Omaha daily bee., 1916-02-20
SCHOOLMASTERS TO
MEET NEXT MONTH
Meeting to Have Been Held Friday
Night at the Loyal Postponed
for a Month.
WIRES LAID FOR CLUB MEMBER


ment of the Nebraska Schoolmasters'
clubs candidate for state superin-
tendent, so the meeting OF the club.
scheduled for last Friday night at
the Loyal hotel, has been postponed
tn March II.
Perhaps, as far as open discussion
from the floor is concerned. there
will even then be little discussion of
proposed candidates for the office of
state superintendent. But the wires
are being laid and candidate or two
from this club, it is said, will be
forthcoming in due time.
Up to something over a year ago
this body was known as a famously
closed school corporation with the
membership limited to twenty-five
people.
The ballots were counted at the cleo
ton and 1t was found that neither the
democratic nor the republican candidate
for state superintendent. selected by the
Schoolmasters' club, had landed.
More members. more wires and more
influence i'm the state was then the whis-
pcred word with those who dictate in
whispers the principal business OF the
Schoomasters' club.
The membership was raised first to
seventy-five and then to 100 active MEM
bers.
This raising Of the number of members
came in the form OF a kind of lid-raising,
so that a number OF school men over
the state, who had been for years denied
admittance, were admitted
Disposing of Book Agents.
Their votes are as good as any in fall
elections and their political influence is
good, so long as the whispering dictators
can keep them in line for chosen candi-
dates and chosen policies for the schools
OF the state.
II was some years ago that n little
row occurred and new set of rules was
made. over the transom went the book
agents, but in theory only. For several
of them were so easy as to believe that
q resolution meant what 1t said. so they
rGkgned active memberships and took
80 associate memberships. as the rule
provided.
But others. knowing more about the
machinery and being closer to the wills
pering circle, sat tight. And so the con-
stitution reads:
IAN active member shall be one who
is actively engaged In public or private
school work in the state; and only active
and honorary members shall be eligible
to hold office and to participate in the
business meetings of the club"
And then the roster. OF which few are
oil tafa 1
in the active column Of a book company
man who taught one term of school six
teen years ago and who for more than
ten years has been the main stockholder
in a text book and school supply house
in Lincoln.
1t contains the name of this man and
two travelling statesmen who represent
their firms in this and adjoining states,
and who belong to the whispering inside
circle that dictates the policy of the club,
that ostensibly threw them out by a reso-
luton.
A salesman of a Chicago publishing
company also holds an active membership
and has his ear close to the Whispering
circle
Then there are the statesmen from three
other publishing houses that know not
how to whisper and get close to the in
side circle, and 30 they are content with
associate memberships
sttH Buying Books.
Meantime the school boards of the state
are buying books freely and depending
upon the judgment and dictation OF the
superintendent as to which company to
>lstronize
Naturally then among the bookmen
there is a merry battle for favor with the
whispering circle. or the wheel within the
wheel of the Schoolmasters' club. To elect
a state superintendent partial to one or
two book companies is of course con-
sidered master stroke by the companies
Following is the active membership of
the club as It stands at present:
n G. Abbott, Nebraska City; r. ]. Barr.
Grand Island; G. +. Beck, Peru; w. c..
Bishop. University Place; p. ]. BodweIl.
Beatrlce; o. r. Bowen, Wayne; II, e.
bradford, state Agricultural college. Lin
com; w, @. Brooks, Plattsmouth; Fl. w.
caldwell; University of Nebraska; Samuel
Avery, chancellor OF the University of Ne
9 STas5Ra; r. M Campbell, Columbus; A. L.
dustrlal school. Kearney; w II. Clemens,
Fremont; Earl NJ. Cline. Nebraska City;
Wayne GSq cqago fFe centTsl cty s G Gong
Crosier, Norfolk; Irving s. Gutter dean
Of 81 the nIn University College Of Medicinej B,
Supply house; A. H. Dixon. Tekamah: III
NJ; Eaton, Emerson; A. Fl Fisher, Aurora;
W: X. Fowler. salesman for the Nebraska
school Supply house, Lincoln: L. I. Fris-
bic, University Place c. A. Fulmer, chan
cellor Wesleyan university; w H. Gard
nner county superintendent. Lincoln; Dell
Gibson, Holdrege; f. u. Graft, Omaha;
y. NJ. Graham, Omaha; G. A. Gregory,
Crete; II. II. Hahn, Wayne; d. w Hayes
Peru; A. p. Hillyer, Beatrice: Fred M
Hunter Lincoln; p. E; Jenkins; Omaha;
David City; ]. ]. Marshall, lincoln
George z. Martin, KeaTney state Normal;
- Martin, Broken Bow; J. +. Mathews
uTand Island; V. G. Mays, Lincoln; e. l.
Meyer, Geneva; Il. T.. Monroe, Shelton
w. II. Morton, Fairbury; L. Il. Mumford
salesman for CHM & Co; w. r. Pate,
Alliance; NJ. S. Pate, Lexington; A A.
Reed, high school inspector, state uni
versity, Lincoln; II. II. Reimund, St
Paul: f. l.. Rouse, Peru State normal;
Ioceph Sparks, Chadron state normal /;
w. II. Stockdale Chadron; w, w. Stoner
York; v l.. Strickland, Tecumseh: A. "
iced. Lincoln; George L. Towne, editor
Nebraska Teacher; c. n. Walton, Wahoo;
A. II. Waterhouse, Fremont; II. w.
Wendland Minden; c. v. Williams. Cur
tbs; ]. A. Woodland, Seward; w. A. Yoder,
county superintendent Omaha.