Pleasantville weekly press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1890-1911, 1910-07-09

Clement J.N.Adams, former president
Of Atlantic Clty's Board OF EDUCATION,
issued the following statement, i'll which
he refutes all charges made against him
self an dthe Board of Education at the
recent Senatorial Investigation:
To the Public:
Il believe i'll justice to myself and the
urgent request of my many friends that
Il concise and truthful statement of the
investigation made by the Senate Com
mittee last week, concerning the trans
actions of the Board of Education, of
which | was president, should be made
through the newspapers.
The Senate Investigating Committee,
as | understand the purposes for which
it was appointed, was to inquire:
IL. Whether the schools of New Jer
sey were receiving sufficient money from
the various sources of taxation to prop
erly maintain thorough and standard
system of courses, buildings, equipment,
teaching force, etc.
y. Whether some of the money re-
ceived from increased railroad taxes
might be diverted, without injury to
the schools, into other channels.
3. Whether a uniform system OF
courses and instruction would be of ad
vantage to the schools and the system,
and
a. Whether a system of uniform
text books should be adopted.
These general propositions, | believe,
cover the scope Of the Committees in
vestigation.
Personal Reflections
Unfortunately, the Committees first
session was held in Atlantic City on the
day of the high school class day exer-
cses, with commencement following the
next morning, without notice to the
Board Of Education, and at that session
certain erroneous statements were made
by the secretary of the School Board,
whereby it was made to appear that
the Board of Education, of which | was
president, had paid to the c. j. Adams
Company, of which l am stockholder
and an officer, certain sums of money
for commissions i'll connection with the
purchase of property by the School
Board. Certain other reflections We're
cast upon me and other members of the
old Board by at least one witness on
that day. The last reflections were Of a
personal character, and l believe were
conceived as the result of personal feel
ing.
'At the subsequent hearing held il
this city on last Thursday and Friday
| employed counsel to attend the hear
ing with these simple instructions: That
he should see that the full facts con
cerning any of the transactions, in which
[ was personally interested, or in which
the G. j. Adams Company, of which
am a member, was interested, or any
other matters concerning the transac-
tions of the old Board, of which | was
president, should be brought out in a
clear and comprehensive manner, and
that no half truths should be permitted
to remain i'll the record of the investiga-
tion, either through the failure of mem
ory of witnesses or through any personal
malice.
The Committee announced before the
hearing that counsel for any of the i'll
terested parties should not be heard
nor should parties appearing before the
Committee have the assistance of coun
sci. but that all examinations should bt
conducted by a Mr.. Murray, New
York lawyer, who accompanied the Com
mittee. and, | understand, represented
it. Counsel for any of the interested
parties might be permitted to write Z
question, submit it to the Committee
which, after consideration on the part
of the Committee, might be put if the
Committee saw fit to put the question