New-York tribune., 1922-02-05
|Hylan Reported
Backing Kin for
Fat School Job
Attempt Alleged to Have
Miss Birmingham Named
Speech Director Despite
Superior Marks of Rival
Board Juggling Charged
Move Feared to Subjugate
Superin,endents to Tam
many and Mayors Whims

,,.4;o, Of Miss Agnes BIRMINGHAM. a
~.lative. ,or director Of speech I'M
.-ovsment in the public schools. de-
,,;.o the fact that she was found to be
.nong ,hcse least qualified for the
o1sco by the BOARD Of Superintendents.
sre regarded as conclusive evidence Of
tse Mayors purpose to subjugatc the
Deps-tment Of Education for his own
ends.
Both from within and without tho
Department Of Education enanates the
information that, if IL can be done
without too much ado and without too
inch publicity. Miss Elizabeth f. Nc
EallY. whom the Boaro cy Superin-
..ndeats has recommended for the po-
si.ion, will be sidetracked IT some way
n make room for the nomination cf
Miss Birmingham. Whilc this appears
70 be hardly possible. secausc she
.opld first have TO receive the indorsc-
r. uxnt OF the Board of Surerinten ndonts
before she could De placed in nomina-
ton. il was pointed cut yesterday that
.he case Of Miss birmingham presents
;.self to the Mayor as a reason why
.ntendents should be changed so as to
sccord with his own desires.
Control OF Boa I'd Feared
The first step r this direction is be-
f;eved TO have been the hasty election
Of Mrs. Grace Strschar Forsythe ten
Gays ago as Associate Superintendent
Q: Schools This election is said to
lave given TIE Mayor or his friends or
-. D.. It LI,faatsc~ ~
which 20 pry the board Of superin-
tendcnts from It's traditional moorings
10 the merit system and make il amen
able to Tammany rather than to the
Superintendent % Schools. But before
this can be accomplished it viii be
necessary 10 drop several more mem
b>rs of the board OF superintendents
o. their terms expire and to subs.i-
tu.e for them Hylan supporters.
The terms Of two members of the
Board OF Superlntendents Will expire
this month, one on February IS and
one on February %. Their recollection
Is to come up before the Board Of Edu-
cation OF u Wednesday, They are Asso-
Meleney, ren Of long experience in
education ard OF high repute among
educators throughout the country.
Their defeat by candidates more to the
liking Of the Mayor and his friends
would virtually establish bloc in the
Board Of Supe perintendents. since. II the
event Of division over the qualifica-
tons Of candidates for various Offices
in the board jurlsdicticn the Hvlan
element, including Mrs ForSythe. and
possibly another member - comrara-
tivelv recent election TO the board.
might be successful IN stopping the
cr ~ o. \,
With the Hyian program.
Added to these possibilities. the re-
tirement Of two more associate super
,htendents III the months to come
woud give the hyian forces Two adj
di.onal places on the Board of Super
irtendents. Two are 10 be retired next
year under the age limit rule Thus,
It IS set forth, Hylan majority on tho
Board Of Superinte udents would be an
accomplished fact, and complete poiit-
eal harmony would exist between it and
the Board of Education. which can &C
eept or reject the nominations of the
Board Of Superintendents
Dr. Andrew W. Edison, who retired as
~ associate superintendent on Febru-
AIRY /. explained yesterday the relative
merts Of the several candidates. III
cludlng Mss MoNaliy and Miss Biz
m'ngnan, for director OF speech inl-
provement DR.. Edison was a member
q the board at the time the candidates
appeared before il. He said:
The Board Of Superlntenderts can
vassed the situation time and again
and decided at last upon Miss McNallv.
tne ranking teacher among the twenty
siS persons eligible to Try for the
pace. This was following the rejection
o. the domination of Or. James Greene.
Mss McNally lately had been assigned
% Sne New York Training School for
reacners or nomination Of Or. Martin,
ne strongly urged the selection Of Miss
McNally as his successor on leaving
sne service. Naturally. his recon-
mmenoation had great weight With the
BOARD Of uperntendents. as he held
sue vas best fitted for this work BY
experience and rating
In nominating Miss McNally the
/ noaro OF Education has complied with
vac recommendation of the superin-
Nnsents. Upon the nomination being
..aoe u was referred to M Stern for
..po'O ma recommendation. There the
lon.!ratlon rests.
q. FfeYlous TO Miss McNally's nomina-
so, the strongest possible pressure
was hrougn. 10 bear on the Eoard Of
superirtendents bv majority Of the
nenDers Of the Board of Education TO
a;aominatc Miss Birmingham. OF course,
this" 'ue"' ""S 'he5 "-d
contestants Stay in Race
o,n ~lsS MeNally stood r1st and Miss
SNonneil second as Candidates for the
sos.''on after the Beard of Education,
s9on the motion IT Ny Stern. voted
reject the uperintendents' recon
'e.uaNon OF Dr. Greene because he
an ~outsder,' Dr.. Edison said.
.;.ls ..'ss Birmingham is said to have
~. r,."a.a"n her application. but this
Iehlcd yesterday by a member of
Mn noard OF uperintendcnts. Miss
IrNa.iy would not confirm or deny "A
tshed repor- that strong pressure
~ oeen brought TO bear upon her To
'"auee her TO withdraw.
e. asor9e j. Ryan, acting president Of
e ooTrd OF Education, said he had no
a.o~ieoge Of any request having been
aae clther of members OF the board
w., " OF Miss McNallv looking to her
s,ttnofawal. superintendent Ettinger
rusea 10 comment on the situation
Na.d'cely ever In former admlnstra-
r,, Or. tdson pointed out would g
.noer s... OF the Board Of Education sug-
nv a. 70 the Board of Superintendents
~ eandldate of their choice, but rec
= s'r1eo the prerogative Of the Board
perntendents to recommend the
fs.uidates they knew to be best fitted
~, promotion.
mn. M otsrn and his committee will re
Ts.s on Miss McNally's nomination at
~'e ne etinc W