Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-17
EDUCATION REPORT
IS HELD DYNAMITE
Congress Members, Reading
Proposal of Department,
Calls Issue Dangerous.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

Many members Of Congress who have
read the report Of the National Ad-
visory Committee on Education said
they wouldn't touch the issue raised
! therein with 40-foot pole.
Their view was that not only was
the time not propitious for increasing
the number of Federal departments, but
that the fight for and against a Fed
eral department of education had
merely reopened an old political sore,
with the representatives of Catholic
education lined up in a minority re-
port against the idea and the repre-
sentatives OF general education favor
ing it.
While the committee was appointed
by President Hoover, acceptance of It's
report by him is not mandatory, as the
committee is wholly unofficial and its
studies were financed by private funds.
But the chances are that Mr.. Hoover
will recommend the general principle
advocated in the report and that Con-
gress will be the final judge of how the
recommendations shall be carried out.
Report Held Compromise.
The majority report is an apparent
compromise between two points of view,
those who favor Capitalization of GER
tain supervisory powers in education in
the Federal Government and those who
want the whole educational process
reserved to the state and city govern
ments with the Federal Department of
Education as merely a statistical gath
ering agency such as Is the present
Office of education in the Interior De-
partment.
BY attacking the idea of Federal
control of education, the majority gives
the distinct impression that any Fed
eral department would not interfere In
local handling of education. If this
is to be the case, the Catholic repre-
sentatives ask, then what Is the ulti-
mate purpose Of enlarging the present
educational bureau and making it a
department with cabinet official at
its head unless eventually the powers
OF the Federal department are to be
increased.
Department Existed in 1867.
For years the question of a Federal
department of education has been
agitated. In fact, back in 1867 there
was such department, and there never
idea OF giving education a place at
the Presidents cabinet table. The
objection raised has always been as to
how far such a department would go
In interfering with parochial schools
or how far it woulud endeavor to con-
troll state expenditure of funds and
their administration by local officers.
About $4,000, 100000 year is spent
for education in America. 1t is the
biggest single item in local government
budgets. The theory of Federal en-
croachment has been the subject of
much debate. The committees report,
which is the result of a years study
by as prominent group of educators
as ever has been assembled, is strongly
lnsistent on continued local control, but
the majority of the signers see an op-
portunity for valuable coordination
work by the proposed Federal depart
ment of education.
"A Federal department, headed by a
secretary in the Presidents cabinet. i"
say the two Catholic education repre-
sentatiyes on the. committee. RiahtrRev
Edward A. Pace and Right Rev. George
johnson, lis of its very nature an adj
n1inistrative institution and nothing that
could be written into any act setting
up such q department could prevent
1t from taking on administrative and
directive functions in the course of
time, even though it would not be en-
dowed with them in the beginning"
Minority Oppose Plan.
The minority also argued that since
the new secretary would be a political
appo1ntee, he would respond to pres
sure and be amenable to the wishes
OF the political party in power.
The foregoing viewpoint is essentially
what, has been said on the stump in
the debates on Federal department
OF education. The last two national
conventions in their platform planks
did not define the issue, but the Demo-
Gratis leaned away from the Federal
department idea, presumably because
OF their States rights tradition.
When DR.. Ray Lyman Wilbur, him
self college president and noted edu-
Gator, became Secretary of the In
terror he announced a program of help
fulness on the part of the ONCE of
Education, which is a bureau in his
| department. He stressed the need for
! coordination and his speech Won ap-
plause from all groups.
In TACT, 1t has been suggested that
| the precedent established by Mr.. Hoo
yer in making an educator the head
OF the Department of the Interior would
enable any President of the United
States in the future to carry out the
| purposes of the majority report iust
rendered without any additional Iepis.
lation or specific authority. This woIIIo
suit most members of Congress. who
feel that any issue involving decision
on the moot question of religion,
education in the schools and kindred
/ subjects is DOlitica1 Own O mite and go,