Evening star., 1943-07-21
Moving Office of Education
Brings Complaint of Discrimination.

To the Editor OF The Star:
1t seems unbelievable that the Office
of Education Is to be expelled from its
present quarters in the new Interior
Building.
Moving of the staff of the Education
ONCE will deny it ready access to one
OF the finest education libraries in the
world, since there is no other place in
Washington suitable to house the re-
markable collection of books and manu-
scripts now housed in quarters built for
the purpose. In an age of change such
libraries are sorely needed and should
be used for the purpose for which they
are intended
Also, it must be remembered that the
Education Office is an agency of govern
ment that was never intended to be
kicked around. It's job is to help make
democracy work-in times of war as
we'll as in peace. 1t is charged by Con-
gress with the task of promoting educa-
ton on the several levels. ITS task is to
give leadership to the States in behalf
OF today's and tomorroWs citizens.
BY no means a war baby" the Office
of Education began to help the Nation
prepare for war long before the war was
a reality. One section has led the train
ing of more than 100000 war plant
workers. so that America could produce
more and better planes. tanks, guns and
ships than the Axis could build.
EXiling the Education Office to make
shift quarters is something more than
simply lockout Of staff from it's proper
quarters. More specifically, the shifting
resembles a blow at an agency of Gov
ernment that embodies the spirit OF
democratic Federal-State cooperation
in the highly essential business of educa-
ton Of Americas children. This agency,
together with the schools, stands as
bulwark against the spread OF totali-
tarianism at home.
Perhaps the Education Office does not
belong" in the Department of the IN
terror. The President thought it didn't
and placed it in the Federal Security
Agency, representing anything but Sc
curity from standpoint of quarters for
Its various sections. The new Social Sc
curity Building is occupied by others,
while the Office of Education has re-
mained in its old quarters until now
The honorable thing for Secretary
Ickes to do would be to move out some
of his old files which clutter up section
after section of his building, and leave
the Education Office where it is until
satisfactory set Of offices can be found
for it after the war. A LIBERAL.
OPA Debated
Pro and Con.
To the Editor of The Star:
There's q war on, folks! Our fathers,
brothers and sons are being killed and
manned daily and suffering hardships
beyond description. Yet many of us
persist in carping about trifling incon-
veniences which slightly mar the even
tenor of our peacetime serenity and
which we should be ashamed even to
mention in time of war.
Where's that vaunted American spirit
of unquestioning and unselish sacrifice
when liberty is imperiled? What differ
ence does it make, for instance, If there
is some question as to the necessity of
the pleasure driving ban and the strict
enforcement of same? Why complain
about "harsh" enforcement methods?
There should be no necessity for "en-
forcement," strict or otherwise
My own car has been sitting Idle ever