The Newtown bee., 1906-10-26

Again can find no friend of the pro posed union although I tried hard thi! week to probe to the bottom in tht matter, and am sorrowfully led t( believe that Rev MT Georges good nature and sincerity of purpose have been imposed upon. The section o1 Middle and North Center in Newtowr is hot bed of politics, and holds 2 good many active politicians is doubtful if any other section of the state of equal area holds more. It is George consulted some of the m and have no doubt he met with the "glad hand," was greeted with 'the smile that won't rub off, of the professional politician, and was led to believe that they were "wid him." but they now come out in the open, after the danger is past, and say-well, quite the con trary to what, presumably, he was led to believe. One thing is certain, he has no adherents now, nor the cause either. Peanut politics" some will call this: but that is only term val uable chiefly for it's alliteration. To even is all there is at stake, it's all right if he or his friends get it. Then they get all, and all is what is desired I live in Middle district, but l am no politician. l learned several years ago how to say No, and that will disquali- fly any man, act as bar to his being a politician. I also call spade spade; and hence Rev MT George will take no offence when tell him truly I be- lelieve he was hoodwinked.
 But now little as to the early his tory of the proposed union. But first some personal history. am unquali- tiedly in favor of graded schools when possible, and feasible. In 1877 estab- lished under the direction of the Board of School Visitors a graded school in Pootatuck district,one of the first in town. Was principal of South grades for four years nearly; also sub stituted for a short time in a graded school in Derby. In 1888 re-estab- lished the Sandy Hook school under a graded system, which had been per mitued to fall into disuse, which school for ten years did good work, made pos. sible chiefly by the graded system. But the time is not ripe for union of North Center and Middle. Besides when it is done if ahead of town con- solidation, it should follow the law. Rev MT George first brought this mat ter to the public notice in Middle dis trict annual meeting, so far as know. Being present and finding the matter not mentioned in the warning, I ob- jected to it's consideration, as Connec- ticut school law says >emphatically y that the object of ''every" meeting ahead and appointed committee to look into the question of advisability of union and report to future meet ing. It was never dOne-the report must have died a-borning, or else the movers were afraid if they came before the future meeting with a favorable report that would be snuffed out. Likely, they would have heard some thing drop in advance of town meet ing, for the politicians would have had to come out of their holes, or gotten off the fence, and the public is spared this inf1iction in the columns of THE BEE. The subsequent action of the committee in charge of the project as we'll as the district committee in push. ing this matter into town meeting, district was concerned, and was, in the opinion of many, too much like ''crowding the mourners," and they wouldn't stand 1t. Who these sponsors are, ought to come out. In these days of the initiative and referendum in legislation this attempt to nullify the wishes of school district by dark lantern proceedings could hardly be expected to pass unchallenged. Anc it didn't.
 Now Rev MT George must know ir case of union of this kind if consum mated, it could not be undone except by petition to the Superior court upor some irregularity in the cOnSumma tion. Therefore to go ahead in thi' matter without the sanction of botf and subject to revision by a judge If found unsatisfactory it would plunge one or both districts into thu chaos of legal strife. Do we want this Hardly. Better things as they are.
 To suppose that the district i united, could do the work of fixing which school should be the senior de partment and which the junior by O.
 through it's district committee, is
 mixing of the functions of distric
 committee and school board which
 do not lay at the door of Rev M George. But who will do it? Wh will be principal and do the gradin
 next year? or the next? Even if ev erything is smooth and lovely now il
 the mind of Rev MT George, can yo
 guarantee it will continue? The la, says the board of school visitors shal do it, or they may appoint supervlso
 for all districts but not for one or part of one. The whole board is tn
 board of acting visitors and has bee
 from time immemorial. If it costs $l
 for one days service of the board
 where is the economy if the
 elect to. perform the duty jointl every time there is pro - motion, grading or examination So far as know the town appreciate \ the services of it's school visitors an cheerfully pays its bills for the stat' N tory work performed. They take jus pride in their presence, gracing con \ mencement exercises and other publ and lsemi-public occasions when the sit in the flare of the footlights, tf x people rejoice greatly thereat. IT F' tax payers enjoy this and as I sa = cheerfully pay the bills, but a contin1
 ous performance, as this district uniC
 would entail, well, hardly. Indivi !, ually school visitors earn their pay b, '' their services as to supervision a
 slight collectively. Now the foreg
 ing are some of the objections tn; = arise in my mind why the scheme
 not feasible at this time and which
 fear Rev MT George has not thougl
 about or undertakes. At any rate
 has not seen fit to tell the public al
 myself how he would get around ther