Evening star., 1923-02-01
Paying Bogus School Debts of the Last
Century With Money Sorely Needed
for the Schools of Today.

the fact that one-third of our school
revenue 10 devoted to the education
OF eolered children, invited here from
Of conspss:, ana ss Who's. @ parent parents ' az a
rule. pay no taxes, and that 80 per
cent OF the white pupils In our schools
are the children OF persons connected
with the public service. and who. for
the the most part; are mere mere so5onsnssrs ,,g ,ss
states furnish 50 per cent Of the bene-
| ficiaries of our schools. they throw
the entire burden Of their support
on the 20 per cent Of tax-paying citi-
1--WE concur fully in this statement.
Nothing comparatively has been done
by Congress for the cause of educa-
tton, and our schools have no en-
dowment fund either Of land or
money. OF the 354 schoolrooms now
used, III. or about one-third. are
rented at an annual cost of about
$4,000. and. as reported by the health
omcer. these rented rooms are. for
the most part, wholly unsuited for
the purpose, and menacing to the
health of the pupils The great want
OF our schools at present Is additional
For the supply of this imperative
need they must look to Congress
alone. for with the oppressive debt
which now burdens the taxpayers of
the District, and the present over
whelming demand on it's revenues for
street and sewer improvements. this
want can be met in no other way
U. 8. Recognizes school Inequttie..
In view of these facts the Commits
sioners thus urged the permanent
payment of one-half of the annual
expenses of the schools by the United
states, and meanwhile relief appro-
priations for the maintenance of a
system for which the District re-
sources Tin view of other needs) were
inadequate. Congress for the nation
confessed Judgment on this compla int.
II In enect admitted that IL had
rallied to meet the national obligation
toward the schools of the nations s
city: 1t appropriated outright as well
as by loan to participate In meet
ing the current expenses of the
schools before 1878, and in that year
assumed obligation under the organic
act and the permanent" government
TO meet every year one-half of the
school expenses.
This advance of ss7.74o.5o, reim-
nursed In full in 1919. formed part
Of the United States quarter million
school contribution ''by loan and
otherwise" between 1894 and 1917
which the Commissioners compare
so disparasingly with the sa,as6,-
pose of the District taxpayers in six
years, 1871 to 1917. In 1873 the
United States admitted that it ought
to have paid one-half Of these ex-
penses In the past and agreed to pay
one-half of such expenses for the
. future. The inadequate national con-
tribution prior to 1878 for schools
was set OF against the many time s
heavier contribution of the District
taxpayers in the readjustment and
settlement in bankruptcy of 1878.
The effect OF the 1888 reim-
oursement in full of this last CEN
tury item was to pick out one item
OF government school loan in this
meager national contribution of a
quarter million for schools between
pleteiy its repayment many times
over under the principles of adjust
ment In the settlement of 1878, to
conhscate, on the pretext of reim-
bursement of the advance. nearly
100000 of the tax money raised by
the schools and other municipal ex-
penditures of that year. At that
time. as today, the Commissioners
and the board of education and the
| whole of organized Washington were
pleading for more equitable support
day. and pleading in part In vain on
account of existing financial consid-
erations and embarrassments. Con-
gress in 191s-is thus took 100000 Of
the District tax money (Which meant
100000 IL applied in maintenance of
applied ii to an ancient, resurrectei
bogus debt and depleted in that
amount the Districts inadequate
! fund for current school maintenance,
of which Congress was trustee.
Violation of Law and Equity.
In 1888, when the reimbursement
Of expenditures on schools. etc, OF
the last century was made, the needs
| of then existing District schools was
conspicuous and urgent. The money
from which these reimbursements
! were made had been collected by the
Commissioners from the District tax.
payers solely by authority of n law
payers half the amount of -estima tes
approved by Congress. The estimates
submitted by the Commissioners
made no provision of payment for al
taxpayers OF the last century. To
pay In 1888 for Washington
school expenses of the seventies OF
; the last century was to confiscate
money raised to meet the urgent cur
rent needs of 1919, including the vital
need OF improvements relating tc
public schools OF 15lS-19. To compel
the District taxpayers of 191S-1s to
spend hundreds of thousands of dol
lars on the Washington schools OF
II owed by anybody was owed by the
taxpayers Of 1S74-7S, a debt which
was not paid by those who may have
owed 1t, either because of the blum
ders. omissions or neglects of national
officials tor whom the District was
not responsible. or because the debt
was merged in the bankruptcy settle
ment of 1878 and forgivenIis to
violate grossly all the equities. is to
defy the sound principle at the
foundation of the statute of limita :
| tions. and is to cut down the money
available for urgently necessary inn
provement of conditions in the Dis
trict's 1888 schools.
The taxpayers of 1858 were thus
compelled to pay in full a thirty-five.
year-old debt of taxpayers of the
last century who, IL they had been re-
quired to pay in 1875, would have
paid only half. and who were released
a, OF part Of it by the
both debts and credits Of the District
ana which released the United States
from more Indebtedness in the ag-
EreGate than the District. far more
II equitable debts and credits are
taken into the calculation
A debt which was only half owed
or not owed at all, by the taxpayerr
OF 1873 was thus collected in full
from the taxpayers of I8IS-I9 who
haa not profftcd by 1T, who had NO,
been responsible for 1t personal
~ ~ even through their predeces-
! s0Ts, since IL was conascated nv
agents OF the United States, and wha
needed not only the conhscated
money but milliOns more to meet the
accumulated school needs of l0lS-l9
Every cent extorted from 18IS-19 tax.
payers for the schools OF 1S74-7S Gu,
aswn the money available to NEE,
| the extensive and urgent school needs
81 that day.
The gross Injustice OF compelling
!simbursement Of this ancient school
| lean In ISla.19 would be duplicated II
Interest under the act of June 20