Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-05-16
MALICIOUS CHARGE
Sen. HARRINGTON
CALLS ATTENTION
TO FALSEHOOD

The charge that in the City OF
Bath q certain woman, claiming to
represent society for the prevention
of the destruction of the American
school system. was making a house
to house canvas with the declaration
that the Catholics were trying to
destroy the American school system.
alleging that Brewster was trying
to prevent them and that Earring
ton was working with the Catholics.
was made last night by Frank G.
Harrington of Augusta, president OF
the Maine Senate and candidate for
the Republican nomination OF Gov
ernor, speaking at ladies' night
meeting of the Eastman Club of the
Clark Memorial Church at Wood
fords.
Il do not believe that Senator
Brewster is responsible for such ut
terances but nevertheless they are
being made" said Mr.. Harrington.
THE fact that l served Tor nine
years on the Augusta Board of Edu-
cation and when 1 finished my term
of service they saw fit to give my
name to a Grammar School of the
city is sufficient evidence that ! am a
staunch supporter of the public
school system" he declared.
Senator Harrington explained that
he did not vote for the Brewster
| amendment because it would prevent
, thirty five non-Secretarian academies
managed by Boards of Trustees from
entering into contract with towns as
they had hitherto done for caring for
| secondary school pupils.
Senator Harrington said there were
but ten sectarian schools in the state,
eight Protestant and two Catholic,
st. Joseph's in Portland and st.
| Mary's at Van Buren,. He explained
that he did not consider the parochial
schools as sectarian schools but that
his meaning of sectarian schools
were those maintained by religious
denominations for secondary educa-
| ton, while he regarded the parochial
| schools as those connected with the
local churches.
Il object to the expenditure Of
| single dollar of public money for
parochial schools" said Senator Far
| rington, and added, Il wish to make
that point as strong and explicit as
l can"
"Under the Brewster amendment
| the non Secretarian academies would
be prevented from entering into con-
tract with municipalities and would
have no time to make any other
arrangements for their financing"
|
says that his amendment would not
affect these contracts but good legal
authorities say that it would"
THE Barwise amendment took
away state aid from these schools
gradually but it also included hos
pitfalls and other institutions. Mr..
] Brewster voted for it but he now
says that it was too broad and ought
not TO have passed. l voted against
1t, as l did against the Brewster
amendment"
! instead of the parochial school en-
croaching upon the public school in
the st. John Valley in Aroostook
| County, as mad been clalmed by MIR.
Brewster. the public school was
gradually replacing the parochial
| school in that section. lie cited as
evidence of this the building at Fort
Kent upon the site OF the old con-
vent of a modern eightroom $4,000
public school building.
THE situation is being handled
with great tact by DR.. Augustus
| Thomas, the state superintendent of
, Schools said Senator harrington,
and the public school is swallowing
| up the parochial school in that COM
munity which is IS per cent French
Catholic"
1T is true that nuns teach in their
sisterhood garb and that before and
| after the schools there IS instruction
in the catechism, but the schools arc
actually and truly public schools and
| the teaching is in the English Ian
guage. where it was formerly in the
French language"
This is the first time in the his
tory of the State of Maine that ra-
cial and religious prejudice has been
injected into a political campaign
and l greatly deplore it," said Sena-
tor harrington.
THE Christian who helps to foster
such prejudice is going back on the
| word of the Master himself" he de-
clared with great emphasis.
L am sorry to see that decent men,
some of them in the pulpits, are en-
couraging this prejudice" he con-
tinued, speaking with earnestness and
feeling, land l believe that any
| Christian or minister of the Gospel
who helps to foster this racial and
religious prejudice is false to his
| church and recreant in his trust to
God. From report in Press Herald,
May 16.