Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-11-22
LOCAL COMMENT.


i 81
hear the kind words of congratulatior
from friends who have watched WITT
interest the case for libel in the district
court, brought by B. r. Crawford, OF
Newburg. The T.-R. did not realize
that SO much interest was taken by the
public generally, until after the case
was decided and the paper completely
indicated. Congratulations have beer
showered upon the T.-R. editors in per-
son, by letter and telephone, and Judge
Burnham's rulings and admonition tt
the plaintiff and his counsel have like
wise come in for their share of praise
While the T.-R. is considered one of the
great papers of the state, and has a
wide prestige outside of Marshalltown
it is greatly pleased to hear the good
words of Marshalltown people. They
show that the paper is looked upon as q
home institution, in which citizens take
pride in claiming it for their town.
The school board faces proposition
that it doesn't relish tackling. 1t isn't
a case of tackling low, either, and does
not deal with football. The question
that is bothering the board is what tc
do to prevent teachers from violating
their contracts in the middle Of the
school year, or at any time, for thai
matter, after they are signed and in
force. The cases are becoming entirely
too frequent and something will have
to be done to prevent further viola
lions. While the present contract is
perhaps, the strongest the board has
ever had, it does not appear to be iron
clad enough to prevent violation, and
case after case has occurred this year
where teachers have been offered more
money in other cities and asked to be
released. The board has granted the
requests SO far, but now stands deter
mined to do SO no more.
If contract with the school board
can be adhered to by the teacher, it
surely can by the board. A teacher may
figure, perhaps, by the Speer method,
that If there is larger quantity
forthcoming in the way of salary she is
perfectly justifable in accepting an
other position and asking for release.
If, however, the board should step in
and say, 1--WE find we can secure a
teacher who will take your position at
IS less than we are now paying you,
and have decided to make a change"
there would be tears shed, and copious
ones, too. The case would be parallel,
for the board certainly would have the
same right to fill positions at lower SAL
aries as the teacher has to ask to be re-
leased because she can get higher SAL
ary
While the cases so far occurring in
the schools here have not mattered ma
terially they have had tendency to
disorganiZe things temporarily and
place the teachers committee and SUI
perintendent Crane to vast amount
of needless trouble. An instance might
happen when it would be next to an
impossibility to secure successor, es-
pecially at this time, when teachers are
generally employed,
In closing his series of sermons at
the Presbyterian church last night DR..
j. d. Countermine stopped long enough
to pay the T.-R. a fine compliment He
was speaking of the wonderful progress
in knowledge and cited the multiciplici-
ty and excellence of modern newspa-
pers. He referred especially to the
Times Republican with the words: II
don't think / have ever seen, without
an exception, better newspaper" He
declared 1t was not only model typo
graphically, but that after an inspec-
ton of nearly every issue during his
stay in Marshalltown, he had been un-
able to find single Objectionable fea-
ture in its news columns or make up.
He had visited the place of publication
and said that the shop was the cleanest
newspaper establishment he had ever
visited DR.. Countermine's praise was
most lavish, and coming from the pulpit
was the more remarkable. He lives In
Topeka, the home OF the Topeka Capi-
tai the best newspaper in the state OF