Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-06-02
SCHOOL BOARD CHANGES

ID ESIGNATION of A. Carso n
IN Stamm as president of the
School Board. while 1t came
without warning, was the logical re-
suit of the worse than stupid con-
duct of a majority of the board with
respect to the selection of architects
TO design the new high schools. Mr..
Stamm very forcefuily sums up his
main reasons for stepping down in
the opening paragraph of his letter
to the board, as follows:
AS the official head of the board
Its president is generally, and per-
haps properly. looked upon as the
exponent of its policies and the
representative of it's accomplish
ments. and he assumes d cor
judgment the recent action of a
majority of this board in select
ing four architects to design Ave
units of what is actually a single
result in q waste OF the public
money, In architectural medi-
ocrity, in buildings indifferently
adapted to their proposed uses,
the boys and girls of Harrisburg
of much superior educational OPP
portunity and advantage that 1t
was intended they should have,
and that it is their right to have.
The whole proposition involved in
that action is to my mind so alb
surd, so harmful and so hopeless,
that l am unwilling to take. or to
even appear to take. any further
responsibility for the proposed
building program.
Further, Mr.. Stamm says. he is
pou, q ,,,i,o o,.ity, n, a,,, har of +ba boorA
and as such would be out of place
as its president.
Mr.. Stamm has done what he be-
lieved to be for the best interests of
the people. The childish behavior
of the five members of the board
who wilfully foisted upon the people
a high school building program"
unworthy of the term might have
been enough to disgust him to the
point of leaving the board entirely,
but he has courageously decided to
remain and use his influence to pre-
vent any more such mischievous be-
havior as that which characterized
the selection of high school archi-
tects.
Mr.. Enders, also, was fully justified
in resigning as chairman of the
building committee. Mr.. Enders has
made an ideal school director. He
has been on the right side of every
question that has come before the
board since his election. That the
high school building program has
been wrecked is no fault of his. He
would not have been true to himself
had he remained as the nominal
head of a building enterprise in
which he had no faith whatsoever.
DR.. Yates resignation as director no
doubt was prompted by recent occur
rences in the board.
The elevation of Director Werner
to the presidency is in entire accord
with the conduct of the majority
members of the board in other mat
ters of recent development. Werner,
elected as a Mccormick Democrat on
an alleged reform ticket. has done
anything but live up to the promises
made for him previous to his cleo
ton. Little more can be said for
DR.. Keen, a Republican, who has
been made vice-president Both have
been among those who have set back
the school progress of Harrisburg a
generation.
Next fall the people of the city
will have opportunity to choose men
to succeed Messrs. Brett and Boil, of
the Boll-Werner- Keen Boyer Bretz
combine. Mr.. Boil, it is said, will
not be a candidate. Mr.. Bretz, If he
runs, will be defeated. Unfortu-
nately, the mischief they have done
will be largely beyond correction.
The haphazard, hit-or-miss high
school building program they have
helped outline will be by that time
much too far along to be remedied
to any effectual degree. But reckless
disregard for public interests may be
prevented in the future by careful
selections at the polls in November.