Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1921-03-11
VERMONT TEACHERS
COLLEGE KILLED
U. V. M. Board of Education Meas
ure Buried Nearly Three to One

Word reached The Register at 3 p.
m. Yesterday that the House of Repre-
sentatives at Montpelier had killed
the bill for a Teachers College at the
University of Vermont by a vote of
nearly three to one
The bill had passed the Senate and
the friends of the measure had been
predicting that sentiment in the House
had changed and that the bill would
carry. The most that Mr.. Stearns of
Johnson, doughty champion of the Nor
NAL Schools, had ever predicted was
two to one against the measure, and
the final vote was a surprise to all
Addison County was solid against
the U. v NJ proposition, Not a man
was absent and twenty-three votes
were recorded against the State Board
measure. Senator's Cady and White had
already voted in opposition in the Sen
ate.
The decisive vote was a great tri-
umph for the rural schools, for the
Normal Schools. which have been fight
ing for their life, and for the Middle
bury College Department of Educa-
ton. The way is now open for the
passage of the Stearns bill, which con-
tinues the normals and is fair to all
institutions.
Judge Button, representative from
Middlebury, made an eloquent speech
against a Teachers College at Burling-
ton. He spoke as an alumnus and vale
dictorian of the University of Vermont
but as an advocate of his home town
college, Mddlebury. He said Middle
bury had the official school Of teacher
training of the state, just as Vermont
has the official school of agriculture
He said the House was confronted with
normal school problem, not a college
problem, and that Middlebury was
prepared to carry out her contract to
furnish teachers.
Middlebury, said the speaker, turn
ed down the teacher college PROPOSE
ton, first, because educational experts
agreed that a normal school had no
business in a college town; second be-
cause the new college plan would be
unfair to Johnson and Castleton. He
urged the House to look out for the
institution it already has, before it
goes out after another.
The speaker accused the state board
of uttering too much propaganda and
called attention to the able presenta-
ton of the subject by Professor Ed
ward D. Collins
The principal speech for the oppon-
ents was made by Mr. Stearns of
Johnson. He said the bill provided for
the same old white elephant which he
described five or six weeks ago when
the House stood four to one against
it. He accused the state board of edu-
cation of having begged the appropria-
ton from the Carnegie foundation and
said that the state was not given 81 by
the deal, which merely proposed a
partnership between the state board
and the University of Vermont.
He secuted the idea of any rural
teachers being turned out from such a
college. Tf they turn out 100 teachers
every year." he asked, what good will
that do the rural SCHOOL," He quot
ed Mr. Hewitt, President Guy w.
Bailey of the University of Vermont |
and Prof Edward D. Collins of Mid
ileburv college al admitting the same
hing
Mr.. Stearns also accused a certain
Short gentleman Of lobbying and in
imated that the latter had made a
leal with certain political candidate
o be appointed as head of a certain
tate teachers college if things turned
,ut right He also accused a justice
,f the Supreme court of appearing be-
ore committees and advocating the
ill.
"T understood, said the speaker,
that the legislative and judicial arms
If the state were separate How then
loes the Honorable Justice consider
proper to come before legislative
'odies and discuss this bill?"
Answering a newspaper charge that
lis bill (H-l9S) was two towns against
he interests of the whole state of Yer
nout", the gentleman from Johnson
aid that it was really Burlington
gainst all the small towns in the state
"All YOU have got to do" declared
Ir Stearns, "is to grub the soil and
lv the bills"
,EV n w pFTO DpATCEn