Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-06-15

I last llpHtl' mas passed a law reducing the
New York city board from forty-six to seven
members.
Pennsylvania System
All second class school districts in Penn
sylvania have nine members elected at large.
Reports from some of them follow:
Scranton suggests seven instead of nine ;
election at large satisfactory"
Chester reports: size and manner of
choice satisfactory"
Lancaster-"Woud prefer board of five
/ members, elected at large"
Altoona is satisfied with the number, and
| reports: "Our directors are elected by the
city at large which is certainly the best
| way"
Harrisburg thinks the size is right; If
any change it should be smaller. The cleo
tion at large is all right"
Reading reports: size satisfactory
| would prefer election on nonpartisan ballot -
Hork-"Satshed with both the number
| and election"
Wilkcs-BarTe says "siX or seven men,
| bers; smaller board can do more efficient
| work n few men do the work. Manner of
choice best to be had, according to my
| notion"
What are the objections raised against
the changes proposed by this bill before the
| General Assembly
Against the reduction in number of men,
bers only one argument has been brought
| forth, and that by members of the present
podru' namely, that feWer men would not
| have time to perform all the necessary
work Of the board. Unconsclously, these
| gentlemen have presented the great argu-
| ment for a smaller board namely, that it
| would of necessity reorganize upon a mod
| ern basis give up its tinkering with admin
| istrative details, devote itself TO the larger
| conception of the problems of education
and the broader aspects Of administrative
| policies.
Against election at large only one OBJ
| lection has been raised; namely "that il
| would be likely to throw the schools bacl,
| into politics"
Upon this point it may be said that there
| is Kind of politics, known as school poll
tics based not upon party affiliations, but
| upon personal relationship, influence and
| prejudice whose effect upon the schools is
| as baneful as that of out-and-out party
| politics.
That sort Of personal politics is mos,
| likely to thrive in a system where great
| responsibility and large appointing powers
| are vested in group Of men who are be-
yond the reach of the electorate either di-
| rectly or indirectly, and whose tenure Is
| virtually perpetual
That this form Of politics has not been
| unknown under the present system in Phil
| adelphia is evidenced in many instances
| by the open records of the boards proceed
| ings, as well as by countless minor incl
| uehts that are never written into the record
| <AS mas Deen pointed out earlier in this
| discussion, the experience of other large
| cities in the country is Overwhelmingly To
| the erect that the election Of a small board
| AT large secures men and women of the
| highest type Of citizenship, who while recog-
nizing their accountability to the public ana
the electorate, are yet so broadly repre-
| sentative that they are not susceptlble IN
| the approaches of petty local politicians.
The crux Of the whole discussion unor
| this point lies in the distinction between n
large board elected by wards or districts
and small board elected at large.
Philadelphia has never had a small
| board neither has 1t had a board elected
at large. Hence it is an error TO sneak os
the proposed plan as a return" TO anv for
| mer plan.
| Finally, the success Of any great n,,hIio
institution in democracy must rest uItie
| mately upon the honesty. interest and in
| telllgence OF the electorate. To admit tha >
an institution so universally sustained nv,
| the whole public and so closely related -
the homes and lives of the whole neonie
cannot be intrusted to the care of a hod,,
OF citizens chosen by the people, but rnrst
be put in care Of a body OF men In yvbose
selection the people have no voice and Nvho
are completely beyond their reach is to
! confess the failure OF democracy -
Against the restriction upon dnal .f,..
ahololng no ernmsnt has been offered,