Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 164, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 July 1915 — Court of Travesty Heard Lamson Admit Petty Graft [ARTICLE]

Court of Travesty Heard Lamson Admit Petty Graft

Trustees Felt Commiseration For Superintendent and Overlooked His Wants, Indecision, Unfairness, Inefficiency, Lack of Initiative and Mental Perturbation “WILL HE RESIGN?” IS QUESTION MANY ARE ASKING

Sold School Directories .for Which County Paid and Kept the Money; Has Camera County Paid for at -His Home; Employs From 55 to 60 Teachers From Outside of County; Gets Many Through Agencies; Talks With Cook Agency Over Telephone and Sends Him Message; Denies Licenses to Old Teachers of Many Years; Employs Girl in Office at $lO Per Month and Draws Pay For Her ai Rate of $1.25 Per Day; Solicited Outside Work and Helped Do it in His Office in the Court House and Got Part of the Pay While Employing Help at Expense of the County. “After each trustee expressed himself on the affairs of the case, a vote was taken as to whether or not we ask Mr. Lamson’s resignation. Result was that a majority of the board voted in the negative.” The above is a part of the minutes of the meeting of the county board of education that met in special session Monday to hear evidence submitted by The Republican to substantiate the allegations made concerning the inefficiency and unfairness of County Superintendent Lamson. There were ten excellent points made, any one of which was sufficient to justify the board of education in asking that Mr. Lamson tender his resignation and make room for a qualified man who can rise to an appreciation of his responsibilities and help our home boys and girls to get started in school teaching work. The points were supported by men of unquestioned integrity whose motive was for the betterment of our schools and for securing for the ambitious young men and women of our county a chance that is apparently now denied them and for securing for the older ones who have taught school for many years and who desire to teach in the future because they love the profession a square deal which is apparently now denied to them. The Republican can not review the full testimony, but it showed conclusively that the articles published were supported by individuals and by a frame of public sentiment. The investigation was begun by introducing into evidence the bound report of the teachers during the winter of 1906-7, the year before Mr. Lamson was chosen superintendent. At that time there were about 100 teachers in the district schools of the county and only one of them was brought in from outside the county. There was then introduced in evidence the educational directory of 1914-15, showing that there were 93 teachers in the district schools and that from 55 to 64 of these were imported from outside the county. That the salaries of the teachers averaged about S4OO per year and on this basis X>ver $20,000 was being distributed among these teachers that had previously been distributed in this county. It was next shown that among the discarded teachers were a large number who had been regarded splendid teachers in the districts or communities where they had so long taught and the following were mentioned:

titling her to license, but that this license was never given, although Lamson was often asked for it and that finally he said he had sent it but it had been “lost in the mail,” but the county had paid something more than SIOO in postage last year for return envelopes, etc., as a guide against such losses. Although he said it had been lost in that manner he never offered to replace it and Miss Jordan taught school all year without it, but has since declined during the time Lamson is superintendent to teach.

It was shown by the testimony of Mrs. John I. Gwin that she had taught school for many years in Jasper county and had been given a success grade of 95, the highest with one or two exceptions that the superintendent had ever given but that she was failed in literature, a subject that she doubtless possesses a greater knowledge of than 95 per cent of the teachers in the county. It was shown by Mrs. Gwin’s testimony that at an institute held in Union township Mr. Lamson had presided and submitted contracts to the teachers reducing the wages and in her own case reducing the pay from $3.50 per day to $3 per day; that she had refused to sign the contract until near the end of the term because she felt that she was entitled to the higher amount. It was shown by the testimony of B. D. Qomer, former trustee and educator of Union township that seven splendid teachers of several years’ experience in that township had been turned down and forced out of the teaching business because of Lamson’s grading. Mr. Comer told of the success of Jesse Smith, Luvie Gunyon, Mrs. William Petty, Miss Floy Williams, Mr. Floyd Williams, Mr. Frank Garriott and of the efforts made to secure a position for Miss Gertie Faylor. He pronounced these teachers not only a success in the school room but leaders in the best thought in the communities, active in literary societies and themselves constituting a social center during the school term. It was shown that Jesse Smith had taught for f&e years and bad taken sixty weeks normal work and was turned down, and that his sister, who was attending high school with the hope of graduating, securing a license and teaching gave up her ambition becaues she said she realized the uselessness if her brother with all of his effort could not be licensed. It was admitted by Lamson that he had at his home without any authority a camera for which the ‘county had paid some $66 during the time O. G. Barrett was county agent and that he had been using the camera for personal purposes. John Bill, who testified on behalf of his daughter, who was for some time employed in the office of the superintendent, stated that his daughter had never received pay on the basis of $1.25 per da>, the amount for which Lamson had filed and had collected from the county. He said that there had been evidences of irregularities in the joint offices of Mr. Barret and Mr. Lamson and that Mr. Barrett at least had received a commission for the corn which was purchased by Jasper county for the boys’ corn club and that Purdue University had gone after Barrett about it. He said that when his daughter completed some book work for Trustee Kight, for which she was to receive sls or S2O that the money was paid to T Jim m on and that he had held out $5 or $6 of the amount and had given her the balance and that he was very much put out about it. Mr. Lamson admitted that his deputy, whom the county pays, had found time to do work for trustees, for the First National Bank, for the Rensselaer Cement Tile Works and other jobs and that, the work was done in his office and that he received part of the pay for it. The board heard S. W. Noland, a successful teacher of many years who had a success grade in White county of 95, make a comparison of the schools of Jasper and White counties and state that the schools in White county are doing a much betterwork. Mr. Noland held four successive licenses of 24 months each and never had any school troubles , except what he encountered in Jasper county under Lamson. Lamson

Mrs. John I. Gwin Charles M. Blue * Miss Floy Williams Floyd Williams Frank Garriott Jesse Smith L. W. Benbow Miss Luvie Gunyon John Hayes Miss Day Jordan Miss Chede Jordan Jacob Thomas Oka Pancoast. It was shown that Miss Day Jordan, who had held a two years license and who was a successful teacher for a number of years had been denied a license based upon a technical grading of her grammar manuscript, had appealed her manuscript to a board of grammarians after the state superintendent had sustained Mr. Lamson and that the board had sustained Miss Jordan’s contention, thus giving her a passing grade en-

sought to impeach his testimony by producing a letter Mr. Noland had written in respect to the grading of a certain manuscript not now in existence. In this letter Mr. Noland had made an appeal to an educator to use his influence for him and Lamson sought to convey the idea that Mr. Noland’s request was in the nature of a bribe. It was, as a matter of fact, an appeal made after being convinced as have so many others, that Lamson’s grading was unfair and prejudiced. Earl Gross, of Kosciusco, who came here as an agency teacher, told how he had paid $1 for registration with the Marion agency and been referred to Lamson and had come here and contracted and then sent 5 per cent of his first year’s wages to the agency, something over S2O.

William Folger, former‘trustee of Barkley township, testified in behalf of Lamson, to the extent of justifying him in bringing in the outside teachers. He said that a manuscript graded by Superintendent Reed, of White county, and graded to pass, had been regraded by Mr. Lamson and reduced to 40 per cent. He thought that Mr. Lamson grades conscientiously. Joseph Long, railway mail clerk, who was a teacher some years ago, said he became a teacher through the grace of a county superintendent and believes he made a good one and we understand that this pride is well justified. Joe did not touch extensively on the Lamson mateer but said that it was his opinion that 90 per cent of the graduates of the Rensselaer high school could not make a grade of 40 per cent in a teachers’ examination. Asked if he thought this true of other schools, Mr. Long said that he did not want to get into a discussion with any member of the school board on this proposition. Summing it all up, Lamson was proven over f.nd over again, unfit to be the head of the schools of Jasper county and it is a surprise that the hoard did not have the courage of a conviction it must have felt to ask him to quietly tender his resignation. It is understood that there was a feeing within the board that he would do this, and the motion to ask his resignation, which failed to carry, brought its result more from pity and commiseration than with any view to justice. Where pity enters justice takes flight and there was nothing on which the trustees could base their vote which may be interpreted in their behalf. .

Juts how this vote stood- is to remain a secret if all keep faith, but it will, of course, leak out within a few days, and The Republican already has understood that it was about as close as could be. The Republican is being urged by many to begin proceedings of impeachment and new evidence has alygfody reached us that would strengthen the case very much, while one serious rumor, of which The Republican hag had knowledge for several days, was not even brought out at the meeting, because we felt that it was unnecessary to cguse Mr. Lamson unnecessary embarrassment. It is probable that agencies that are at work to secure some further evidence will report very shortly and in thii meantime it will be determined what the next step will be for the relief of the oppressed graduates of our high schools and from the blockade which

Lamson has established to those who seek to teach school as a means of securing a higher education.