The morning call., 1895-02-10
WHY THEY OPPOSE IT
Pensions for the Teachers
Discussed
BIZ THE INTERESTED DYES.
Opponents Of the Measure Hare
Strong Opinions.
The INTERESTED DYES.
4 PRHCPlE BTBS IT TLIKERElI.
Others SPEAK in Favor Of It-lmsRdmeHts
Have Been Made to the Bill in the
Past Few DAYS.

The schOoIteachsrs' pension BIT, low n
The hands q the Legislative Committee On
Education, still continues 70 Re fruitful
topic for discussion among the teachers Of
the city School Department, and the Prog
res q is coarse u Sacramento, q vel
q the movements Of the committee Of
teachers who are working for il n the
capital, are being watched with interest
The latest phase q u consists q the
amendments which have been made al the
s1ggegti0n Of the teachers who are working
for IT, They tend 70 eliminate from the
bill the clauses whereby the pension fund
i sreEed By certain proportions Of moneys
taken in for certain licenses, thereby leaT-
inz the tension fund dependent upon the
per cent tax upon the teachers wages.
the money that j. Withheld from teachers
salaries because q absence from duty, =
Ter cent q the d0z-license money, and
Whatever becuests OF donations may Be
made oT cha-ztabIy inclined persons.
THESE amendments were made 1t the
sazgestion u certain members 81 the
Pension Club who were sure that the
bill would never pass unless the pension
fund wss made IS depenCentoH the teach
err themselves a. possible. They saw
clearly from the report 81 the Assembly
ReJreuchment Committee that II any AZ
tempt was made 70 divert STATE money into
the fund the bill would y killed.
some Of the provisions, TOO, IN the bin.
q first introduced, we're declared % be IN
constitutional, and they, Of course, had to
Be cut out.
While the amendments may serve 70 win
the favor q legislators over 70 the meas
IRE they hare not caused any change q
feeling among the teachers here regarding
the matter. Those who we're opposed 70 it
before are -til II the same mood In TACT
inquiry among the teachers. ard 2 large
uunob have been seen. has revealed the
facr that many % those who were opposed
10 the measure base their objections upon
Il q . whole and not on any particular
features Of IT, They are just a. strong IN
the opinion that schOOlteachers should
not receive pensions any more than other
professional people as the supporters Of the
biz ere fin in the belief that after q
teacher has served 80 many Years he or
she should Be allowed 70 retire upon q CON-
petence which VIII serve IS buffer against
want for the rest u their lives.
There are some others who. while not ex-
actly opposed 70 a pension, think that the
contract section whereby II j com puIsory
upon teachers to agree % the provisions Of
the bill before they can OBTAIN & position
Is an arbitrary step which Is not in accord
with the principles Of American institu-
tons.
The younger teachers IN the department
do not hesitate 10 gay that they are against
the bill They are not openly denouncing
IL, - they do not desire % come into con
fict with the older teachers, who are such
ardent advocates Of the pension bill.
One Of these IN speaking Of il yesterday,
said:
Why, the bill Is humiliating. I think.
70 rs teachers. I do not see why We should
20 about asking aims Of that sort-ves.
aims, for that's the way look at it, " and
the lady's eyes snapped. 1T is just as
much as saying that teachers are spend
thrifts, and that al they have to look for
ward 20 is a penniless old age, with want
and penury staring them IN the face. Mr..
MOulder was right when he said yes
terdsy that there are not more than half a
dozen cases in the department which are
deserving Of pensions. I don't think q
State law IS necessary to care for them. I
an believer in teachers rights, and be-
long TO the aid society, which does a good
deal 70 assist teachers, but / can't gee
where there IS any right in expecting the
State 70 pension of teachers after 80 many
years Of service.
"But my! wouldn't argue with some
Of our old teachers on the thing. They are
50 set on it. All, and there's another
point Do you think It is fair to compel
Us young teachers 10 pay out 80 much
money for number Of years when per
haps there are not one-haf Of US who will
ever get any benefit from it? Why, there
are very few Of Us who look forward to a
teachers old age"
Such is the tenor Of sentiment among
the younger lady teachers. Again, too,
the fear that with the pension law would
come reduction Of salaries cuts quite a
figure.
On the other side the pension advocates
say with Mrs. Craven that the young lady
teachers are inclined to be Eighty, and, as
they have matrimonial expectations, they
do not take any interest in the welfare of
teachers as body nor the School Depart
ment.
a dispatch received from Sacramento
last night was 70 the effect that a meeting
Of the Committee on Education was TO
have been held to consider the teachers
pension bill. A quorum Of the members
Of the committee gathered in the Assembly
but the chairman did not mate
rialize. Neither did the ladies who were
TO speak for the bill. For these
reasons the meeting was postponed.
In order 70 show the drift of sentiment
among the teachers THE CALL presents an
other batch of interviews with well-known
instructors of the local adolescent genera
ton.