Milford chronicle., 1919-09-26
CODE OPPONENTS TRY
TO PROVE TOO MUCH
fContlnned from first nagel

and prevent an honest discussion nave
been the methods which have prevail
ed throughout the "drive" to obtain as
many signatures as possible to the
petitions to be sent to Governor
Townsend.
Outstanding citizens who could not
be bulldozed have been avoided. Men
who read and know what the facts are
have been avoided. The dependent
man and the man who cannot read
have been largely the ones to whom
the campaign of falsehood and villif-
cation has been carried in order to
obtain even the 5,453 signatures.
Runners" were sent through certain
sections Of the county to spread these
stories. Meetings were called in school
houses at which some runner" would
be present to tell all sorts Of things
about the new code and those who are
charged with the responsibility Of car
rying it into effect. A farm to farm
canvas was made in some communities
and these stories peddled and enlarg-
ed upon.
A favorite piece Of propaganda
among the tenants and the poorer peo-
pie had to do with the compulsory
attendance feature of the law. These
people were told that the men back
of the code were trying to ruin the
poor man, that they were trying to es-
tablish Kaiserism in America and en-
slave the people It was asserted that
the new code provides for school from
August 1 to June ten months a
year-and any man who didn't send
his boys during that time would be
fined SIS, and both he and his boys be .
sent to jail, provided
All, here was the politicians opopr-
tunity to play a strong card. Provid-
ed-any jury in Sussex county could
befound to convict such fathers and
boys, and the politicians assured the
people that they (the politicians)
would see to it that no such jury was
ever found. 1t was asserted that the
''fellers up at Dover and Wilmington
would attempt to force the boys to go
to school and let the farmers crops
rot in the field. Failing in that, they
would send the fathers to Jail But
the people told these stories were as
sured that the men telling them and ;
their leaders in Georgetown would
fight to the last ditch to defeat any
such tyranny.
This story about the new code and
those back of it filling the Sussex ;
county Jail with fathers who refused
to send their boys to school from Aug
ust 1 to June 1 has been played upon =
so strongly that the poor people who :
cannot read and do not know the truth
are really talking about getting down =
the gun and fighting it out new" /.
rather than permitting the code to
become operative.
Yet at the very time these stories =
were being circulated, the Sussex ~
County Board of Education had, in ..
conformity with an opinion of its legal Y'
advisor, Charles w. Cullen, ruled that
no child in Sussex county would be
compelled to go to school if his going tie
would visit hardship upon his fam D.
lily, and that in all cases the law to
would be enforced with reason" and Fe
valid excuses or nOn-attendance would Id
be accepted. The leaders of the cam
Daign of Misrepresentation knew this DR.
ruling had been made at the time they on
we're urging men to resist, even by Sa
'orce and appeal to arms, the opera /
ion of the code and obtaining their Fe
signatures to petitions by reason of tol
uch Misrepresentation. 25,
Another story largely circulated as
erted that, under the new code, Coun- Hu
Y Superintendent Hardesty had He
rOught $500 worth of office furni- {
ure. This was to create the belief Re
nat the peoples money was being
quandered under the new law. As Ha
matter of fact, at the time this story rel
1as being concOcted and peddled to Eel
he people in the rural districts the !
flee furniture of County Superinten- HUI
ent Hardesty consisted of:
L strawberry crate, stood on end Hu
nd used as a desk by his stenog- A
lpher. Ma
1 dry goods box, used as a desk by
is clerk. Jes
1 old, broken roll top desk, the per- 4
)nal property of Mr.. Hardesty,- used Ell
= him. S
1 old broken swivel chair, with the que
ather seat ragged and the horse hair F
utfing sticking out, used by Mr.. Har- ca
ssty. P
old straightback chairs, used by HUI
S stenographer and clerk. Hey
new wooden straightback chairs, ter,
be used by visitors. T
The office of Superintendent Har- thy
sty is open to the public every day. A
lere was not the least need for any Hey
e to be in ignorance of what furni- c.
re it had. Certainly there was not Mel
e least excuse for the men in G
georgetown who started these stories Hey
be in ignorance. It was a case of 81
liberate and malicious lying in or ems,
+ to arouse prejudice against the o.
de and obtain some Of the 5453 sig Felt
lures. 81
By inneuendo and open assertion Dill
ey spread the impression that graft b
Is rampant in the offices of the Felt
loOl authorities "Who gets all this Felt
'ney that is now being raised?" was 25c.
Sed. In the same breath those ask We
, it said, ''The teachers don't get it," Dill,
a subsequent story the writer will ter,
)W who gets the money. He got his Ii
ormation exactly where the lead Hitcl
of the opposition could and can Jest
it-namely, from the budget which Hey
unity Superintendent Hardesty pre- Pc
red and presented to the Sussex Redo
unity Commissioners. 1t is a care FeltC
ly prepared and fully itemized doc To
ent. 1t is a public document. 1t HeyC
Is where every cent of the money Luca
be raised under the new law is to Jarr,
The men who are leading the op- ST
ition to the code in Sussex county Hey(
know where the money went. They Stua
know the teachers got the larger FeltC
t of It, They knew all the facts, Ca
they knew when they we're engag- FeltC
in poisoning the minds of the peo- As
that they we're disseminating Hugl
schools and ISLANDERS. But they had Ca
get as many signers as possible to FeltC
petitions, so they did not hesitate Mi
Use any method or refrain from ped becci
lg any sort of mendacity. To