Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-06-09
IF WE HAD MACHINES
Teachers Could Use Them To Vote
 on Pension Hill Measure

Teachers in the public schools and
 the public generally are very much in-
 terested in the vote to be taken here next week. on the pension bill What ever way it turns out it is certain that many teachers held from the beginning that the opponents of the measure didn't have fair show to express an opinion on the question without run ming counter with the powers that be and this they did not think it wise to do so that those who didn't want it made no bones of stating that it was a clean case of intimidation. Now that this is going to be tried over again the question comes up how much if anything will the shool officials have to do with the vote. The opposition claim that they shouldn't have anything to do With it. not even to the extent of being present where the ballot will he taken. It would be a good thing 10 do it that way and remove all suspicion of intimidation. Why wouldn't it be n good plan to arrange to have Super intendent Tinker and the school board go on vacation that day and let the committee chosen at Hartford attend to all the details. act as moderatOrs and do the counting. If the vote is taken in any other way it will not sat isfy timid teachers who, whether there is any truth in it or not it makes no difference. declare that they might as well resign their positions as be known as voting against the bill. If nobody who has been active for or against the measure has anything to do with the vote taken next week it is but fair to assume that the result would show whether the teachers are in favor of it or not This would not determine the fate of the bill for some of the legis- lators wouldn't vote for it anyway be- cause they cannot reconcile them selves to the coerciye features of the draft which render it imperative that a girl join the association in order to get position as teacher in the public schools, and this is something many do not care 10 see happen. But that Is another matter. What is wanted now is a vote of the teachers and every body hopes it will be conducted in manner which will leave no room for fault finding on either side. Of course some are saying that lt is not fair 10 allow the present corps of teachers to make laws to govern those who will succeed them. The ones now Oh deck will not be there always and their sue cessors will have no say as to whether the association is good thing or not. This. loo. has something to do with the opposition at Hartford. some of the more conservative members of both houses taking the ground that the ex- ample is vicious and not calculated to bring about the best results in the edu- cational institutions of the state. But let us hear what the present corps of teachers think about it. anyway. No lobbying. no stuffing of The ballot box. no intimidation. q free ballot and fair count and then if will he seen how many were coercesl and how many sup ported it al the outset of their own free will. The advocates of the meas ures contended right along that there was practically no opposition to 1t. while its opponents claimed that at least half the number of teachers didn't want to have anything to do with ii and that they would say so if given chance where the local officials would not be present to wink at them