The Washington times., 1920-04-01
ENL|VENS
PROBE OF SCHOOLS.
Board Member Says Assistant
Superintendent Was Inter-
ested In Young Widow.

Vaudeville became the chief fea-
ture OF the Senate probe into the
District schools today, when Foun-
tain Peyton, member OF the Board OF
Education, whom DIR. Van Schaick
stated kicked over the traces" told
or his troubles on the board
He aimed most OF his shafts at
Roscoe C. Bruce, assistant superin-
tendent OF colored schools, whom he
charged with showing favoritism to-
wards "a bouncing young widow"
whom he appointed to a position In
the schools.
He declared that DIR. Van schaick's
phrase about Kicking over the
traces" was due TO my failure to
Keep my promise to join In the white
wash OF Bruce"
He charged In effect that DIR. Van
Schaick had organized ruling
clique or ring on the board whose
chief purpose was to oust Superin-
tendent Thurston from the schools.
Mr.. Peyton said that DIR. Van
Schaick called upon him shortly after
he, Van Schafck. was appointed to the
school board. indISasins indirectly
board.
HE needed my vote badly" said
Peyton- 81 understood his visit" Mr..
Peyton added that he had promised
at that time to support DR.. Van
Schaick for the presidency because
IL was his purpose to "clean the
schools" and Peyton was entirely III
favor of that. He added that tho
colored schools had been in bad shape
for many years.
Asked his opinion as to Superin-
tendent Thurston. Mr.. Peyton said:
MY only criticism Of Thurston is
that he is not sufficiently aggressive
with respect to his rights. He was
excluded from his own office during
the Bruce Investigation, and not al
lowed to come in even to transact his
ordinary routine business"
Had His Suspicions-
Regarding the Bruce investigation,
Peyton said that he had his suspi-
cions from the first. He was the only
member OF the committee of investi-
cation who was opposed to Bruce.
and he stated that DR.. Van Schaick
came to him and said clearly that he
wanted harmonious verdict and
Learned and Mrs. Cook, the other two
members of the committee. He said
that II would do this he would find
way to ease Bruce out of the sys-
tenn. Il told him at that time that
would agree with the others.
"I began to think i over however.
and the conviction came upon mo that
p ought not to depend upon . man
who had approached me in that way.
made up my mind to break my
promise. II he wanted me to do q
wrong thing then I ought not to
trust his word"
Peyton then outlined the entire his
tory Of the Bruce case. He said that
the Investigating committee called in
practically all Of the members of the
board to assist In the preparation Of
its report The committee did not
make Q report to the board he stated,
but the board solemnly made re-
Pert 70 itself
ExonersteA Bruce.
Even before the report was nm
ished, the board at q public session
announced that Bruce had been
cleared Of all charges" added Pey-
ton. 'They took this action without
even consulting me or knowing my
side of the case. This was two weeks
before the report was actually made
public"
Peyton stated that he brought in
the minority report against Bruce,
but that the board thought 1t was
worthless" and did not take the
trouble to have it printed.
"Dr. Learned flew into a passion
when told. the board that I would
not surrender my copy of the Bruce
testimony. / said the testimony was
the only thing I had to support my
report, and that I intended to keep 1t
unless a court order made me re-
turn IL to the board. All the other
copies except the file copy were de-
stroyed."
Peyton said that Chief Justice Cla-
baugh asked him in 1908 IL he would
like to become a member Of the
school board.
1.-THE news leaked out, the knockers