The sun., 1919-10-31
FARMERS FIGHT
fDELAWARELAW
| FOR SCHOOL AID
Bitter Contest Aroused by
) Attempt to End Hitter
4 acy in State.
EOURT is THREATENED
Political Parties Split and Du
& Pont Family Joins in
Z the Struggle.
6oURT is THREATENED
b. : s,er coresponasns Of rHn Sow.

y Dover, Del, Oct. 30.-Tnis town,
. he tiny capital of the State of Della
ware, awoke one morning not long
hast to find itself the scene of a
Strange mob demonstration. The
quaint old streets swarmed with men
from the farming district, who had
home in on trains and in every man
ner Of peculiar rig and conveyance.
The object Of this invasion proved
" be the State Court House, for when
that building opened the crowd
Boured in, packing the corridors and
1he stairways. Those that could not
aain entrance massed themselves
1bout the door. In the little room on
HE second floor, where five Justices
81 the Supreme Court were sitting,
Every seat was filled, and standees
Dlled the aisles and even crowded
xbout the bench.
= This was the beginning of an organ
1xed fight that has shocked tnousanos
- educated and cultured Deiawareans'
MAT is now absorbing all attention
night and day in the area where II
Eages; that has split political parties,
divided officialdom into two opposing
Ramps; that has been the subject OF
Countless mass meetings. speeches and
Editorials; that has added fuel to the
xurning aninosity between Alfred !.
Hu Pont largest individual holder of
Du Pont stock, and his family; that
has caused Pierre s. du Pont, head OF
The great Du Pont Company, to drop
ais business affairs and take up the
xple of a public orator. But so closely
confined to the State of Delaware has
Mat fight been that news OF this con-
Hict has not seeped Que to the rest OF
xhe world until now.
Every man in this crowd, which was
more than a thousand strong. wore
1ither In his hatband or pinned on his
Epat q slip of paper on which wa
orinted in large type, mo New School
Code for Me-" They had invaded
Dover. the total population Of which
8 barely more than 5000. for the pur.
nose, as they expressed 1t, "of creating
\ rumble outside the doors of the Su'
preme Court that would cause tht
Sudges to know on which side theil
Bread was buttered."
< Their object was to influence thos<
5nrists to declare unconstitutional Z
new State school code which woult
REQUIRE them to give all the children
N the State proper education, in
Ntead of using them as mere beasts d
burden and chattels about their farms
q But the Judges refused to be in
Inundated. They upheld the constitU
Nonality of the new code notwithstand
ing the fact that their terms Of offic'
III expire next year and that they mus
xepend upon a popular vote for re
zaection.
= The fight continued, and now In tn
kanis of Gov. John q. Townsend. Jr., 1
q mass OF petitions urging him to cal
q special session OF the Legislature {
repeal the law. These papers purport I
Sontain 1000 signatures. They declar
1hat the old Delaware school code, undo
which children were not required to nj
BEND more than Ave months a year a
the most. and In many cases only three
Nnder which many schools hal no tex
Books at all. and many had teacher
&ho were utterly unqualified for thei
TASK, they declare that this old In,
HAS good enough" and should be re
1tored.
( And many hundreds of the men VII
nssert on these petitions that Delawar
needs no educational reforms are vi
4ble to sign their own names and In
-.eorsed the petitions with the eros
sharks.
= Would Raise school Standard.
. This new school code about which n
~ aAntraR Ia the
sbf an organized effort on the part Q
1nany persons interested in public vel
Care to raise the State of Delaware froI
Hts position as the most illiterate Stat
Outside of the BLACK belt"
The people of the State have AWAY
taken a great pride in the importar
Darts played by Cesar Rodney and othe
noted pelawareans In national affair
and now the friends OF the new law al
asking by editorial and word Of mouth
-Shall the State that was the FIRST
sign the Constitution of tina Unite
States be the last In educationf"
= Under the old Law. according TO cit
pens who have made thorough an
careful study of the situation. MOI
% the schools below the city OF WI
Inington were run as misery as poss
Die by local trustees. who exercised al
ssolute authority, and many Of who
were extremely illiterate men then
felves. In many instances these tru
tees merely selected some country 81
who wasn't strong enough for far
2rudgery and made her a teacher. 1
Respective of her total lack OF qualities
fions. She was expected to teach a
grades. and 30 SLOW WA the process ar
40 rarely did the pupils attend thi
many Of the students In the elemontaI
eourses were full grown men.
- Teachers were generally paid less this