Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-06-14
The public school teachers yesterday

BlOu DllI duu tue tenure OI OuCc uiA that they will hardly get over.
 The school department has passed through a siege of excitement that would have in some places brought about the dismissal of any set of off, cials for interfering so much with the business of the department and the personal liberty of every teacher in 1t. In view of the means that were em- ployed to make the objectionable bills popular, the throw down they have re- celved only endorses what many of the teachers through the Democrat claimed all the time. that there was intimidation verging on actual coercion used. A more exciting period in the school department in Waterbury has never taken place and every teacher will remember it as long as she lives.
 The legislative committee on cities and bOroughs, under whose supervis- ion the vote on the bills was taken. arrived in town on schedule time, and after being shown the sights by Rep resentative Blakeslee. went to the high school at 4 o'clock. At that time POP of the 216 teachers and principals had assembled in the auditorium and were there addressed by Superintendent Tinker on what were to him the vir> tues of the bills. The pension bill, De said, concerned the teachers more than 1t did him, and they could decide the fate of that as they cared to. But he impressed upon them the vital inter ests they had in the other bill. That was the most important of the two. not because 1t would keep him in office. but that 1t would put those who would he benefited by the bill above the claims and reach of the politician. Such was the trend of Mir Tinker's speech. He then asked Senator Chat field, chairman of the committee, to say few words to the teachers. and the senator said that 1t was important that all the teachers should vote con scientiously on the bills. There had been so much talk about the bills for and against, so many rumors about in inhalation, that the committee of which he was chairman had decided to see for themselves the actual condi- | ton of affairs, and for that purpose | had come to take a vote of the teachers on the matter. He would have it un- derstood that this ballot was to re. move all cause for complaint and that all teachers could rest assured of the protection of the committee.
 The voting then began in one of the class rooms on the first floor. There were seven of the eleven members of the committee present, Chairman Chatfield of New Haven, Senator COe, Torrington; Representatives Smith, Hartford: Fenn, Meriden: Reed, North Canaan: Johnson, Morris, and Simons, Plainville. There were two boxes. one labeled Pension" and the other Ten, ure of Office' The ballots were ell closed in envelopes, and were given out by members of the committee. The | voting was over in quarter of an l hour, but it took some time to count | 1t. and when the result was heard by | the waiting principals and members oi the board of education and school offi. cials in the lobby. the greatest sur prise was expressed. The vote stood e4 against, 1O4 for the pension bill,wltf four blanks, and for the tenure ol st t,efjice bill there were 91 for and 1Qs against 1t and three blanks.
 Commissioner Larkin. who was ir the lobby. said. when asked for fev remarks on the situation, that he was greatly surprised. It was simply as tonishing. He had no idea there was such opposition to the bills.
 If the teachers had voted that way at the first" said he. ''we would have been spared a great deal of expense and trouble The vote is such sur prise to me that scarcely know whal to say. Of course it is of no conse quence 10 me what way the matter went. 1 thought I was doing tht teachers a good. turn, and If they dc not appreciate if. why that's nothing to me. have always sad that if thu
 teachers did not want the bills l would not press them, but they did not sa, they did not want them until this af
 ternoon. wish they had done so 1T
 the first vote. See what bother WI
 would have been spared if they had guess Senator Phelan must have beer doing some hard work lately to gel
 such a strong support as he was giveI
 to-day. 1 did not think that ther' or thirty votes against the bills"
 or thirty vote against the bills"
 Senator Phelan. when asked for ar opinion. said: Its my popularity witt
 the ladies that did it. nothing else
 Commissioner Larkin and Snperinten
 dent Tinker. you see. are married ana
 do not keep in touch with the ladies a' much as I. a gay bachelor. do. Thati
 what did the work. popularity. m.
 boy. Well. seriously. it gives me
 great deal of satisfaction to know tha
 what said before the committee a
 Hartford has been endorsed. I sais
 then that about loo of the teacher,
 asked me to kill those bills if possible
 I repeated again and again that loo o the teachers were opposed to the bills and you see there were over that mum
 Der voted against them. say now
 as said before the committee. tha
 implied intimidation was employed
 that the teachers voted for the bill
 because they did not wish 10 incur th'
 enmity of the superintendent of school
 and also because he knew. and thu principals of the schools knew. how
 each and every teacher voted. Tn,
 teachers simply felt compelled to vOt' for the bills
 We had honesty. modesty and tn
 ladies and the Democrat on our side
 and they had five members of th'
 board Of education. the superintendent of schools and the mayor. besides thu Republican and the American. Yet VI put them all out of business. | don think YOU will see any editorial in tn