Evening star., 1920-03-25

ability. This was in my mind when
= the Randall principaiship came up IN
= April. 1917. The supervising principal
of that district was called into war
service. His place was taken by John
= Sruce. then principal of the Randall
School. Miss Wilson. who was then
:. seventh grade teacher. was made tenn
--porary principal. Her work was high
= iy satisfactory. according to MT
= Bruce. When the supervising princi-
pal returned and again was called
3 away. Miss Wilson was put in as
principal q second time.
MIR. Syphax. principal of the Bell
School. protested on the ground that
because of length of service and his
position he should have been given
the place During the year that Miss
: Wilson served as temporary prln,
= ipai of the Randall School she had
become a teacher of the eighth
: grade
Coiored Women rs Principals.
: Senator Walsh asked if it nad been
MIR. ThurstOn's experience thal co..
ored women made as good principals
2 in eight or ten room schools as meh'
Yes" replied the witness.
In June. 1918. the question OF Sc
lecting permanent principal Ior tHe
Randall School came up. MAI aiAer;
. the supervising principal. whose can
TO war service had really brouehI
about the vacancy in the Randaii
5 School had died in the meantime, ana
: John Bruce had been promoted per
= manently.
Mr.. Thurston said that Assistant
: Superintendent Bruce in converse
: tions with him had favored the aP-
: pointment of Mr.. Syphax.
Tells of Disagreement.
"I disagree with him" said Mr
Thurston We talked the matter
over many times. In the end Mr..
Bruce signed a recommendation 1or
of Miss WILSON. |
: must say he did this over his own
protest. however The law puts the
responsibility upon the superintend-
: tnt."
Why didn't Bruce recommend Sy-
phax." demanded Senator harrison
Il don't recall.
Did YOU ask him to recommend
{ Miss Wilson,"
The witness said that he did not re-
= call. that he may have done so. In
reply to another question. he said that
he supposed Mr.. Bruce had made the
recomm endation of Miss Wilson in
writing. because he realized that the
superintendent would stand hrmly
for it.
Mr. Thurston said that Miss Wilson
had been twenty years in the schools
-rand was a graduate of the normal
school and had received an A. b. de-
7 gree from Howard University: that
Z she was leader in her own division.
IF we are going to promote in
longevity said Mr.. Thurston. 1--WE
are bound to hold back real leaders
anywhere from five to fifteen years"
Senator Harrison asked why Mr..
SyphaX was not appointed.
Letter Is Presented.
Mr.. Thurston presented a letter
written by Assistant Supt. Bruce
regarding Mr.. SyphaX. At this point
Senator Walsh said he did not think
. that the private letters dealing with
the qualification of teachers should
: be made a part of the record, but
. might be received in executive ses-
. sion. Mr.. Thurston said he would be
glad TO have it so.
: After looking over the letter Sem
ator Walsh said that in substance it
: declared that Mr.. Syphax was a bet
ter teacher than executive. and that
I there was nothing personal against
Mr.. Syphax in IL.
II make this statement" said Sem
ator Walsh, so that the impression
may not get out that there are any
Syphax-"
- Mr. Thurston said that the Randall
School case had been raised against
him by members of the board or that
he would not have mentioned the
matter.
'It was cited as an instance of
timidity and slowness to act, was it
not?" asked Senator Harrison.
discrimination" replied Mr.. ThurSton.
II may be timid. but / seem to have
put my weight against Mr.. Bruce in
this matter"
Says Unions Not Involved.
Senator. Harrison asked him II
either Mr.. Syphax or Miss Wilson be- !
longed to the union. The witness !
said that he did not know. but that !!
the unions had not been involved in |
this case.
Senator Walsh asked the witness |!
for the original recommendation of !
supervising principal. Mr.. Thurston |
said that he had not brought them. |
but that they could be found. |
You have been looking into this |
case. but haven't taken the trouble !
TO bring these recommendations |
here said Senator Walsh.
Possibly ! am new at this b :css,"
replied the witness.
You must know what tflcl orig
mai recommendations were. said
Senator Walsh.
Mr.. Thurston said that he was quite
sure that the original written recon-
mendation was for Miss Wilson: that
while Mr.. Bruce had recommended
Mr.. Syphax verbally TO him. he did
not recall any written recommended
ton other than that recommending Miss
Wilson
Given Confidential Document.
II first learned of the connection Of
Miss Hunter with the Moens case
through Dr.. Learned. who placed in
NY hands confidential document
which ! have here" said Mr.. Thurston
in taking up the incident of that
teacher. ''Dr. Learned was. as 7 un-
derstand il. an investigator for the
department of Justice. dollar-a-year
man. and his document was digest
II the departments confidential files
~ the MoenS case He told me at the
time that the Moens trial was coming
Up. about December 16. and that no
actor should be taken in regard to
Miss Hunter before that time, as the
question of intimidating a witness
might arise.
The next. time saw him after
reading the docUment-two or three
days later-I told him something
should be done in the Hunter case.
He said he was going to give the in
formation had to DR.. Hamilton and
Mr. Peyton, members of the board
and my understanding was that the
-hree would get together and decide
that vas best 10 do The trial of
Moons in the meantime was post
!'oned until April, and | held TO the
. understanding ] thought I had with
DR.. Learned! in the matter"
Request for Postponement.
Mr. Thurston at this point read the
letters which had passed between
hir, and Dr. Learned and told Of the
latter's request for d postponement
ut the next meeting of the school
board.
lie read from the memoranda kept
OF the executive conferences of the
board. which stated simply that on
March IL "Dr. Learned presented the
case OF DIR. Moens and Miss Hunter"
ard on April = the matter was again