Evening star., 1920-02-22
CITIZENS INDORSE
SENATE MOVE FOR
SCHOOLS INQUIRY
Continued from First Page i,

dency lately in the federation to post
pone action on important questions. He
said he felt sure the associations had
confidence in their delegates and that
he did not like to see the federation
dodglng questions.
Delegate Albert e. Shoemaker ar
sued Tor Endorsement of Senator Har-
than the resolution of the school com.
mittee, saying he did not believe the
federation should get into eysrv
squabble that comes up"
delegate George Finch of Pinsy
Branch followed with an earnest aU-
peal for adoption of the school com
mlttee's resolution. He declared that
for three years Mr.. Thurston has adj
m1nlstered the schools with the cloud
Of dismissal hanging over his head.
minded man would take the position
that the public ought to know
whether the charges that have been
made against Mr.. Thurston are true.
Mr.. Thurston will not get that chance,
the delegate said. unless the people
of the District demand it.
Allan Davis, principal of Business
High School. objected to the school
committees resolution, particularly
because it would bind the federation
IN 1avor OF electing the school board.
He said he was in favor of supporting
Senator Harrison's move, because he
felt that a general investigation will
show that low salaries and inadequate
buildings are the real causes of the
present unsettled conditions in the
schools.
When vote was called for fifteen
We're in favor of backing Senator
Harrison's plan of investigation and
ten against it. Delegate William
NICK. Clayton then moved that the
vote for the Harrison plan be made
carried.
Predicts Action by Congress-.
Mr.. Clayton told the delegates be-
fore the Anal vote was taken that re-
gardless Of whether they voted for an
investigation of the action of the
school board in regard to Mr.. Thurston
something will be done about it"
He told his associates not to lose
sight of the fact that members of
Congress have children in the public
schools and that they will want to
know who is right in the controversy.
IT Thurston is dismissed" Mr.. Clay
ton continued, "he will be followed
by an outside man."
He said that despite the experience
which Washington has had with out
siders. the president of the school
board seams to be looking outside
of the District for a new superin-
tenlent. Mr.. Clayton suggested that
ing Allan Davis or some other WASH
ingtonian superintendent the fedora
tion might find reason to remain out
of the controversy. But in view of
District are now making for a voice
in their own AFFAIRS, he continued,
trey should object to IAN alien" being
placed at the head Of the schools.
In a statement which he read to the
from Petworth. criticised the school
board for taking steps to remove the
superintendent in the midst Of a unit
ed campaign by the people of the city
to obtain better pay for the teachers
statement read, In part, as follows:
while the recent publication in the
press of the decision of the board of
education that it would not re-elect
Superintendent Thurston upon expira-
ton of his term on June 80 next, came
as shock to the community, il was
no great surprise to those who have
been closely studying developments in
our schools. The principal shock and
disappointment in this matte" is the |
clearly evident bad faith of the board
of education with the civic booies who
have united on a school betterment pro-
gram. 1t was the specific understand |
ing that all upheavals in our schools |
would for the present be deferred In
order that the community as unit, the |
0Oaf0 OF eQuCdtiOH lHCluQcus IuA6uG |
urge upon Congress the very essen |
tial betterment program upon which |
there was practically a unanimous |
agreement
Some of US have recognized that |
there has existed for some time strong |
personal antagonism by certain men,
bers of the board to the superintend-
ent Some of these members seem to
have come on the board already
strong in their dislike of and preju !
dice against Mr.. Thurston,"
Attacks Closed Sessions.
In concluding his statement Mr..
Suter attacked the board for holding
private sessions. He said: .
The statute creating the present
school board contains in section
the following language: The or
gantsaAion Ases<iAg. and ali meetings
Whatsoever thereafter. shall be open
to the public. except committee meet
ings dealing with the appointment
apparently entirely out Of sympathy
with this law under which 1t 10 SUI
posed to operate" I