The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1945-02-09
February 5, 1945

Mr.. H. S. Bruce
The Peoples Voice
Helena, Montana
Dear Mr.. Bruce:
In your February End issue, / not
the article by James D. Graham zen
titled, MAKING A FOOTBALL OF
THE TEACHERS RETIREMENT
LAW
We agree that there is an attempt
to make a football of the teachers
retirement law and we are also con
WINGED that the individual leading the
attempt to make this a political foot
ball is none other than James. ID
Graham. We do not understand why
a man, who has for years claimed tc
be the friend of the common man
should fight program that will help
Montana keep up its high standards
of education.
He has not only mixed up in the
teachers retirement system, which is
none of his affair, but he has also
mixed up and has contributed towards
a reduction in the appropriations for
the schools Of this state, apparently
for selfish motives
However, we want to call to your
attention, as well as to your readers,
the inconsistency and erroneous state
ments made by Mr.. Graham. Either
his mind is so confused on this whole
issue that what he says should be
given no consideration, or he is pur-
posely attempting to confuse the issue
In his first paragraph, he makes
the following statement: Some of
this money reached the state treasury
from receipts Of school land rentals,
interest on invested money in the
school fund" Anyone, who knows
anything about the financing of edu-
cation in Montana and about the pub
lie school lands and the permanent
school fund, knows that this is not
truthful statement.
The money which comes from rental
Of school lands and interest on in
vested money in the school funds go
into the Interest and Income Fund
and are distributed directly to the
counties and school districts on the
basis of the number of census-children
between the ages of six and twenty
one-under constitutional provisions.
Let us also call to your attention
that this year Mr.. Graham is advo-
eating that the state should furnish
the money for teachers retirement;
while in the last session he was the
main opponent to H. B. 1873 which
would have provided that the teach
ers' retirement system be financed by
a transfer of money from the State
Public School General Fund to the
retirement system, and thereby save
all of the bookkeeping and wasted
energy that he is now decrying.
In the first paragraph, in the second
column of his article, he casts reflec-
lions on school trustees, insinuating
that they will ignore the law and that
they can do so with impunity. 1t is
true, that under our law, anyone can
murder, but very few do. We
believe that the school trustees, many
Of whom are members of the legisla-
tive assembly, are closer to the people |
and will do the peoples bidding as
we'll as the members of our legislative |
halls where the pressure for doing
this or that is greater away from the |
benefit of the individuals than 1t is |
at home.
The next paragraph would indicate
that all of the Butte teachers are in
with opposition to the
teachers retirement system This,
also, is incorrect according to state
nents by Butte teachers. He gives
you the impression that the ballot
was eight to one against our system.
That may be true as far as the in
who attended a certain
Meeting of the teachers union in
Butte, but according to reliable re-
,orts, the attendance is usually not
much over fifteen per cent of the
,ntire teaching force in Butte. Many
Butte teachers, the ones who are on
teaching basis and expect
o stay with teaching until they retire,
re in favor of our plan.
We also wish to call your attention