Milford chronicle., 1922-04-07
Senator Wallace S, Handy
Defends SchoolLaw In Let
ter To Rev, V, S.. Collins
Taxes on Real Estate Lowered by New Tax Law Old
Code Had Many Faults. Delawareans Have Right
Under New Law to Regulate Own Schools

Wallace S. Handy, President Pre-
TEN of the Delaware State Senate
has taken exception to a statement
attributed to Rev Vaughn S. Collins
superintendent of the Salisbury Dis
trict of the Wilmington M. e. Confer
ence, contained in DR.. Collins annual
report to the Conference, relating to
Delaware's School Law and Friday
March oath, sent DR.. Collins, the fol-
lowing letter:
Dover, Del, March %, 1922.
Rev. Vaughn S. Collins, D. D.,
Cambridge, Md.
Dear Sir: You are quoted in the
press of Wilmington in part as fol-
lows:
The most progressive scheme
ever offered for Statewide education
is now before the Legislature in An
napOlis. Let them discuss it, and i'm
prove it if possible; but woe be to
the man who dares to attempt to kill
it, as Delaware did. The curses of a
/ generation of youth with minds
dwarfed by lack or training will
haunt him to the end of time
Il am not concerned sir, at all as to
what you may think of my acts as
one of those who are responsible for
the repeal of the Delaware School
Code of 1919. 1 cannot, however,
maintain an attitude of Indifference
when you carry to our neighbors in
Maryland the charge that Delaware,
meaning, 1 suppose the General As
sembly, or a majority of the two
bodies of the General Assembly, and
the Governor of the State of Della
ware, have been guilty of some das-
tardly crime against the youth of the
State.
"The charge you make is absolute
ly without basis in fact. 1 refuse to
believe that you make such a charge |
knowing it to be untrue; 1 prefer to
think, that since your duties are in
large part outside the State of Del /
aware; you have been unable to ac- !
curately follow the trend of school |
legislation in Delaware, and that you
are, therefore, basing your conclu-
sions upon faulty or incomplete in
formation. l am taking the liberty of
reviewing the history of school legis-
latiOn in this State from 1919, feeling
that, when you understand, you will
wish to retract the slander against
our State to which you have given
ltterance. I feel 1 may be allowed
% do this without being considered j
since I voted for the /
school Code of 1919, served as chair {
nan of the commission of which Mr.. {
uPont was member, which rewrOte t
he code in 1920 and was ranking '
member of the joint committee of I
yhich Senator Alice was chairman b
Thich was responsible for the legisla- f
on which in 1921 repealed the code l;
nd enacted the. present school laws. r
'The so-called code was offered to a
le 1919 General Assembly very late Il
the session. We lacked the time to Il
consider the measure. All al
'rts of pressure was brought to bear b.
pass the bill, the plea being that j
clay would be inexcusable. D
"I think that most of us realized X
at the bill had two faults: The OIL
easure was thoroughly undemocrat- sc
and absolutely dishonest in it's tax al
DIVISIONS. My memory is that we al
lended the measure something like Jr
e hundred times before it's passage. On
e thought we had brought it down OF
lere, the people could reach it if they la
shed. We did not attempt to remedy alb
tax provisions, as we realized we we
d not the time. The bill would not w
We passed, however, had we not 20
IN assured that the provisions
uld be put into effect very gradu- PR
Y, so that taxes would not be great Wis
increased before the next session la1
the General Assembly, the idea be- me
that at the next session it would Gle
possible to secure. legislation fol
ich would place the tax burden as gal
rly as possible where it belonged. lar
S pledge was not kept; on the con-
ry, the most indefensible efforts