The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1920-12-09
Superintendent of Schools Declares That She
Will Fight to Get Money Necessary
for Recreation Work.
SAYS CHILDREN ARE DEFRAUDED"
Declares That Battle is to be Carried Directly to the
Mothers of Kenosha in Effort to Force Coun-
Gil to Act in Accordance With Vote.

tendent. Then she dictated formal
statement in regard to her stand.
Children Have No Voice or Vote.
"Those who read last nights papers
will know that distinct vote which
the people of Kenosha made a few
years ago in favor Of support of public
recreation was set aside on Monday
night by the mayor and council. This
was done also last year but l was adj
vised then to keep still, and that
everything would be made right this
year. This is the way in which prom
Uses are fulfilled" said Mrs Bradford.
"But in the minds of some men what
do promises to helpless children
amount to! They have no voice, they
have no vote! 1t is, therefore, the
safest way to retrench public expense.
GU will notice in the report of
the committee on finance that they
voted $150,00000 for sewer and paw
irg, ard SEA-, O0G, 900 for the bridge but
in order to keep the tax rate as low
as we could we had to cut that sum-
meaning the sum for public recreation.
Small Charge TO Taxpayers.
"The assessed valuation of the city
is over $4,000, 100000 The sum asked
by the School Board to carry on the
playground and social centre work for
one year and to make up for the lack.
IF funds during the current year,
would add to the taxation 2 cents (the
price of postage stamp on every
hundred dollars; it would add 20 cents
on thousand dollars. A person own
ing ten thousand dollars would be
obliged to pay $500 extra tax (the
price Of theatre ticket on account
of the addition to the city budget
for public recreation. The argument
for economy doesn't get very far with
intelligent people.
"Once upon a time the mayor of
Kenosha made in the name of economy
an attack upon the kindergartens. His
procedure was arrested by an appeal
TO the six hundred voting fathers of
the children so affected
Thanks be to the progress of social
forces for betterment, the appeal for
the protection of the rights of children
can be made now to the voting mothers
as we'll as the voting fathers.
"The appeal goes forth. Shall the
rights of the children of Kenosha to
supervised play during the summer
months, and the rights of the public
as well as the children, to the use of
school buildings beyond the six-hour
school day, be respected ?"
May Demand Action.
1t is possible that the matter will
be laid before the Board of Education
at its meeting on next Tuesday even
ing and that the members of the board
will be asked to go into the courts to
enforce the payment Of the amounts
sought for the recreation movement.
The movement has never been popular
with many of the members of the com
mon council and attorneys appealed
to this afternoon declared that they
could see no way to avoid the amount
beig paid hy the city if . fight was
started 1t was indicated that an eff
fort would be made to arouse the
women of the city to action so that
the council would be forced to take
action, A possibility of electing
women to the council in an effort to
get the rights of the children, was
also discussed and it was expected that
the movement to organize women
would be started this afternoon and
continued throughout the winter.
i shall have more to say in regard
to this thing tomorrow" declared Mrs.
Bradford as she closed the interview.