The Penn's Grove record., 1923-12-14
State Educators
Jolt Committee
Effort To Censure Legislative
Committee For Bad Faith Is
Defeated After Debate

Trenton. of all omoers
If the State Federation OF Dlstric'
Boards of Education and an acrliho-
MONS debate preceding an unsuccess'
full attempt to rebuke its leglslati'e
committee were among the features
that marked the business session ol
the federation, held here in the stacy
Trent.
Other features included the adop
tion of resolutions opposing the WIN
drawal of school moneys to increase
the teachers retirement fund ana the
proposal to take the appointment Oh
the state commissioner OF educatlo1
ont of the governors hands and an ad-
dress by former Governor Martin A
Brumbaugh of Pennsylvania, who be-
fore holding that office was superin-
tendent Of schools of Philadelphia.
The effort to rebuke the fedora
tion's legislative committee, whlca
was voted down, was based on state
ment read by Mrs. A. Haines Lippin-
colt Of Camden. Part of the state
ment set forth that the Questionnaires
and other informative material sent
out by the legislative committee oI
the federation during the 1928 legls-
lative session were prejudiced and
misleading.
Bad Faith Is Impaired
The statement impaired bad faith
to the legislative committee OF the
federation and Misrepresentation OF
the attitude of the local boards in the
state. 1t was concluded by the offer
of the following resolutions:
Whereas, the legislative commit
tee of the Federation of District
School Boards has exerted its infin-
ence in favor of certain bills and
against others by providing the local
boards with partial and prejudiced in
formation; and,
Whereas, 1t is essential for the
health of our school system that the
local boards be kept in close and ac-
curate touch with school legislation;
BE it resolved, hat a vote of cen
sure be passed on the legislative com
mittee and its chairman, Mr.. Living
ston, and that the president of the
Federation OF District School Boards
be directed in future to appoint only
such men and women to the legisla-
tive committee as are capable OF
weighing evidence dispassionately
and reporting it correctly"
Question of "PartIzanshIp"
In the bulletin sent out by the
legislative committee of the Fedora
ion of District School Boards on Feb
ruary "a, 1928. under the heading
Politics In the Public Schools this
paragraph followed;
1.-The legislative committee desires
you to know that a few society and
club women of this state and New
York City are strongly seeking to in
ject partizan politics into the public
school system of New Jersey. Their
representatives are appearing at meet
ings in the interest of partizan public
school legislation, and insisting that
they represent over 100000 women Of
the state. Their special inter
est this year concerns Senate bill 35
shifting the appointment of the com
missioner of education from the gov
ernor to the state board of education:
Senate 36, known as the school census
bill, and Senate 81, the county atten-
dance supervisor bill. These bills are
in the hands of the Senate educational
committee and they should stay
there
These statements are untrue. Bills
80, SO and 81 We're indorsed by the
New Jersey Parent-Teacher Associa-
tion and Mothers Congress, by the
New Jersey Woman's Republican
Club; the provisions embodied in bills
SO and 81 have been sponsored for
years by the State Federation of Wo-
mems Clubs. Furthermore, it would
be interesting to the local boards to
know that these bills were incorpo-
rated as planks in the Republican
platform at the request OF the Repub-
lican women.
ITO call these bills partizan is dis
ingenious on the part of committee
as experienced as the legislative COM
mittee of the Federation of District
School Boards, who are aware that
a bill to be partizaQ must be OF ben
i eft to one political party at the ex-
{ pense of another These bills are for
I the benefit of the children of the state
and are without partizan significance
Cites "Flaerant Propaganda"
THE last and most fragrant exam
/ pie of this misleading propaganda,
which the federation has indorsed
va. re printing and circulating of a
r.r t of the December meeting of the
I't..er ton of District School Boards
Imade by Mr.. Livingston at meeting
/ Jftae Paterson board of education N
| De cember 10, 1922 This report was
rqinly an attack on the paper read
Ibv Mrs. Seymour Cromwell at the
| leat'ng of the federation and de-
/ tense OF the methods which she had
questioned If the aim of the legisla
/ tive committee has been to inform the
| local boards of the proceedings of thu
1 December meeting, it would not have
confined it's circular to the intemper-
tie and misleading statements mada
/ h. Mr. Livin"e:0a but would have
Included the paper read by Mrs. Com