Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-08-10


Page responsible there
for?
Taking up the first question, Senator Pages
answer would be: EDUCATIONAL Education is
one of the most important pieces of constructive
legislation now engaging public attention"
Why? Because it opens up broad edu-
cational policy which vitality and favorably af-
fects every State county, town, and school dis
trct in the United States, and because it is a
measure designed to give efficiency to every
American boy and girl, not only in the work.
shop and on the farm, but in the home, and it
is measure which is designed to make into
better citizens the boys and girls Of to-day, who
will constitute the citizenship of tomorrow.
On this question President Wilson speaks, in
the clean-cut language for which he is justly
celebrated, as follows:
There are two sides to the question of
preparation. There is not merely mill
tary sde--there is an industrial side.
And the ideal which have in mind is this,
gentlemen: We ought to have in this
country great system of industrial and
vocational education, under Federal guild
ance and with Federal aid, in which very
large percentage of the youth Of this coun-
try will be given training in the skillful
use and application of the principles of
science in maneuVer and business.
Congressman James R. Mann, everywhere
recognized as the great republican leader of the
present House Of Representatives, and the man
who WILL should the administration change, I'M
questionably be the next Speaker of the House,
says:
The subject Of vocational education
think is one Of the most important subjects
before the American people to-day, or, for
that matter before the people Of the world,
but particularly with us. We are going to
be in competition with other nations when
they do better than we, by nstructng their
youth in the vOcations.
Answering the second question, SIS Senator
Page responsible for this legislation" the fol-
loving fact is given as a matter of official rec
ord:
In 1911 the Committee on Agriculture and
Forestry passed, without dissenting vote, the
following resolution:
Resolved, that Senator Page, as a SUBJ
committee of one, be instructed to CORES
pond with leading educators and others in
terested in the purposes Of the proposed
measure, and to report to the full commit
tee the result Of his investigation and to
submit bill amended to conform to the
suggestions he may receive from such cor
respondence or any he might have to make.
Acting in conformity with this resolution,
Senator Page entered into a correspondence
with the leading educators Of this country,
which became so extensive that the Senator was
compelled to devote thereto the larger part of
his vacation period in the fall of 1911, and from
that time until the present, in season out Of
son, night and day. the surplus energies of
Senator Page have been largely given to this
work. To him it has been labor Of love. and
he has incurred expenditures with reference to
this measure out of his private means, not re-
imbursable by Congress, of more than $4,000.
That this great measure is regarded by the
| National Senate as the child of Senator Page
| is matter of general knowledge, but as bearing
upon this point, we quote below from speeches
delivered in the United States Senate July 81,
1916.
Senator Smith, of Georgia, in discussing the
measure, said.
The responsibility for this measure
would have continued with Senator Page
rather than to have fallen to me, but for
the change which took place in the organ
1 jzalQn Of the Senate three years ago