Evening star., 1922-12-22
Congress and the Schools.

Senator Capper'S arrangement OF
Congress for its failure to provide
properly for the public school system
of the District of Columbia is based
upon a thorough knowledge Of the
local conditions and of the lack of cor
receive legislation necessary to. cure
them. AS chairman Of the joint select
committee charged with the duty Of
investigating the capitals school
needs. Nj. Capper is qualified thus to
speak. and his description Of the school
system, given in the course of a
speech in the Senate. is based upon
the knowledge he has gained through
that inquiry. Washington's hope Is
that his severe rebuke to the Districts
legislature will have Its effect in
stimulating action both on the sub
stantive and the appropriation meas
ures.
In this passage in his speech Sen
ator Capper states the case effectively:
Congress has failed miserably In
SUPPLYING even the physical basis for
a healthy and vigorous educatfonal
system. And when / say Congress, l
do not mean. to shift the responst-
members Of this body. and OF the
House of Representatives. Congress
has been generous only with express
sions of good intentions. We hear
much talk OF q model school system
for the capital Of the nation" It is a
the members Of Congress are accus-
toned to use In placating the parents
of Washington who come to us ask
ing for better schools for their chill
dren.
i. Washington citizens have. as Sena-
tor Capper says, repeatedly asked
Congress for the correction Of the
school systems deficiencies. They
have asked for many years for larger
appropriations. of which they would
gladly pay their full share: for
statutes remedying faults in the sys-
tenn: for a more businesslike admins
tration Of the schools: for a compre-
hensive building program giving the
District for the first time in its his
tory an adequate school plant. They
have been put off from year to year,
now with pleas of national poverty,
again on the score Of the inadequacy
Of prospective District revenues. but
always put off. Spasmodic efforts have
been made at rare intervals to catch
UP with the requirements in the mat
ter Of buildings, but in the absence. Of
a definite construction program look
ing beyond the present and the imme-
diate future the capital has never
been allowed to equip itself suitably
or sufficiently. -
Recently the people Of Washington,
aroused to a realization that the school
system has reached almost the point
Of a breakdown through congestion,
have organized through the delegation
Of representatives a citizens commit
tee for the purpose Of stating to Con-
gress the wishes Of the community
and its demand for the adoption Of q
proper school program. That commit
tee has been denied a hearing before
the House subcommittee on appro-
priations. and the present prospect is
that the District bill will this year. as
in the past, so far as the House draft
is concerned, provide only meagerly
for increases, barely, il quite. suf-
ficient to provide for the Immediately
prospective increase of school 'popula-
ton, leaving the congestion caused by
long-continued neglect unrelieved.
Senator Capper's plain, vigorous,
unsparing statement Of the RESPONSE
bility Of Congress in this matter may
have the effect Of arousing Congress
to a sense Of its duty as the Districts
.lawmakins body and effect material
enlargement Of the appropriations as
well as the enactment Of the meas
ures pending and in preparation. max
ing for the correction Of the ills from
which the Districts schools are now
suffering.