The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-12-28
had cleared up any misappr prehension re

gardlng the SUBJECT.
sThe peculiar, interesting, and really
amusing feature of the whole business is
that / personally was never the custodian
of any portion of the concert funds, nor
did I ever disburse a penny of them.
Disbursements were made on regularly
authorized vouchers by a regularly elect
ed committee for this purpose. I was not
a member of this committee.
.Since my return from Trenton Tues
day, | have spoken with several mem-
bers of the Concert Committee, and they
are anxious for an investigation as shall
fully inform the teachers and the public.
TT may interest the members of this
association to know that the Teachers
Pensions Committee and the department
of the Retiring Fund have never he'd a
penny appropriated from the treasury of
this association to aid in carrying on its
work All of these funds which in the
aggregate amount to several thousand
dollars have been furnished by the volun-
tary efforts of teachers and by friends of
the teachers
1.-THE work for the Teachers Retirement
Fund system has now covered nearly ten
years. You certainly are not unaware
that an enormous amount of work has
been done in the way of newspaper and
magazine work, circulars, correspond
ence, etc. That postage and printing bills
have to be paid; that stenography and
typewriting cannot be had for nothing;
that those who have done the work for
the Retirement Fund have not Travelled
on railroad passes.
mot only have I personally spent
large amount of money in carrying on
this work, but have been SO scrupulous-
ly careful regarding these matters that
even within the past few months l have
advanced a considerable sum for this pur-
pose (money that it cost me much dis
comfort and self denial to do without,
although the treasurer of the Retirement
appropriated for such work by the Hud-
son County Excursion Committee. did
| this because the department has not yet
been fully organized, and because no
method of disbursing it's funds has been
determined upon. Therefore | preferred
personally to provide necessary working
funds until the department has adopted
rules governing its expenditures.
Gas to the assertion that these funds
have been used to take delegations of
| teachers to Trenton for various purposes.
I can say they are without a shadow of
| foundation The same is true of the as
sertion that such moneys were used to
| buy flowers and presents for legislators.
In addition to the various cases of ex-
penditure indicated above. we have, be-
| lieve, never spent a penny, excepting for
| legal advice, in drawing up retirement
fund legislation. and for other matters
! directly concerning the fund, such, for In
stance, as a small payment to ex-Chan-
cellor Bird of Trenton for his opinion that
| the State Treasurer is by the terms OF
the law obligated to administer the fund
without charge to the fund
I'm all the money that has been spent
for the cause of the Retirement Fund,
neither I nor my associates have ever
used penny in any way that we are
not quite willing you and the public
should know.
/ please pardon one more personal word.
From the date of the beginning Of the
| agitation for a Teachers Pension or Re-
tiring Fund system, nearly ten years ago,
| till today. I mad given up every other
interest in life except my regular school
work, and as to whether this has been
neglected or not, leave to the Board OF
Education. the teachers and the people
of my own city, who, I must take oc-
| casion to say have in the most loyal,
generous and helpful spirit co-operated
in my every effort to provide an honor
able resource for the broken years of our
! beloved co-workers.
| 'sFor years past the pressure of my work
in connection with the fund has been sc
great that / have given up social re-
creation Of every nature. My health
crix w 4 V
under the strain had it not been that good
friends have almost forcibly compelled
me each year to take my entire vacation
far away from schools retirement funds
and worries of all kinds, and take this
occasion to thank them.
ssSome newspaper reports speak of my
attacks on the State Board of Educa-
tion' This charge has been made a NUM-
Der of times and in various connections.
4 challenge any living person to produce q
written line of mine, or a report OF any
address by me, in which made an attack
of any kind on the State Board Of Edu-
cation / do not agree with all that the
state Board of Education does but as to
attacks by me. either directly or by IN
sinuation, I challenge the production OF a
single one.
4 There seems TO nave pttiI d pOiiSJ
adopted by certain persons of replying
to my criticism of proposed legislation
| by attacking me, by misquoting my let
1 ters and addresses, and by direct false
hood.
zone article states Miss Allen has
ha da story road ever since she issued
a circular asking the teachers to cooper
ate and procure the defeat of Governor
voorhees, when he was a candidate This
is a malicious falsehood. No such circu-
lar was ever issued by me. have en-
deavored to keep scrupulously clear Of
politics. I am neither a Republican nor
a Democrat l am a public school teacher
and / am for the men and the measures
Of any party which seem to me to prom
ise the best results for our public school
system.
!, "a year ago I was accused of securing
the Endorsement of the Teachers Retire
ment Fund in the Democratic State plat
forms. / made formal denial of thi.
matter before the Hoboken Teachers As
. sociation in which I stated that IN M
way, shape or manner had had hant
in this action, and that I did not know
that such action was contemplated o.
had been taken until several days aftel
the adjournment of the Democratic State
Convention.
During the political campaign recent.