Evening star., 1943-05-31
Letters to the Editor
School Principal Discusses Proposal
To Remove Pound from Randall Area.

To Remove Pound from Randall Area.
To the Editor of The Star:
The principal of the Randall Junior
High School looks at the dog pound sit
uation from the points of view of the
humane treatment of the dogs, of the
c1tizenry and of the 1850 persons in the
Randall organization
First, the dogs at the pound are appeal
ing, frightened creatures in need of syno-
pathy that every dog owner and dog lover
understands. When surrounded by
crowds of adolescents and adults at play
the dogs don't understand, and they yap
and howl in and out of tune with the
activities in progress. These creatures
deserve better break than to be located
at the east center of a recreation area.
Second, the Randall recreation area is
the only recreation space for Negroes
from the Mall on the north to the Poto-
mac on the south, from Eleventh street
on the east to the Potomac on the west,
The new housing projects for war work.
ers have brought increased numbers seek
Ing recreation; the small houses of the
older residents are overcroWded by those
AoASSN
OF war workers. These residents crowd
the Randall area in the evenings under
the supervision of the Recreation Depart
ment; and some of them who have come
from every part of the country and who
may not have had the advantage of being
taught kindness to dumb animals prob
ably annoy the dogs. These residents feel
that the dogs are an intrusion upon the
recreation area.
Third the Randall Junior High School
pupils. accused of being 'obstreperous,"
are on the recreation area only for phy-
sical education under the supervision of
their teachers and at recess under super
vised and organized games During the
day, however, when passersby approach
the pound, the dogs respond vigorously
The Randall pupils, on the other hand,
have developed love for the dogs; they
have become used to their barking and
have been taught not to molest the ami
mails. Every form of educational program
has been offered at the Randall Junior
High School to maj lest our cooperation
with the poundmaster. Those children
who have annoyed the dogs have been
investigated by the Randall principal
found to be truants and lawless charac-
ters connected in no way with the Ran
dali organization
At this time when the recreation area
Is under repair, 1t is opportune to con-
slider the removal of the pound from the
center east section for the welfare of
the dogs themselves, for the comfort Of
the patrons who use the space for rec
reation instead of the streets for delin-
quency and for the Randall pupils who
like to have an uninterrupted and peace
full health education program.
GLADYS T. PETERSON,
Principal, Randall Junior High School.
Constitutional Limitation
On Democracy Discussed.
To the Editor Of the Star:
The greatest evil the American Gov
ernment suffers from today is the decay
in representative democracy These
Framers did not believe in a direct de-
mocracy even in the days when the
United States was a comparatively small
country and direct democracy would
have been much more effective than
now in such large country. They did
not believe in direct democracy where
the elected representatives were the mere
organ through which the assumed wishes
of the people were carried into effect.