The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-06-24
VERMONT CATHOLICS
DENOUNCE BILL.
Preparing Great Protest
Against Concentration
of Education
CATHOLIC VOTERS
IN BURLINGTON ACT
Condemn the Smith Towner Bill Because
it Takes Control from States-Could
Dictate Policy of Private Schools
Not Religious Protest.

One hundred thousand Vermontefs
have, through their congressman and
senators at Washington, voiced their
protest against the Smith-Towner bill
now before congress providing for the
Capitalization of educational control in
the hands of cabinet member, says the
Burlington Free Press. In Burlington
Sunday and in every city, town and
village in Vermont, citizens OF Catholic
utilization denounced the proposed law
and sent or arranged to send messages
| of protest to Washington. Already some
of the towns have received answers to
their messages saying that every con
sideration would be given their de
mands.
In Burlington Sunday Catholic voters
of the city unanimously took action con-
demning the general scope of the bill on
the ground that it plans to take con-
troll of education from state authorities
and thus interferes with parental super
vision of children S schooling. 1t Is also
claimed that the Smith Towner bill will
establish an educational autoeracy that
will hold sway over the individual and
peculiar needs of each community. An
other ground of protest was that cab
met member in control of education
. could arrange all the branches of studies
in different schools, choose the teachers
etc. In the protests the opinion was alst
EXPRESSED that federal control of educa
ton provided for positions TO be tillet
, by political appointments and woult
: thus bring such vital thing "a educa
} ton into the maelstrom of politics.
! According to the belief of represen
! native educators present at the meeting
| throughout the state and of many bust
: ness men interested in the question, pri
3 vate seats of learning, such as the Bur
lington Cathedral high school, Catho
lie institution, Bishop Hopkins Hall, I'm
:, der Episcopalian supervision, Holy eros
e college or Brown university, sectarial
institutions. could, under the provision
of the bill, be compelled to shape thei
t courses accordiRg<te the dictates of tn
director of education appointed by tn
: President This, claim those who ar
protesting, would interfere with rel
2 gious liberty, a fundamental principle Q
Americanism.
The Ri Rev. j. j. Rice in a letter t
the Catholic population of Vermont SUI
day. June 10, condemned the bill. II
: reasons were generally those eXpresse
in the protests. sent to Vermont coi
: gressmen. Bishop Rice treated the Smitl
Towner bill, not from a Catholic stan,
point. but as some of the provisions {
the bill affected citizens of every rae
and creed. He condemned the bill as b
ing too elastic, vesting too much powt
in one individual and by its terms ALLOW
ing measures which if carried out migl
create an educational system in tn
country similar to Germany 5. Bishc
Rice also heavily scored the bill as dir
inishing personal liberty and destro
ing the right of parents to have the
children educated as they saw fit.
The bill, which was originally intr
duced by Senator Smith of Georgia, pr
vides for federal control of educati,
and the centralizing of all education
authority in a cabinet member at Was
ington. 1t has aroused national discu
sion and some sharp criticism.
The Catholic people of Burlington al
Of the state of Vermont are taking q
ton on this measure, they say, not
cause III lntef1ereS peculiarly with Sat
Ollie interests, but because 1t seeks
break down state sovereignty, indivi
ual freedom, and, to some extent, re
gious liberty.
As far as it can be aseertained this
the first time that such a large body
the people of Vermont have ever prote
ed to their representatives at Washingt
The meetings throughout the state ha
been largely attended and in all cas-
a careful study of the proposed law b
aroused numerous protests against
adoption. In Burlington Sunday Sc
eral thousand voters voiced their obj
lection to the bill.
Girls OF Iawtnn Okla have form