Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-04-18
NAAbIIc schools, Of Columbus, nnu
their Political Influences


EDITORS OFTHE STA THSlEAN;
Nothing IL more common among rogues
than to cry, "Stop thiefm when they have
committed some violence upon individuals
or outrage upon society, ~
So it has been in this city tor several
years; ever since the Abolttionists have
endeavored, and / am sorry to say to no
small extent succeeded In converting our
Public Schools into instruments, not only
for proselyting the rising generation to
their political creed, but to the base use of
designing political charlatans. Indeed, it
seems that no trust Is too sacred, no cause
too holy to be used by leading Abolltionists
to elevate their partisans to place and
power, and to advance all measures of sec
tional hate by promoting their selfish and
fanatical schemes whereby to secure the
patronage upon which to fatten unworthy
men who have neither the confidence OF
the people, nor the ability, by honest means,
TO attain to coveted political positions.
| have purposely delayed for one week
noticing several articles which appeared In
the State Journal Immediately preceding
7 the election of last week for members Of the
Board of Education," for the reason that
all such notices just on the eve of election
are BY most people supposed to be gotten up
merely to influence the result.
Conscious of having always labored to
keep party politics, as well as sectarianism
and fanaticism out OF the Public Schools,
and desirOus still to do so, the Democrats
of this city have heretofore, from year to
year, silently submitted to the grossest mis-
representations and most shameful charges
upon this point, that have ever been tolera-
ted by men ofspirit.
The security of the future demands that
some notice be now made of the shameless
falsehoOds and gross perversions Of facts
that have heretofore been made use of by
small politicians to subserve their purposes,
and have been submitted to by the DemOc-
racy, and that some of the staple party
schOol-hobbies of these pestilent petty
politicians be exposed and placed upon
record for future reference.
Oneot the articles to which will now
call attention, published in the State Jour
nal day or two before the election referred
to, was signed "C."-designed, doubtless, to
represent one of the retiring members of
the Board, and as such presumed to know
something about what he writes.
Now, l take it upon myself to say, and
will establish the fact, that every statement
he made charging upon Democratic
Board the removal of teachers on account
of their political opinions is shamefully
false.
These false statements may suit the pur-
poses of the writer for influencing the elec-
tiOn, and as an excuse for his party to
prostitute the public schools to low party
uses; and it is, doubtless, a graceful way of
retiring a favorite partisan teacher to say
he has been removed sacrificed for his eX-
treme loyalty.
would have allowed all these teachers
to have retired upon the credit of their eX-
cessive loyalty, as so much stock in trade
upon which to commence business anew,
but that at every election their ghostly
forms are raised from the dead to frighten
the timid loyal women and children, whom
the Journal regularly calls upon to come
up and save their party schOOl-ma'ams by
the influence their psllid countenances may
exercise upon the ballot-boX.
&C." parades the names OF Messrs. Nor
ton, Twiss and Miss LOttie Peters as hav-
ing been victims to Democratic cruelty,
and dismissed from the Public Schools by a
Democratic Board on account of their pol
itics. If l. be disagreeable to any of the
above parties to have their names paraded
before the public, the fault is not mine. If
they allow their party friends to use them
on the occasion of every school election,
they must take the consequences.
Mr.. Norton was removed many years
ago, and Mr.. Twiss, whose ''reDlOUdL"
at later period, &c" charges as a political
offense against the Democrats, was appoint
ed to the place formerly held by Mr.. Nor
ton, by Board of the same politics with
that which removed Mr.. Norton. Both the
above gentlemen were political Abolition
lists. In both cases, a majority of the Board
were of their own political party. MIR.
Norton was removed for refusing to obey
the reasonable and proper instructions of
the Board, thus setting an example of in
subordinatiOn and disObedience that could
not have failed to be ruinOus to the best
interests of the schools.
Subsequently to the appointment of Mr..
Twiss, the party to which he and Norton
belonged undertook to force political test
in the election of the School Board. The
consequence of which was, the Democrats
carried the entire Board save one, and he
had been elected as Democrat but turned
Republican shortly after his election. Thus
constituted, the Board, all Democrats save
one, reappointed Mr.. Twiss, from year to
year, as Principal OF the High School, until
the Abolition Legislature, two years ago,
in the hope and expectation OF securing an
Abolition School Board, under the influence
of Mr.. Twiss and others, by an act of the
General Assembly, abolished the Democrat |
ic School Board, that had been elected by an |
overwhelming majority of the voters ofthis |
city. The same act provided for the elec- |
tion of Board by wards, thus depriving |
the people of the privilege of selecting their |
Board from the entire city. Knowing that |
a large majority of the Democrats were la
boring men, the act provided that this cleo
tion be held one loeek after the regular spring |
election, knowing that would be inconven-
lent, and sometimes impossible for laboring |
men to spare the time TO attend two cleo
tiOns within few days of each other at the |
was expected to secure the Board to the
AbolitiOnists.
In its issue after the election, the State
Journal boasted OfhaviDg secured the Board |
to its party. When organized. the Board,
at the commencement of the school year, |
appointed its committees, and the commit |
tee on Teachers made its recommen-
datiOns to the Board. Mr.. Twss, who |
had been appointed and reappointed by a
Board, had again served out the |
term of his appointment. Itbecame neces-
sary again to fill the place now vacant by |
the expiration of the term of his former APP
pOintment. Whether Mr.. Twiss was cam
didate for reappointment know not. But
the committee on Teachers recommended |
the appointment of Mr.. Hutchinson for
Principal of the High School, and the re-
port was unanimously adopted. The name
of Mr.. Twiss was not even presented or
named for the appointment. 1t is not nee
essary to inquire why Mr.. Hutchinson was
unanimously appointed by Board elected |
under the new law enacted on purpose to |
put the schools and their patronage IN other |
hands than majority of the voters of the |
whole CITY had placed them Surely poli- |