Waterbury Evening Democrat

"YES" OR "NO"
Teachers Making Use of the Ballot Box This Afternoon.

The arrangements for taking a secret ballot by the teachers and principals of the public schools on the pension and tenure of office bills, as related by Representative Blakeslee to the board of education last evening, are far from satisfactory to some of the teachers.

Either the legislative committee on cities and boroughs which have the matter under consideration, or else a sub-committee from that body will arrive here this afternoon at 2 o'clock. They will be met by a committee from the board of education consisting of Vice-Chairman Chapman or Commissioner Larkin with Commissioner Lawlor. Representative Blakeslee will also meet them and they will be taken to The Elton for lunch. After that Mr. Blakeslee will give them a drive around the city and through some of the factories. Time in this way will be used until about 4 o'clock when the committee will go to the high school and superintend the taking of the ballot.

The following arrangements may be changed to suit the teachers if any of them openly state their objection to them, for it seems to be the determination of the committee to leave no grounds upon which it can be said hereafter that the ballot was not fair to all. It was intended to have the ballot taken in the district court room but that place being in use by the court, the high school building will be substituted:

The teachers will pass through two rooms. In the last one they will find two boxes labeled "Pension Bill" and "Tenure of Office." Ballots will be provided with the single word "Yes," and "No" printed on them. In this room, according to Mr. Blakeslee, and this is what some of the teachers find fault with, a few members of the committee will hand the ballots to the teachers, who will deposit their choice in the boxes. In fact, the system used in municipal elections will be carried out.

It is expected that every teacher will vote, and vote conscientiously, and thereby clear the atmosphere of those reports about intimidation that have been in circulation since the first vote was taken on the matter last winter.