The Newtown bee., 1894-11-23
Affairs About Town.
THE GRAY's PLAIN SCHOOL QUESTION.
AS SET FORTH BY RESIDENT OF THE
 DlSI1sI1T.

at the annual meeting June 23, 1894, Mar tin Ryan and George Winton had the same number of votes. The chairman cast his vote for Mir Winton. MT Ryan then stated to the meeting that ''he had hired teacher for the next year." This came like the report of an unexpected cannon shot to the quiet voters in Gray's Plain, and general protest was made. MT Winton called special meeting. The warning:
 Notice is hereby given to the legal voters Of Gray's Plain school district, that a special meeting will be held at the schoolhouse on Friday, the 27th of July, 1894, at o'clock p. m, for the purpose ot resembling the action ot Martin Ryan in hiring teacher tor the ensu- ing year; also to instruct the committee in hiring teacher GEORGE WINTON,
 District Committee. Dated at Newtown, July 2l, 1894.
 The report of the clerk of ''said" meet ing:
 The meeting called in order as above called. Voted, F. Chambers moderator.
 Voted to rescind the action of Martin Ryan in hiring teacher tor the ensuing year.
 Voted to leave the hiring teacher to the committee, George Winton, July P, 1894 Ad- journed without date. c. WARNER, Clerk.
 Upon the heels of this came petition for another special meeting, written, we think, by T. J. Corbett, ''one of the board" The warning:
 Notice is hereby given to the legal voters in Grays Plain district that special meeting will be held at the schoolhouse on Wednes- day, the 18th day of September, at o'clock D. m to take action upon the following propo- sition To rescind the dOings of former meeting with regard to hiring Agnes Ryan and to instruct the committee of the district to allow her to teach the ensuing year or to turn the whole matter over to the board ot school visitors of otNewtown.
 Dated at Newtown, Conn.,, September IA 1894.
 The clerks report:
 Met agreeable to the above call. F. Cham bers appointed moderator.
 Voted by standing up and being counted Nine voted for the above, 13 in opposition Also voted that Miss Agnes Ryan be discharg ed having no claim upon the district. Ad jonrned without date.
 Newtown, September 19, 1894.
 c. WARNER, Clerk.
 MT Wipton has the key to the situation and the daily school record should be 'Door step school, not scholar"
 And now comes the question, what the certificate required in Secs. 64, 67 will be any district the school visitors shall give to the selectmen a certificate stating whether each school has been kept in al respects according to law or not" Note 9, page 39, laws of Connecticut, relating to schools Payment of teachers. Shal give certificate to selectmen that schools have been kept according to law. Dis tricts have power to remove teachers as well as to appoint them. B Conn. BOA
 As to the claim that Miss Ryan was no discharged by the vote of two lega meetings, read 13 Conn. 234: "All that i! required in the notice is, that it should bt so expressed that the inhabitants may fairly understand the purpose of tht meeting. If 1t state the object plainly, il need not specify the mode of accomplish ing it. A district cannot, without two thirds vote, order any term of school tt be kept elsewhere than at the regular schoolhouse, if there be one." See 2 Conn.,, 332, 333.
 So the threat of T. J. Corbett to opel school somewhere else was given up a untenable and his notion that the "tru ant law" would force children to Mis- Ryan's doorstep school or to her 'tru ant' school "fell fiat"
 "Committee can remove teachers whel they think it for the interest of tn, school, but both in appointing and re moving teachers they are subject to tn, control and direction of the district," 3; Conn.,, BOA. 'They can employ teachers for time extending beyond their owl term of office," 36 Conn.,, 2S2.
 s'For time" is ended when the cour decrees that the committee can discharge the teacher when he thinks it for the benefit of the school, and the districts art supreme in their right to do so. Severa said there was ia higher law" Int sshigher law" does not warrant the three democrats of the board to fasten upor Gray's Plain teacher they repudiate anC the three republican members have tried hard to rectify this outrageous and ty ranical attempt of their opponents te hold their door step position. What oul first selectman means by giving his or. ders for such work; what the three dem. ocrats mean by trying to continue this contemptible business we know not, un less it is their over confidence in the safe. ty of their positions. In the meantime we see the Gray's Plain children going in all weather some two miles to Half Way River school. Perhaps it pays, feI Miss Kelleher is teacher of the most ap- proved kind.
 There is some talk of enforcing the tru- ant law upon Mir Ryan's children.-[G w. Bradley.
 A SECOND COMMUNICATION FROM MIR
 BRADLEY.
 Since writing the above, crisis has come. J. J. Northrop and Mir Brew this Monday morning, November l9, '94, broke into the schoolhouse and put new lock upon the door, after demanding the key of Mrs George Winton. MT Winton was in Bridgeport this (Monday) morn ing. At noon he discovered in passing that the house was open and drove for a screwdriver, took off the lock the visitors had put on, telling Miss Ryan she would be fastened out tomorrow and that she would never hold any money for her kind of teaching until the court gave it to her. In conversation with Miss Ryan vour cOrrpsnondent said to her ssWe