The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1922-06-02
Political Gymnastics.

Political GymnaSClcS.
Hon. Austin Peay made very re-
markable speech at Gallatin last Sat-
urday. In the outset he was quoted
as saying that he proposed, if elected
Governor of Tennessee, to demobilike
the State government and reorganlze
with the reduction of departments
and salaries to the amount of half a
million dollars annually or there
abouts. He makes special reference
to the highway department and in a
general way about the coordination
of departments until he gets to the
school department, and then he stops
to make obeisance to the organiza-
ton, compared with which all others
in Tennessee government are very,
very modest and small.
Here is what he says about the
school system:
There is a feeling in the State
that the University and normal
schools are receiving too much, and
that the elementary schools are re-
ceiving too little of the school mon
ey. This idea is being fed by new
born critics for political effect"
In another place he is quoted as
saying: ut will be sad day for the
children when our schools fall into
the hands of politicians and agita-
tors" One would wonder, in view
of the facts, whether or not this is
rather refreshing sarcasm.
In one place Mr.. Peay stands flat
footed for the regeneration of the po-
litical organizations of the State. In
another he capers nimbly to the
sounds of the lutte. In other words,
he issues def to the office holders
and politicians who have already
formed, as he states, an alliance
against him, and then he turns to
the school organization with his
Establishments.
Will Mr.. Peay say that it was not
the school lobby that came in at the
last minute and used it's craftiness
upon an expiring. legislature to get
the university tax exempt from the
sliding scale?
Will he tell us that the school lob
by is not and has not always been
on hand when the Legislature meets?
Will he tell us that it is not one of
the most powerful and persistent
political organizations Tennessee has
ever had?
Mr.. Peay makes another sweeping
statement when he says: ''The truth
is that you might disband the nor
mails and the additional money would
not run the elementary schools a
week" Let's see! The elementary
school fund in 1921 was 81, 400, 900.
The act creating the normal schools
allotted thirteen per cent of the en-
tire school fund for the three nor
mails and the negro normal. And
Mr.. Peay says that this would not
run the elementary schools a whole
week. 1t figures, on an estimate of
an average of seven months elemen-
tary schools, about enough to run
the schools four weeks. But that is
not all the normal schools get. 1t
will be nearer forty per cent of the
entire school fund for the normal
schools when you include bond is
sues and the extra appropriations
made for the normal schools.
1t has only been a year or two
since bond issue of $65O,OOO for the
State normals was approved.
Besides all this for normal schools
in Tennessee, the University of Ten
nessee and Peabody also get funds
from the State for training teachers.
No one can graduate from either of
these schools without the subject of
and that is the subject es-
pecially given to those preparing
themselves to teach.
So you see the enormous amount
Tennessee is spending on higher edu-
cation when some of the counties of
the State do not have a primary
school of more than FIVE months.
Mr.. Peay's speech is a very re-
markable political somersault. He
poses as political reformer until he
gets to the most formidable political
organization in Tennessee, and then
he becomes a prime 1atterer. The
political triangle in Tennessee, made
p of the lobbyists for the normals.
80 State fairs, the polytechnic and