Henderson daily dispatch. (Henderson, N.C.) 1914-1995, 1936-02-25

subscribe either as "a teacher or a
citizen" to the lobbying methods used
by the North Carolina Education AS
ISOLATION during the 1885 General AS
sembly. He specifically attacked the
payment of $4,000 for the employment
of lobbyist from funds contributed
by teachers in membership fees. Alto
gether, the North Carolina Education
Association expended a total of $37,-
98168 from September 1, 1884, to Au-
gust 81, 1885, of which $4,O7O49 was
listed as for legislative purposes, in
the annual audit of the association
published in the November issue of
North Carolina Education, the month
ly publication of the association. It is
generally agreed that some of the
money expended by the school lobby
during the 1885 General Assembly
was spent to purchase liquor for some
of the "parties'' given for members of
the General Assembly and that from
one to two hotel rooms in the most
expensive hotel here were occupied by
school Hobbies during most of the leg
islative session. 1t is understood that
both julie B. Warren, secretary of the
education association, and State Su-
eperintendent Clyde A. Erwin have
privately admitted to school groups
that some of the associations money
was "probably'' used to buy some Ii
quor for lobbying purposes.
Classroom Group Watches.
For several years the classroom
teachers of the State have been be-
coming increasingly suspicious of the
North Carolina Education Association
and inclined to the belief that, while
they have been collecting between
$4,000 and $4,000 a year in member
ship dues, most of this money has
been used by the association to fur
ther the political ambitions of a IA
vored few who have belonged to the
inner circles of school politicians in
North Carolina. AS result a move
was. started several years ago by the
classroom teachers to break away
from their own organization. This was
DONE but the classroom teachers were
finally and frantically persuaded to
remain as a unit Of the other asso-
citation. But in spite Of friendly ges-
lures and effort on the part of the
NCEA to convince the class room
teachers that it has been ana still is
working for their best interests many
are not yet convinced that this Is
the case.
Basis of Resentment.
The principal factors leading up to
the present .outburst of open resent
ment between the two groups and the
conviction among the classroom teach
ers that their interests have not been
properly regarded are considered to
be as follows:
1. The expenditure of $4,070.49 of
education association funds for lobby
ing purposes during the 1885 General
Assembly and the employment of a
paid lobbyist, together with the re-
ported use of liquor in lobbying.
2. The retreat of the educational
leaders in the 1885 General Assembly
from the $25,0000OO year for schools
which they at first SAID they must
have to operate the schools, until
they finally compromised on an ap-
preparation of only $2O,000,O00 year.
Many teachers think they were trad
ed out of $5,000,000 by political school
leaders in the hope that by so doing
they could either abolish or secure
control of the State School Commits
sion.
3. The steadily decreasing confid-
ence which the classroom teachers
have shown in the education asso-
citation, due to it's high-handed meth
DDS and it's efforts to exclude the
classroom teachers from it's conven-
lions as voting delegates unless "hand
picked" by their superintendent.
Those who know what is going on
in school circles are now predicting
that the NCEA is going to have to
change it's ways or the classroom
teachers will actually pull out from it
and thus remove it's biggest source of
income.