Evening star., 1932-10-21
Challenges Propriety
OF CupOla Hearing
To the Editor Of The Star:

10 Lne EditOr OF Inc 6Lar.
There are various vital points con- n
that should be made clear. There has
been nothing definite to show that the
Fine Arts Commission, as body, made
any complaint about cupola omission
to the District Commissioners, who are
responsible and accountable to Con-
gress, the President, and the people as
whole. If that be true the Commis
sioners had no official knowledge of any
such protest, and should have paid no
attention to it. Reports Of the hearing
do not disclose that any authorized
representative of the Fine Arts Com
mission appeared there and made pro-
test. The protest. If any, it is alleged,
was sent to an outsider association, ir-
responsible and unaccountable to the
people and without lawful jurisdiction
over public schools or any public af
fairs of the District of Columbia.
Prom the beginning, and throughout,
the hearing was advertised as one for
proponents of the cupola. All taXpay
ers' money pays for public school build
ings: its expenditure is a matter of
general public concern. To extend no
invitation to any objecting taxpayers
and citizens smacks oespotically Of spe
cial privilege, perhaps not exactly in
harmony with a constitutional oath
taken to administer public Office with
out fear or favor. Public hearings for
all are considered to be highly moral
and strictly legal
The newspaper report stated that the
hearing was granted to one small mi
nority group. When held. others were
heard from other minority groups, not
one of them with known authority
from their associations to ask for or
60 to that hearing. A supposed repre-
sentative of committee of the Fed
Grafton of Citizens Associations is re-
ported to have been there and partici-
pated, though a special meeting of the
federation to discuss the matter (as
reportedD produced no quorum. took
no action and authorized no repreSen-
tation there.
Some of the groups represented have
set up claims to represent certain ter
ritOry of the District of Columbia
There Is no known lawful authority for
that claim. and it requires a law to
convey authority to represent territory
or people anywhere in this country
When the people select their represent
atives, they are also provided with the
means for getting rid of those who mis-
represent them.
1t is time that all persons in the Dis
trict of Columbia should awaken to the
fact that the sole lawful means of rep
resentation remaining to the people Of
the District CT Columbia in. public af-
fairs are % free and open public meet
ings, into which all may enter and take
part without paying any dictators
price to do so; 2) individual petitions.
and 90 .petitioning applications sufh-
GENTLY representative to convey a real
public request or register a real public
protest. such petitioning applications to
contain names and addresses SO that
the public may know definitely who are
the signers.
So long as public officials seem in
clined to ignore these fundamental law
full rights of all and appear to confer
special privileges on unrepresentative
minority groups to manipulate public
affairs Of the District of Columbia, just
so long will the District be afflicted
with such farces as this propaganda
for an inconsequent:al and wastetully
extravagant cupola adornmcnt. when
the money is sorely needed for nobler
uses. JOSEPH w. CHEYNEY.