EM1IL PHI. II PL8TFGH illEO New York Teachers Want Republican Re-publican Party to Take Action Ac-tion in Their Behalf NEW YORK, April 5. A petition urging the adoption of an educational plank in the national platform of the Republican .party was presented today to Will II. Hays, chairman of the Republican Re-publican national committee, by Jud-son Jud-son F. Wright, chairman of the New (York State Teachers' association, Wil-liam Wil-liam T. McCoy, chairman of the. Illinois Ill-inois schools committee, and Olive M. Jones, president of tho New York Principals' association. Teachers are "not attempting to dictate." Mr. McCoy said, '"but with tho likelihood of woman suffrago becoming be-coming a law, thus giving the vote to eighty per cent of the 700.000 teachers in America, they feel that the most important service they can give will bo to see that their vote goes to the party that most definitely pledges Itself lo remove educational limitations limita-tions from the children of the country. Teachers have never been in politics but they are alive to the situation as they never havo been before and are going to tho polls next November with that situation uppermost In their minds." "This delegation represents the 32,-000 32,-000 teachers of Illinois and the 53,000! teachers of New York," the petition declnred, and added, "wo may in u way claim to represent the educational' forces of the nation." There is a "great and growing deterioration de-terioration in public education," caused caus-ed by a tremendous loss of trained teachers, the petition stated. "The basis of the cause of those conditions whiqh threaten the efficiency effi-ciency of education is the deficiency of educational funds. The failure to pay teachers adequate wages is a national sin, long confessed, but uhaloned for." The average yearly salary of the y." T- nn rr -ji i ttui- wria 'Btrr- ,-n, - i a teacher in 1919 was $634, tho petition said, and there had 'been only a ten per cent increase during the year. More than 30,000 rural schools arr without teachers, it continued, and added: "The desertion of farms is largely due to removal of farmers to cities where they can get decent schooling for their children. Illiteracy which disqualified dis-qualified 700.000 drafted men for effective ef-fective service in the great war, is on the increase." oo