The professional world. (Columbia, Mo.) 1901-192?, 1903-01-23
Lincoln Institute.

Jefferson City, Mo-, Jan. 2lst
1908.
A bill has been prepared and is
to be introduced at an early date
in the Legislature, which if it be-
comes a law will prevent the
employment Of white teachers and
janitors at Lincoln Institute and
is also aimed the monopoly,
certain merchants are said to have
in furnishing supplies for the
school.
The chief feature of the pro-
posed measure, however, is that it
will require that all teachers and
employees of the school shall be
colored persons. Some of the
Missouri statesmen have been
humiliatsd at the spectacle of
white men performing mental
tasks about the school for colored
people. The superintendent of
the industrial department, John
H. Brakeman; his assistant, W. R.
Menteer, and four janitors are
white. Some of the legislators
have been out to visit the school
since coming to the capitol, and
while they have been pleased with
its workings, as shown in the new
printed report just out, and with
what they observed, the spectacle
of the whites performing such
humble duties as the janitors are
required to do for the negroes
rather grated upon their sensi-
bilities, and this without any
reflection whatever upon the
bright young people and the
faculty. Representatives of Sec
tions where the confederacy was
strong are especially averse to the
sort of thing which Mr.. Connor
will attempt to remedy in his bill.
But there is another provision
which is, perhaps, more important.
1t is that there shall be not more
than one member of the board of
regents resident in Jefferson City.
At present there are three resi-
dent members. The state super
intendent is ex officio member,
and the others are l.. D. Gordon
and Jesse W. Henry. A. H.
Bolte of Union, former lieutenant
governor, is the other Democratic
member. Carl Hoffman of Sedalla,
R. H. Davis of Wayne county and
j. Silas Harris of Kansas City are
the three Republican members.
Mr.. Henry has son, Donald
Henry, in the grocery business on
East High street, who is said to
furnish the bulk of the provisions
for the $50 students and the
faculty and employees, and it is
suspected that there are other
lines through which members
of the board receive favOrs.
The introduction of such a bill
will come as no surprise to those
acquainted with the affairs of
Lincoln Institute and such a
measure has been urged and talked
Of constantly since the dropping
of Prof E. A. Clark as president
of the institution last June. In
his annual report to the Board of
Regents President Clark recon-
mended that competent colOred
men be employed as teachers in
the industrial school and that the
jauitors be colored men. One of
the teachers employed in the
industrial school is brother-in.
law to L. D. Gordon, who is
resident member of the Board,
who of course resented the rec
concentrations of the President
Clark by refusing to vote for him
to remain at the head Of the in
stitution. While the friends of
the other white employers at the
institution, who had voted for
them mainly for political reasons
followed suite by Withdrawing
their support from Clark, making
it impossible for him to be elected.
NOtira IN COrraSnOndantS