Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-27
Government by Agreements. y

There should be some definite and
clear-cut understanding as to the nature
and status Of so-called agreements"
entered into between members of sub
committees on District appropriations
and the District officials called before
these subcommittee in connection with
local appropriations.
If such agreements are to be con-
strued as binding those responsible for
initiating and changing important poll
cies in Government administration in
the District. and accepted as legisla-
ton expressing the will of the Congress,
they represent notable departure, in
deed, and exercise an important effect
upon the affairs of the people of this
community.
If agreements as to the use Of appro-
priations, which have the effect of set
ting up new policies or abandoning old
ones, are to be entered into between Dis
trict officials and the members of con-
gressional subcommittee behind the
closed doors of committee rooms, there
the procedure now generally followed,
which consists in bringing proposed leg
1slation to the floors Of both houses of
Congress for a vote. Government of
the local community might as well be
transferred to secret committee rooms
and the Interpretation of the agree
nents left to personal correspondence
between the parties thereto, with the
public more or less left out in the cold.
The present controversy between the
Board of Education and Representative
Simmons, chairman of the House sub
committee on District appropriations,
concerns the status of such agreements
and should be examined thoroughly as
to its merits by both houses of Con-
gress. In this case there seems to have
been an reement" between the sub
committees on appropriations of House
and Senate and the school officials as
to the policy to be followed in retaining
or closing kindergartens. It developed,
after the adjournment of Congress, that
the so-called agreement was so indefi-
nitely understood by the school officials
that lengthy correspondence was neces-
sary to clarity, in the minds Of the
school oficials. what the other parties
to the agreement had in mind.
AS the Board of Education was not
made party to this agreement, it used
its own good Judgment and discretion
In carrying out its so-called terms 1t
refused, after conducting lengthy hear
ings, to close the Webster underage
kindergarten. Citizens appearing in
protest against such closing cited its
value in Americanization work. This
valuable work was ridiculed by the
House subcommittee on District appro-
priations as being nursing" job dur
ing which the pupils are incidentally
taught to say papa and mama" which
observation writes fairly accurate
commentary on the amount of thought
that was represented in some of the
arbitrary provisions of the agreement "
Under the circumstances the Board OF
Education acted within its rights, and
CctIdAhy A0PAOSoAICO CiAS "A0AAeS "a VAC
taxpayers, when it made its decision
If agreements are not translated into
legislation, 1t is difficult to give them, by
any stretch of the imagination legis-
lative status. And if they have nc
legislative status they do not bind those
who have not committed themselves to
the agreement. And as agreements are
at best questionable and indefinite
methods Of indicating the will Of Con-
gress, they should be dropped altogether
Secret agreements affecting the inter-
ests Of the community have no place II
its government anyhow