The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1909-03-12
STATE NEEDS THREE.
Representative Mahone's Views OF
the Normal Problem.
(Oregon Daily Journal. }

Portland, Or, Feb. 23.--In the be-
ginning of the session I took the po-
sition that the state should maintain
the three schools. This belief was
concurred in by the majority of the
members of the house. When We saw
that it was impossible to appropriate
for the three, the house endeavored
In every possible way to effect some
compromise that would take care of
the schools at the present, and put
the matter up to the people Of the
state to settle at the coming cleo
ton. The senate refused and COM
promise and stood upon its high pre-
rogative of abolishing and doing away
with all three of the schools; repudi-
ating the contract that was made by
the state, through it's board of re-
gents, that we should not even ap-
propriate enough money to pay for
the salaries that we contracted for. /
think that it Is a disgrace to our state
in the treatment that it has given to
these men and women who have al
ready made sacrifices that the
schools might be maintained as well
a, 500 students now in these institu-
tions who are compelled to give up
their work in the midyear.
I understand that in one of the nor
mails that the salaries Of the teachers
are back now more than two months;
also that there are about 80 young
men and women who were expected
to graduate at the end of the fiscal
but it is also an outrage that these
people will not be permitted to carry
| out their part of the contract and
teach up to the end of the fiscal year,
but Is is also an outroge that these
students who have been three of four
years in these institutions should be
deprived Of graduating at this time.
If the legislature had provided for
the salaries and the maintenance of
these institutions up until the end of
the fiscal year, then the matter could
be decided by the people as to the dis
position that We should make of the
normal schools. While l belive most
| firmly, that the time will come when
the state will need them, when they
came into existence they probably
were not needed. The geographical
location of each school is such that
should one be taken away 1t would
deprive that section of the state, that
Is entirely cut off from the other two
sections, of not having a normal
training school; so the time will come
when these or kindred institutions
be needed for the training of our
teachers. Previous to the meeting of
the legislature, I looked into the nor
relative to a comparison to other
states.
In Massachusetts,, where the normal
schools first came into existence,
their policy has been not to have
more than 200 students in an institu-
ton at one time. Their experience
has demonstrated the fact that when
they go beyond the 200 mark that
that they cannot do effective work.
These schools are founded and main
tanned primarily for the purpose of
:training teachers. and II we are to
maintain an efficient common school
system in this state, we must have
well trained teachers,
So, in case special session Is
called, I shall demand that the con-
tract made by the state through its
boards OF regents shall be carried out
and that these teachers shall be paid
liz full up to the end of the fiscal
year before shall vote for senate bill
NO. 254. The question then as to
the three schools can be determined
by the people later,
/ l.. d. MAHONE.