Evening star., 1937-05-26
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Red Rider Repeal.

Hepea4 o1 Cne req rlQer 1Orolddlng the
teaching or advocation of communism in
the public schools of the District of Co.
lumbia has at last been effected by the
adoption in the House of the conference
report by an overwhelming vote, the
Senate having already approved the re-
port. Thus ends two-year fight to rid
the statutes of prohibition which
should never have been adopted and for
which there was no need and which was
grave reflection upon the teachers of
the public schools of the District.
The repeal was accompanied by a pro-
vision adopted by both houses that this
action should not be construed as
permitting the advocating of commu-
nism. That itself was needless, but ap-
parently 1t was requisite to assure the
final enactment of the measure There
= has never been any occasion for such
q prohibition, for the public school
teachers have not in the past engaged
IN any radical propaganda in the regular
course of instruction.
Had there been any tendency toward
the advocacy of subversive doctrines of
government, the Board of Education
could have been relied upon to check it
effectively. The action of Congress in
adopting the red rider was thus re-
Election upon the board itself as well as
upon the teaching force, and was nat
urally resented by the board members
as well as by the community. The
absurdity of the red rider prohibition
against the teaching of communism,
wrongly construed to be advocacy" as
well as instruction, was evidenced by the
. cumbersome and expensive method
adopted to assure compliance, the TAX
ing OF an oath each month by each
teacher that during the preceding pay
period he or she had not engaged in the
prohibited practice.
Superintendent Ballou In his COM
fnent upon the action OF repeal aptly
expresses his qualification that the ad-
ministrative machinery set up to carry
out the provisions of the rider can now
be scrapped and the attention of the
educational administration turned to
something else more profitable.
Gratitude is due to Representative
Kennedy OF Maryland for his services In
securing this joint action of the two
houses OF Congress. He has engineered
the measure with persistence and skill
and with full understanding of the i'm
portance Of the repeal. To him 70 the
thanks OF the community, the Board of
Education and the teachers upon whom
the slur was cast by the original rider.
Use OF appropriation bills to enact gen.
eral legislation is an unsound, unwise
and dangerous practice. Propositions
that could not stand upon their own
merits in full consideration have in other
cases than this been run through the
congressional mill by attachment to
supply measures which, with right of
way over others, afforded assured
vehicles. The division of jurisdiction in
matters affecting the District between
the appropriations and the legislative
committees has in the past permitted
numerous infractions OF the principle
That strictly legislative proposals should
stand upon their own merits and not
be attached to budget measures.
Inc incident OF the red rider is now
closed. 1t has caused much distress
and anxiety on the part of the teachers
and much concern for the Board of
Education. Now that the chapter has
neen concluded by this joint action of
The two houses the Capital community
hopes that 1t will not again be sub
5ected to such mischief making enter
prise on the part Of ill-informed, pref
udiced groups.
y