The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1908-07-10

school. which was quickly combaiied
by the citizenship OF Oklahoma. bhl
could not be totally eradicated dur
ing republican rule To Illustrate. in
Oklahoma county District No. a.,
known as the Luther District, and al
so in districts IN Logan and other
counties which might be mentioned
Il win be found that negro directors
composed the school board. I'm nearly
every instance they employed two
teachers. one white and one colored,
giving the negro teacher five TO ten
dollars more per month than tho
white teache- These republican laws
and practices, making such conditions
possible. were. in the eyes Of the dem
ocrats, a defect IN the school man
agement and chargable, az least In
part, to ,hose at the head OF educr
tional affairs
Another Objectionable condition
was that. In the school for the deaf
Negroes and whites Of this unfortu
nate class were kept In the same
house ate at the same table and re-
cited at the same classes. This con.
tinued until in order from the present
democratic state superintendent com.
peued It's discontihuance.
m addition to these offensive prac-
.tices the republican party, the con
trolling party in National as well as
territorial affairs, refused to grant
statehood to Oklahoma until not oniy
the old line democrats but the inde-
pendents and may former republicans
became incensed and opposed any
thing that savored Of repubiicanisin
or what the Oklahomans called
"Hitchcocksm" An expression of
their disapproval was registered az
the polls IN the last general election
Many prominent republican school
men made the mistake OF all mistakes
by their manner of opposing the Con-
stitution With act was construed hy
the people as opposing statehood
This added to the other offenses be-
fore mentioned impelled all the
friends OF statehood and democracy
TO unite. a militant host, against any
continuation of territorial government
or territorial officials. state or school,
and to seek to destroy every vestige
of the former territorial regime.
When democracy was inaugurated
November 16, 1907, these things were
still remembered and an cnormona
sentiment prevailed throughout the
state to put out all teachers who had
opposed the statehood and put in iheif
places those who were known to be IN
sympathy with the new form OF goy-
ernment. The displacement OF pro
fessors III the state schools followed
Many of These displaced teachers
We're excellent school men and the
various boards of regents appointed
aud elected by democracy have acted
wisely in retaining some of them,
one guiding principle in filling the
places thus vacated has been to APP
point only friends OF statehood IN
The selection OF those who have
taken their places the boards of. rel
gents have not shown narrow par
tizan spirit and drawn principally
from one state as did the republican
boards but have employed competent
men regardless Of their nativity
Again let us draw conclusions from
parallels First, under republican
government no democrat was allowed
to continue to serve as president Of 4
state school and IN most state schools
few democrats were employed even as
teachers while under the present
schools have republican presidents
and many republicans are employed
to teach.
Second, the normal schools have
been especially mentioned Now let
us see about them We indicated
pelviously how many democrats were
employed in these schools during the
last republican administration, five
active known democrats. Under she
present democratic administration
there are in the faculty OF the Central
/ State Normal Scnool at Edmond six
republicans and In addition to this
positions were offered 10 two othef
republicans, Profs. Dyche and May
berry. who unfortunately were not IN
a position to accept. In the North
western State Normal School at Alva
there are in the faculty six republi
cans, while In the Southwestern Nor
NAL School at Weatherford there are
five republicans. This makes a tota
Of seventeen, out OF a faculty OF ap
! Droximately sixty professors, or, more
I than one fourth of the total number
employed are republicans. OF course
/ ii cannot be said that by pure acci
dent this majority of the new facul
lies IN those schools are democrats
and il Is admitted chat politics j
the schools cannot Le easily iusii
fled. u Is also admitted tnat the mor'
lpolGcs in the schools the more an
Iustinabie tho party IN power Thors
fore, Il IS patent 10 all That The re
publican party not only put polite
into the schools but kept politics u
The schools ii Is also clear that th
democratic administration has no
been nearly so partisan in school al
fairs as the republican party was
and that the aaGeucy IN the denlc
cratic party Is away from polite
in the schools" Had II not been tha
many OF these professors. aDpolnie
during republican administration Oh
posed statehood no general remove
would have occurred a was not 'pu
: lOut republicans and put ia dens
Gratis" but "be sure TO put only friend
lof the new form of government {
! charge of educational affairs
In this general removal which fo
lowed In obedience % the oyei
whelming sentiment m9y individual
! we're displaced without having bee