Evening star., 1939-07-12
Faulty Diagnosis

sSSsS
Elsewhere on this page today The
Star prints letter from Mr.. Frank
o. Everett, one Of the Griffenhagen
associates, protesting on his own be-
half the fairness and accuracy of
Star editorial. The editorial in ques-
tion took vigorous exception to the
language chosen by Mr.. Everett, who
wrote the report on the pending Dis
trict reorganization, to explain why
the original Griffenhagen plans re-
garding the schools and libraries were
abandoned. The Star resented the
reflections on the motives, intelli-
gence and qualifications of those
whose protests led to the partial
abandonment of such plans and
questioned the accuracy OF some of
the following statements from the
report:
The exceptions to central control and
administration (of the schools and libra
rles) rest on no better grounds
than those of concessions to expediencv
made necessary by pressure groups made
up.o of persons with interests to serve and
others not sufficiently informed as to
where the real interests of those gov
erned really lie. The arguments COM
monty advanced for such separation can
readily be demonstrated to be wholly
specious and fallacious = -.
The Board of Education and the Board
OF Library Trustees would be continued
as heretofore. This, as explained, repre-
sents sacrifice of principle and of the
benefits to be derived from centralized
| responsibility, for which no sufficient rea-
sons exist other than those of expediencv
as involved in yielding to the demands
| OF pressure groups -.
The central personnel functions of the
Board of Education and the Board of
Library Trustees with respect to their
| professional stats, other than classifica-
| tion and compensation functions. would
| be excepted, not on grounds of principle
| or on practical grounds, but because of
| what is believed to be short-sighted oppo-
| sition to Capitalization of these functions,
| which ignores the true principles and
| practical considerations involved
AS explained these exceptions have no
logical basis, but are provided on grounds
OF expediency, becaust of the, no doubt,
Well-meaning but narrow and misguided
opposition to including these agencies
and functions in unified plan of local
government, in due relation with others.
The Stars editorial was not printed,
as Mr.. Everett seems to imply, in the
spirit Of victorious gloating over the
abandonment of the original recon-
mendations which, If carried out,
would, in effect, have scrapped the
Board of Education and the Board of
Library Trustees. The Stars opposi-
ton to such recommendations in
which 1t was joined by what is be-
lieved to be predominant show of
community sentiment as we'll as the
sentiment of Mr.. Kennedys subcom-
mittee, has always been impersonal
and without reflection on the motives
or sincerity of the firm of Griffen-
hagen and Associates. But The Star
denies that arguments advanced by
The Star and others against the orig
inal Griffenhagen proposals affecting
schools and libraries were or can be
demonstrated to be specious, falla-
cious, prompted by self-interest,
short sighted, narrow, misguided, un-
Informed as to where the real in
terests of the governed really lie" or
that they ignored "the true principles
and practical considerations in
volved"-these being some Of the ex-
pressions employed in the report.
Certainly no one in Washington, as
far as The Star knows, and certainly
not The Star itself, has ever argued,
as Mr.. Everett seems to suggest in his
letter, that schools and libraries are
to be treated as exceptional fields to
which the principles of good organi-
zation do not apply" The issue was
whether the original Griffenhagen
recommendations represented the
principles of good organization" ap-
plicable to schools and libraries,
especially the schools and libraries of
Washington In the opinion of The
Star and many others, they did not.
Citizens boards are more essential in
Washington, for reasons which are
stronger in Washington, than in
other cities and it is almost the uni
versal practice in other American
cities, especially in connection with
libraries, to utilize citizens boards.
This community is without direct
representation, municipal or national,
in its government and the indirect
participation of Washington citizens
in community affairs, through volun-
tary service on authoritative boards,
should be encouraged to the fullest
extent, not, in practical effect, elm
mated.
Respecting the opinion of others,
The Star resents aspersions cast upon
It's opinion and those who share it.
In connection with the infallibility
sometimes associated by experts with
the opinion of experts in all fields,
and as long as Mr.. Everett has
brought physicians, by way of anal
ogy, into the discussion, it should be
remembered that the most eminent
OF physicians would be the first to