Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1871-04-29
voice. r,e-. shs People.


Mr. Editor lin your pupor ~ last week,
your correspondent, Justice makes a state
meat which calls In question the correctness
OF that part Of my last Report, referring 10
the Public School Book Business"
In that Report stated that "neitisr he Su.
perintsndent noT any member Of the Boord has
reeeiped a sagie dsliar "a eomptntation or profit
Jrom Dt0 business, De-"
That statement is true 10 the letter.
Your correspondent says, II understand the
Board increased the Superibtendents salary
500 the past year, and that he has applied for
another increase Of 500 this year, In conse
quence Of the extra labor expended in attend.
ing 10 the book department"
Your correspondent has been mlsinformed.
and the first part Of the above statement is
wholly false.
! know not who gave Justice" his inforrna.
tion, but il he will ask these gentlemm who
were members of the Board when was en-
| plOyed as Superintendent Of your Schools, he
will find the following to be "the facts In the
case
At meeting Of the Board years ago, about
this time, l proposed TO take charge Of the
Schools for sl4O0 the first year if succeeded
in managing them to the satisfaction of the
Board should probably ask an increase of
salary The President of the Board said, lie
thought the Board would be wiling to make
my salary $500 the present year, if they were
satisfied with my work, but beyond that he
thought they would mol be willing to go.
No member of the Board, so far as ! know,
dissented from that opinion; it was, therefore,
tacitly understood by myself and part, if not
all, of the Board that should receive $500
for the present year. My salary was increas-
ed 500 in consequence of this understanding,
and in consequence of my having an oppor-
tunity OF getting larger salary elsewhere,
and not in consequence of the extra labor iu
attending the book department" Not only
so, but was employed for the first year, and
had this tacit promise of $500 for the secoud
year, some months before the Board determin-
cd to furnish books for the School, And still
further, motion was made at one time to pay
me $50 extra for doing this work. The mo-
ton was not seconded, and the matter was
laid over / stated to the Board that would
accept the S25 if they saw fit to give it, as l
thought had justly earned it, After consid.
ering the matter requested the maker of the
motion not to call the matter up again, as l
had decided not TO accept any extra pay for
that work. Ihave not. and am not TO receive
anything for this extra work of the two years
now about to close.
too, am taX-payer-small, Ills true, but
my full proportion has been paid. I am tax
ed to pay my own salary, and am just as much
inf tod 1, IL, =
taxes But let me ask-"where is the justice"
of requiring me TO do ttco mems work for enc
mans pay?
| have done almost the entire work of this
business, amounting, as stated in my Report,
to over MISUNDERSTANDING some of our
taxpayers, l am told, doubt whether it has
amounted to $500. This business has been
done in sums of from one cent to two or three
dollars and upward.
Those acquainted with this kind of work
know how much labor it has required of me
to do the buying, selling, collecting and re-
porting of this business for all of which l
have not and am not to receive a dollar of
pay. 1t has been reported by certain parties
that | have been making money out OF the
business. This report is entirely false and
invite these parties and all interested, to ex-
anime the bills, receipts memoranda and
stock on hand in my office, and satisfy them
selves whether have made money out of it
or not. These reports and misstatements
have been made either through ignorance or
with intention to injure; hence, have felt it
was due to myself to make this public denial
and explanation. Yours,
SUPERINTENDENT.