The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1909-03-12
(By F. D. Wagner. in Sunday Orego
nian)

Observing that the Oregon, since
the adjournment of the legislature
has lifted the lid trifle at least and
has allowed an expression from one
friend of the normal school grafts
to be printed in it's columns, l appear
for space for a few humble obserVa-
tions from this section of oregon
the home of another one of these al
legged CRAFTS.
I want to emphasize to begin with
that we are rather simple country
folk out here, humble, albeit honest
as a rule, and have been taught ruth
fully to observe our political allegi-
ance to the state of Oregon and pay
our tribute to it's commercial center,
Portland. ..,. p
In our humbleness and simplicity
we read with satisfaction in the Ore
gonian two years ago that as solu-
ton of the normal school question:
which it was alleged had vexed legls-
latures for years, it had been decided
by our wise representatives assembled
at Salem to constitute one board OF
regents for the state normal schools,
and not only to administer them, but
also to make report to the next leg
islature after a careful study and IN
vestigation of the subject, of a per-
manent normal school policy. rms
board in it's wisdom saw fit to recog-
nize the need for providing each OF
the three natural geographical Sec
tions of Oregon with normal schooi
facilities, and recommended the per-
manent maintenance of the three
schools already established at Weston,
Monouth and Ashland, with appro-
priations for maintenance and build
ings that would be commensurate
with their needs and creditable to
state institutions. These regents did
not ask our opinion nor did we at
tempt to thrust it upon them. Our
great governor saw fit not only to
approve this plan, but in his message
read at the opening of our late Ia
| mented legislature recommended 1T
to favorable consideration in this au-
gust body.
AS was limited before, being simple
folks but honest, we naturally fell
very much gratified at the favor
shown by the board of regents upon
our section of the state, and took ii
for granted the action of this board
would settle the matter in a genera
way at least For the board was ere.
ated by the legislature, and we fool
ishly thought that the legislature
would heed the recommendations OF
it's creatures.
And this impression seemed to pre-
vail among most citizens Of the state
until toward the closing days of the
recent session, when a sudden an6
terrific onslaught was made upor
these schools. They were charged
with being CRAFTS, and everybody
around around Salem and Portland
Cat least those WHOSE names got II
the papers) seemed to forget that
there was or ever had been a state
board of regents of normal schools
charged with the work of investiga-
ting this question carefully. For the
reports or recommendation of this
board were not called for and the
governors recommendations were
also, it seemed, entirely forgotten
The newspapers ran amuck, and the
mention of normal schools was tc
them like waving a red flax at 6
bull. The papers spread their infec.
tion and members of the legislature
echoesd the grating sentiments. Wher
the battle reached the senate fury
seemed to reign. The chairman OF
the ways and means committee would
lose his head at the mere suggestion
of an appropriation for three norma
schools, as recommended by the
board of regents. The president o.
the senate found himself called upor
to leave his exalted chair and climt
down to the level of common mem
bers of the senate, where he de-
nounced these schools and said in eff.
feet they were conceived in iniquity
and born of legislative log-rolling.
We, as stated before, being simple
folk but honest, were surprised and
astounded at such declarations, ant
began to wonder We thought these
schools had been such great boons tt
the young and ambitious in all Sec
tions of the state, as we knew thu
school here had been to southern Ore
gon Our wonder grew when we in
vestigated and found that this same
president of the senate as member
of previous sessions of the legislator,
| had voted for the support and main
tenance. of these institutions. Wha'
did his changed course mean? W.
were stunned with wonderment ant
could only watch in amazement the
assassination in the senate accom-
plished.
But our eyes are opening. We arr
still dutiful and have continued t.
read the Portland newspapers sine,
the legislature adjourned and arr
finding out some things. For in
stance, one of the bright young leg
| islative reporters of the Evening Tele
gram, in the issue of February 20
tells how it all happened in a nut
she'll: ''The breaking up of the nor
NAL school combination was chiefly
the work of President Jay Bowerman
He refused to appoint a normal mar
on the ways and means committee
and carefully organized other com,
/ Witt o. n.