The New York herald., 1922-05-17
TEACHERS LOYALTY
TESTED IN SECRET
BY STATE COUNCIL
Four Called to Explain Any
Acts or Statements of
Their Lives.
ONE SERVED In A. E. F.
With Comrade Is Queried
on Plea for Conscientious
Directors in 1917.
SPY SYSTEM CHARGED
Doubling German Atrocities
and Losing Pledge Card Are
Among 'Offenses.'
SPY SYSTEM CHARGED

Four teachers In the public schools
were before the State Commissioner
of Educators advisory council on the
qualifications of teachers yesterday to
explain, If they could, why they should
not be charged with an assortment of
things ranging from losing loyalty
pledge cards and thinking the United
States Government might take a more
liberal view Of the conscientious OBJ
jector to military service, to saying
that they thought the stories of Ger
man atrocities might have been exag-
gerated.
At the close of the hearings, from
which the public was barred, Archi-
bald E. Stevenson, secretary and coun-
sci for the body. and Hugh Frayne,
the chairman, explained that secret
hearings had been decided upon In the
interests Of the teachers. In addition
they declared that anybody was privi-
legged to make a charge against a
teacher. and that it made no differ
ence whether the teacher displeased
inside or outside the classroom, he OF
she might be accused by any person
who deemed such accusation to be in
the interests of the school children.
Mr.. Frayne and Mr.. Stevenson went
on to explain that any act or speech
made by teacher at any period in the
teachers career might be used as the
basis for complaint. The teacher. they
explained. was called before the coun-
Gil and asked to deny 1t or justify hiin-
self or herself.
Doubted German Atrocities.
The four teachers up before the coun-
ell yesterday were Garibaldi NJ. Lapolla
Of De Witt Clinton High School. Charles
Ham Of Stuyvesant High School, Simon
Goldblum Of De Witt Clinton and Miss
Horowitz. Miss Horowitz was asked to
explain why her loyalty pledge card was
not on file at Albany. She said she
had lost it. Mr.. Lapolla and Mr.. Ham
were told that their loyalty to the United
States Government had been questioned
because they had signed letter pub
lished in the NetD Republic in 1917 call
the conscientious objectors side of the
argument.
Mr.. Lapolla said his service in the
Medical Corps Of the A. E. +. In June.
1917. and his subsequent service In the
artillery branch should answer the uues-
ton of his loyalty. Mr.. Ham declared
his utter loyalty and, like Mr.. Lapolla,
declared that his signature to the con-
scientious objector letter was the re-
suit of his private views at the time.
Mr.. Goldblum was accused of doubling
the entire truth Of all German atrocity
stories.
Gilbert Z. Roe. counsel for the
Teachers Union. appeared for the ac-
cused teachers. He pleaded for publicity
and his clients added their voices to
the request that the Investigations be
made public. In no case was the name
of the accuser given by the advisory
council. Mr.. Lapolla insisted that his
accuser be named and. IL possible, be
called to face him. This teacher was
before the board but a few minutes and
retired virtually assured that his stand
ing would not be impaired by the
council.
The council admitted that the prin-
cipat Of Dewitt Clinton had placed Mr..
Lapolla's name in Class 1 (the class
loyalty there is no question: and that
this recommendation was certified by
Ellen A. Garrigues, head Of the English
department He was told that despite
this he had been accused OF possible
radicalism nasmuch as he had signed
the NeU Republic letter and that before
the war he had been a member of the
Socialist Party.
did my accuser tell you that I en-
listed in the United States Army and
was discharged with a good record?"
demanded Lapolla-
Lapolla was excused from further
questioning.
spy squad Changed.
Henry II. Linville. president of the
Teachers Union, declared that Aaron
I. Doty, once an instructor in Latin in
Dewitt Clinton but now associated with
the faculty as a promoter Of discipline.
had preferred the charges against La
polla and Goldblum. Mr.. Linville de-
cia-ed that Mr.. Doty was the comman-
der of what Dewitt Clinton knows as
Doty's Squad--an intelligence body of
students reporting questionable state
ments made or alleged to have been
made by teachers.
Mr.. Roe made strenuous attempts to
learn the names OF accusers and learned
that in at least one case the accusation
was anonymous. A NTH teacher was
awaiting a hearing. but was told to re-
turn next Tuesday. She Is Miss Sarah
Hyams, cooking teacher In Public School
IS. She is before the council on re-
vived charges. About n year ago she
was before the Board OF Education for
having signed an application for MEM
bership In what was then the left wing
organization OF the Socialist party. In
asmuch as she did not join nor con-.
tribute any funds 20 the radicals she was
dismissed with reprmand. The same
charges are preferred against her this
time.
Sitting in the council yesterday we're
Mr.. Frayne. Mr.. Stevenson, Miss Olivia
Leventritt. Conde b. Pallen and Finley
]. Shepard. The meeting was held In