The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1905-05-27
THE SCHOOL
REGISTER MATTER
SCHOOL BOARD PROBING CHARGES
Printers Understood that MeGiray, Candidate
for Superintendent Of Public Instruction Was
Interested In the Publication.

for Superintendent Of Public Instruction. "dS
Interested In the Publication.
If WAS brought out before the State
school board in session at Richmond We'd
nesdav that John 4. McCiivray, assistant
SECRETARY to the department oteducatlon
and q candidate for the office of supern-
tend Of public instruction, is the person
at whom charges brought 10y j. u. Eg-
glestOn. ir.. also an asplrant Tor the Once
named. have been aimed.
The allegations OF MIR. Eggleston have
baen that some one connected with the
department OF education was also con
cerned in the publication OF the Nirgnla
Teachers Register, and that the book
in question has been selling for many
wears at - cents a copy, when II can be-
nrinted at a profit iOrirom Il tO 21ccnts.
Some time after Mr. Eggleston's charges
were first made public Julian PThomas,
nrincinal of the Richmond High School.
nublished a letter. in which he stated
that he himself he'd prepared the register
and that il was still hisprOpertN. About
the same time Frank Z. Brent, secretary
TO the department of education. made
bubble the stat 'ment that no one con-
nected " it'll the department had any m
t,rest in the register.
EGGLEsTON PRESENTS CHARGES.
Wednesday Mr.. EgglestOn appeared he
fore the State school board. Representa-
tives OF the J. l.. Hill Company and oi
l.. II. Jenkins. printers and binders oil
the register. were also present. MIR tg-
glestOn stated his charges that the state
board had been tricked into adopting the
register for which three prices Were be-
ing charged He submitted bld from
the Stone Printing Company, oi Roam
oke. To produce IL good article at lSents
each.
Testimony given 10y the printing firms
present brought out the TACT that ON their
books the names OF the owners OF the
register appeared a. Thomas X McGil-
yray. The j. l.. Hill Company changed
hands some wears ago. and the present
owners testified that the books came To
them in those names. All their dealings
however. have been with Mr. Thomas,
To whom they have given seperate cheeks
for his profits ON the register and ON
teachers blanks. another publication
owned by him. They wern not able To
state that Mr. McGilvray received any oi
the profits from the register.
On the other hand. Mr. Thomas aud
Mr.. McGilvray testified that the latter
had never had any pecuniary interest m
the register Mr.. McGilvray declared hr
never knew his name was on the books
of the publishers. He had, he said. rs
sisted Mr. Thomas inpreparing the book.
and was proud OF the result.
Mr.. Thomas also said he did not know
McGllvray's name was on the books. To
this statement, however. the publishers
took issue.
Further testimony brought out the fact
that from :. 100 To 400 copies OF the
register year have been sold at IA cost
of - cents each and profit to theowner
OF 30 cents each.
SHOULD BE SOLD AT COST.
Inthisconnection Mr. EgglestOn pointed
out that the law cOntenplates that the
only cost in connection with the register
should be its printing. Along this line II
was brought ont that the register had
been selling since 1856 for about I1cents
"A COPY. and that in the early days an
employe of the department had been
openly interested in it.
The board endeavOred 10 ascertain by
various witnesses why the Hill Printing
Company had kept the school register
account in the names OF Thomas and Me
Gilvray. No one was able 10 explain,
however.
1t was brought out incidentally that
the school register in North Carolina
costs l. cents each and in South Caro-
lima the State furnishes them at an eX-
pense of ~ to cents.
The most interesting testimony was
given by Walter Hill Of the Hill Printing
Company. who said:
II received instructiOnsfrOm MrThomas
to enter the accounts separated y; that Il.
the teachers register aud the school
blanks. He never told me why. Mr..
Thomas told me that Mr.McGilvray was
Interested in the register.
Mr.. Thomas admitted having told Hill
that McCiilvray was Interested in the reg
lister. but said he had never told him that
McGilvray was pecuniarily interested.
After the lawyers for each side had
summed up the evidence, the board went
into executive session.
The matter of the school register
charges made by J. ID. EgglestOn, OF
Prince Edward against the Department
of Public Instruction was referred to a
committee composed Of Attorney-General
W. 4. Anderson. Lyon q. Tyler and
Frank T. West, to report whether fur
Their evidence could be adduced and to re-
port in full at the next meeting OF the
State Board OF Education. The opinion
is expressed here that EgglestOn has
made his claims good.