Evening star., 1935-01-15
Library and Commissioners.

Library and Commissioners.
There should be general interest in
the letter from the Board of Trustees
Of the Public Library, written by
Justice Wendell P. Stafford as vice
president, to the Commissioners in
response to their invitation for COM
fnent on the tentative bill drawn by
Corporation Counsel Prettyman for
broadening and otherwise enlarging
power of the Commissioners over in
dependent citizens boards. The letter,
which appears elsewhere in the COL
unns of The Star today, suggests spe-
ciflcally that the Public Library and
the schools be excepted from certain
provisions of the bill. While reference
is made to the Public Library in par
ticular, some of the general principles
set forth would seem to apply with
equal force to other boards.
The letter calls attention to those
provisions of the bill which apparently
give to the Commissioners power to
direct or prohibit any and every ac-
ton of the Library trustees, the Ii
brarian or any employe of the Library;
which declare that any action which
the Commissioners may direct to be
taken shall be treated as if already
taken by the party receiving the di-
rection, and which empower the Com
missioners Ito abolish any Office" ito
consolidate two or more offices" and
to remove from office any person
appointed by them"
Interpreting such provisions, the
letter suggests that such powers would
enable the Commissioners to direct
the trustees whom to appoint as Ii
brarian, to control his every action,
to appoint his assistants and employees
and "in short, to direct every detail
Of administration, whether through
the agency of the librarian, of the
Board of Trustees or of any other
person whom the Commissioners may
see fit to designate; that the Com
missioners would apparently have the
power to abolish the Board of Trustees,
abolish the Office of librarian and
name some agent of theirs to do the
work; that the Commissioners might
reduce the number of trustees If the
Commissioners chose to have any at
all, and that the Commissioners might
remove any or all of the trustees at
any time.
The Library, which by statute is "a
supplement of the public educational
system of said District" should, like
the public schools, have separate
administration, free from "interfer-
ence by the ordinary business admin
istration of the District" and should
be "kept at a safe distance from spoils
and patronage" While the proposed
bill, suggested as permanent law,
changes long-settled policy, no
abuses under the present system have
been suggested as requiring remedy.
While it has been said that the drastic
powers conferred 'are not likely to be
used" the letter asks, why, then,
should such powers be conferred?"
And here a point is raised which, Of
course, applies with equal force to
other independent boards in the Dis
trict:
One purpose in having board of
trustees is to enlist the services of
specially qualified and public spirited
citizens, of influence in the COM
munity, whose recommendations may
have weight with Congress, and it
seems doubtful to us whether such
persons would care to hold Office un-
der such tenure as that proposed,
especially when every act is subject to
being dictated beforehand or after
ward overruled and Cancelled.
The letter recalls the bill Of 1916,
which proposed to give the Commits
sioners "the right to make appoint
ments and removals of employees in
the Free Public Library" and which,
after hearings before the House Dis
trict Committee under chairmanship
OF the late Ben johnson, was unan-
tmously rejected.
The letter makes plain its concern
with principles, and not with "the
present Board of Trustees or the pres
ent Board Of Commissioners" It is
in such spirit that the Commissioners
and citizens of the District will pro-
coed to the further examination of
the contested features of the present