Evening star., 1936-07-12
BURROUGHS PAPER
DEFENDS TEACHERS
Mrs. Roy, in Editorial, d.
rects Attack on Methods
of BIanton.


A vigorous defense Of the District
public school teachers is coupled with
an attack on Representative Blanton
Of Texas in an editorial in the July
issue Of the Burroughs Bulletin, pub
hcation Of the Burroughs Citizens
Association.
Warning that continuation of the
Blanton method of dealing with Dis
trict problems would lead to political
despotism" is made in the editorial,
written by Mrs. Eleanor st. Omer
Roy, managing editor of the Bulletin.
Her editorial, headed, What Next?"
follows:
Text of Editorial.
again we are constrained to ask:
How long, o Lord, how long? 1t is
amazing how much the American
people will take before they rebel. This
time it would seem that Mr.. Thomas
Blanton from Abilene, Tex, has over
reached himself.
Various suggestions have been made
as to what the teachers of the District
of Columbia'S public school should do
with the QUESTIONABLE which the gen.
tleman from the little town SO recently
sent them. The Washington Daily
News thinks they should throw them
in the waste basket. A member Of the
House of Representatives says that
were he a recipient of one. he would
write 1T is none of your blank buSi-
ness across the top and send it back.
Your editor has said she would like 10
be Washington school teacher just
long enough to tear her copy of the
QUESTIONABLE into little bits and mail
It with her name and address to Mr..
Blanton in that form.
Action Is Resented.
"It is not that our teachers are
atheists or 'subversive borers from
within and about to be found out,
that they and their defenders so in
dignantly resent the QUESTIONABLE
which has just been distributed among
them. There is little doubt that every
one Of them could pass most rigid
examination as to their religious and
patriotic convictions and come of with
flying colors. The point is that it is
an affront for any member Of Congress
to ask them. The Constitution spe-
cifically protects them in their religi-
GUS belief; and very civic-minded citi-
zen Of the United States has stood
firmly through succeeding generations
on the platform that the schools, the
courts and the churches should be kept
out of politics. Yet member of the
House Of Representatives of the Con-
gress of the United States, hound by
oath to .,upport our Constitution, sends
to each public school teacher in the
District of Columbia a QUESTIONABLE
as to his religious, economic and polit-
ical beliefs, attempting to enforce his
demand by a veiled threat Of SUBJ
poena to appear before his Appropria-
tions Committee-a threat, by the way,
which neither Mr.. Blanton nor the
committee itself could carry out.
"It Is probable that no harm could
be done to any one by answering the
questions of which we complain. But
if these can be asked and the answers
forced, where will the end be? 1t takes
little stretch of the imagination to
picture what the very near future
would hold in the way of political
deSpotism. One of the incidents of
Communist government to which our
writer's complain is the practice of eX
cluding from employment the sons and
daughters Of members of the recently
deposed classes. Does Mr.. Blanton wish
America to adopt similar policy?
Franking Question Cited.
"An attempt to censure Representa-
tive Blanton was made in the House.
and defeated by technically. 1t was
insisted that Mr.. Blanton was not
bringing the House into disrepute, be-
cause he sought the information as an
individual and not as Representative.
Yet he sent the 5000 questionnaires
under the Government frank, and in
closed franked envelope for the re-
ply. Has any Congressman the right
to send his personal mail free of post
age? Most Representatives and Sena-
tors do not think So but affix stamps
to all mail which any one might con-
strue as unofficial.
Perhaps If enough insults a.e
heaped upon the residents of the Dis
trict of Columbia by those members of
Congress who are charged with the
management of their affairs. but who
do not care continental for them.
they will rise up and demand the right
to choose their public officers by vote.
Perhaps the gentleman from the little
town is unwittingly benefactor after