?"
L think that it is likely they would,
yes, sir was Mr.. Blair's answer.
And would you not say they had
hardly done their duty to their party
| unless they did see to it that the heads
of the departments under them were of
the dominant party?
Yes. sir continued Mr.. Blair: but
I would say. further, Me. Lloyd, that is
not any reason why you should give an
opportunity to appoint sixteen people
in the school system, as they would
have a right to do under the proposed
legislation offered, and there have
the same argument advanced as now
advanced, that they would appoint from
the dominant party"
Praises D. c. Supreme Court. :
Mr.. Blair paid warm compliments to
the Supreme Court of the District of
Columbia, which appoints the board of
education, and then refuted the argu-
ment advanced by the Commissioners,
that the board spends millions" He
said:
I'm the five years and a half that I
have been on the board, and nearly
three years held the presidency of the
board, l have handled no securities ex-
|cept two-cent stamps, for which l sign
la requisition and which l use on the
mail that goes out in connection with
communications on school matters. And
of it, or of the school system and the
authorities. all the way through-no
member of it-ever handles one penny.
Dollars are out of the question. We
never handle one penny. The organic
act found in existence in the District of
Columbia three splendid things-four
splendid things. They found an audi
tors Office, bonded and responsible to
nobody on the face of Gods universe
but his own conscience and the laws of
the United States. And the Commission
ers themselves cannot eXpend one penny
of the money that is appropriated by
the Congress of the United States for
the purposes of the District of Colum-
bia, over which they have supervision.
unless they receive the same approval
and auditing of the account under,
which they expect to spend it, that the
board of education must receive for
every penny that it undertakes to
spend.
Handled Only Conscience Money.
Every dollar that the Congress of the
United States appropriates under limit
ed provisions. just the same way that it
Iappropriates the money that these Com
missioners are spending for the police
and fire and streets and sewers and
acter-every dollar that they are ex-
pending is investigated and audited and
controlled by exactly the same safe
guards as the money that the board of
education undertakes to spend. And we
do not see any actual money from one
years end to the other, one single
penny. with this exception.
Il have had the privilege. in my serv-
ice as president, IL l remember the
amount correctly. but 1 would not want
to be held to this-I have had the
privilege of transmitting s12 conscience
money. Two dollars Of that was re-
who said he had taken 81 worth of
school books at some time or another,
and another letter which / believe came
direct to the Office at the Franklin
building inclosed $40 from somebody
who was an adult, evidently, from the
character of the writing. and who said
they thought that $40 would cover the
books they had taken some years ago.
and l suppose added interest. That
money was turned in to the auditor for
the Treasury. and, if I am not mis-
taken that is the only money that has
passed through the hands of the board
of education in respact to the educa-
tional affairs of the District.
District Purchasing Agent.
Now, that is the way we spend our
| money. We get it, in the first place,
from the Congress of the United States,
| limited to specific purposes. The Dis
| trict of Columbia has purchasing off,
| Ger, whose functions and duties are to
arrange by contract for the things that
are essential and in common use by
the District of Columbia. And he gets
letter from the school board. or did
when IL was necessary, that we need
so much chalk, and we need so much
| paint. and we need SO many text
| books. and we need SO many this, that
and the other thing. and when he ad-
vertises for nails, tacks, screwdrivers
and everything else that the District of
Columbia needs in the way of supplies,
! he estimates the quantities for the fis-
cal year. and advertises. at the same
time, for the different things the schools
aL6 nf \, f<I. 1.