The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-02-16
ARE PRESS CENSORS
Editors and Managers of High
School Messenger.
ARE DISMISSED BY DYER
Publication Seized and AC-
counts All Turned Over

Yesterday Hart stoutmeyer, editor-in-
chief, Jetta Campbell and Lolita Charlton
assistant editors, and Messrs. Clark Bald
win and Richard Bird, business managers,
all of the High School Messenger, a school
paper conducted by the senior class, sew
cred their connection with that publica-
ton.
They did this, they say, on a demand
from Superintendent Dyer that they turn
the paper over to the faculty. The point
at issue appears to be d poem of some
length, in heroic verse, in sarcastic
strain. and dealing with the mooted ques-
ton of Graduating Orations VS.. No
Graduating Orations."
In explaining their side of the affair
Mr.. Bird, speaking for himself and Mr..
Baldwin, said:
The poem came 10 Mr.. Baldwin as
business manager of the Messenger. and
was signed by "A Citizen" 1t might have
been written by a senior and ii might
have been written by some outsider IN
sympathy with the petition OF the SEN
iors that the orations be omitted. It
gave strong expression of our side of the
controversy. and as Miss Cleaveland did
not ask to see it we went on and had 1t
put into type. We were not anxious that
she should see the poem in particular.
Several other articles have been printed
which she did not see. She is appointed
censor of Messenger manuscript by Su-
perintendent Dyer. I do not know by
what authority a censor is put over the
paper as it is a High school publication.
or publication by members of the SEN
Tor class of the High school aside and
separate from any work required.
The editors and business managers
are elected by the High school seniors.
They get up all the copy, rustic the ad
vertisements and attend to the circula-
ton, the payment of bills, etc. Last year
we ran seven or eight dollars behind and
and the bills We're paid personally by pu-
pills connected with the paper. The fac
ulty did not then claim and responsibility
for the Messenger. But this year, when
we are a little ahead. they assume con-
troll. Their responsibility seems TO be a
relative matter.
well. we had the poem, which is en-
titled The Pleasures of Commencement"
set up by the printer, and while we were
not anxious that Miss Cleveland should
see the copy, we made no particular eff
fort to keep it from her. We were not
going to ask her opinion on a matter of
interest to our case especially when we
knew that such an opinion would be adj
verse to our interests.
zone day Miss Cleveland asked US
what we had used as the leading article
in the February Messenger. and we told
he- poem. She requested US to bring
it TO her, which we did. OF course she
killed the article, but we had it already
ntype. Mr.. Allen, on order from Su-
perintendent Dyer, went to the printers,
The Grit publishers. and ordered them
not TO print the paper. Mr.. Kelly. who
runs the Grit establishment in the base
ment of the opera house. told Mr.. Allen
that he was acting under orders of the
business managers of the paper and
would do as they directed.
prof. Allen then demanded Of Mr.. Bald
win that he turn over all the papers. &C
counts and other property of the Mes
senger, or both of us would be expelled
from school; that if necessary he would
go to law in order to recover the prop
erty.
ITO avoid further trouble Mr.. Baldwin
turned the material and accounts all back
to Prof Allen. and we all resigned. That
Is. we thought we were resigning. but
found out that we had all been fired a lit
tie previous to our resignation.
1T is all the outgrowth Of our effort to
have the orations omitted from COM
mencement programs. We were a little
unfortunate in the way we began the
matter. but we meant all right We may
not win this year. bur the sort of a COM
mencement We are asking for will come
very probably next year, at any rate not
later than the year following. I do not
think any OF those who petitioned will
deliver orations. We have no enmity for
the faculty We only want to do as the
experience of friends in the high schools
of greater cities has shown to be expedi-
ent and wise. That's al.
Il do not know whether the Messenger
will be continued. but the High school
Annual caIao eva.e ooo ooo p.~n.