On 50,000 Doorsteps

After many a mass meeting, Chicago's 14,000 long unpaid and now embattled school teachers had by last week become an active organization, with an "All-City Publicity Committee" headed by Teacher Mary L. Leitch of Hyde Park High School, with Lawyer Aaron Sapiro of Chicago & Manhattan as counsel. Three weeks ago the teachers received $2,224,143 in real cash, bringing their salaries up to April 1. Last fortnight the Chicago Herald & Examiner obtained from Germany by telephoto a letter from junketing Mayor Anton Cermak authorizing the issuance of $6,750,000 of tax anticipation warrants, some of which were paid to teachers who had refused city "scrip" last summer. Many Chicago merchants and landlords accept tax warrants.

The All-City Publicity Committee made a proposal last week in line with the teachers' threats last month of direct action against Chicago's delinquent taxpayers (TIME, July 25): Let 10,000 teachers be sworn in as tax-collectors, suggested the Committee. Let them put on a four-day drive for the $45,000,000 in 1930 taxes which is earmarked for the school fund. The teachers could work in their own districts, where they would be likely to know the property owners. Said Counsel Sapiro: "Naturally [the teachers] want their pay . . . and they are willing to ask the bodies that appointed them to stand on 50,000 doorsteps and bring the school tax to the Collector in their own hands."

Last week a teachers' committee met with local officials who agreed that the idea is feasible, planned to draw up a program to make the teachers tax collectors.

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