The Washington times., 1923-01-05
NEED VOTE
To CURE
ILLS
Citizens Unable to Secure
Aims Without Franchise,
Commissioner Holds.
O GK0RaE FRANKLIN.

~ UA44sNA FnANAAANs
Declared TO be in no proper
sense wards Of the nation, Wash
ington sehoel children are made
30 through the schoel-control sys-
tenn m operation at present,
That the schools of the city
should be models Of emulation
for the schools Of all other Amer
lean cities, but that they are not
such and never can be made SO
because of this system, were opin-
ions expressed today by DR.. John
J. Tigert, Commissioner Of Edv-
cation.
DR.. Tigert faveRs the granting
of suffrage in school matters to
residents Of the District as the
only practical solution to the un-
favorable situation resulting from
Q system which transfers control
and responsibility to men having
no local interests in educational
affairs.
Sees Vote as SoIutian.
Let the citizens Of Washington
vote for school board members ana
elect the men they desm best quail
fled to discharge the important du-
ties attaching to such positions, -
eaid DR. TIgert
LET local taxes for school ex.
pensss be supplemented by a SINH.
lar amount Ieylei against Govern.
ment pfaperty-that IL, let the Cav
eminent make an appropriation
equal to the SUM raised BY local
nd -
raised 70 carry out the needed I'm.
prOvemeHts and Developments,
AT present residents of the Dis.
.trict ct Gelumbia can exercise little
influence In directing school aeVel.
opments. They never can expent
TO so do until permitted to vote
and thus choose their own school
board.
Washingten schools are the gie-
Tins Of the reactions of all of the
little school fights going on all
over the country. Naturally. Con-
gressmen are influenced By the
opinions held by the folks at home
on educational questions. Wash
ingteH schools get the benefit Of
Al that.
Analogous to State.
The Washington schools stand
TO the national Government much
as the schools Of any State stand
toward the State. just as the gcv-
eminent appropriatee a fund for
scheal purposes in the District, 50
the States provide an educational,
or school, fund which Is supple
mented by funds raised locally.
The proposal to enfranchise resi-
dents of the District for school
board election purposes and put the
schools under control OF those hav-
ing the greatest interest in them
while the Cover lEent continues its
financial aid, backed up by a local
school tax. is merely carrying cut
the system adopted by every State
in eennection with school support
and development"
Pointing to the Gyclepedia Of Ed
ucatien. edited by Paul Monroe, DIR.
TigeFt quoted.
"BntiI Congress can be made to
realize that It is incompetent prop.
erly to administer such an unaeftak-
ing and will give the Board Of Edu-
cation the power and control which
should belong to 1t. there IL little
hope of a good, modern school sys-
tenn for the District Of Columbia. The
supeFintendency of-the schools OF
Washington is generally regarded as
one of the most difficult and most
undesirable positions in the United
States"
BIames Waste on System.
IHefficiency and waste, instead Of
progress and expansion. of the city
schools, DR.. Tigert ascrihed to the
system in force. In an educational
sense he declared the local system to
be an anomolY.
Educators throughout the. country
are insistent, it was pointed out,