The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1871-02-24
THAT SMALL CONTROVERSY.

ests, to have this ftfire in the rear" But
the gun from which 1t comes is small
and 'scatters" badly, ana no harm has
been done.
Let me suggest to the Honorable
Lyman Beecher, that this "small contro-
versy" has the appearance of a pretty
large one on his part, from the way he
squirms over having been defeated in
procuring a raise of $500 on his salary.
am sorry this matter has assumed the
shape it is in, as dislike these contro-
versies, especially in this public way.
should never have taken any notice of
it but for this little fellows repeated
attempts to ignore the action of the
Board of Directors at its first meeting,
and his determined efforts to ''bum" his
demands through at all hazards; and
his further attempts to place me in an
unfavorable light with my people by
various &c parte publications.
In replying cannot touch upon all
the points the ''broken- winged bird"
makes. will necessarily have to scat
ter good deal in noticing the argu-
ments in his wild, illogical and unsys-
tematic article.
Let me say, now, that the "head and
front of my offending" is that do not
longer propose to be dictated to as to
the annual raise of salary demanded by
this little man. have most always
opposed his demands, but have here
toforc submitted to them because stood
alone. This time was backed, in my
course, by the Board of Directors. The
ideas of those having charge of the mat
ter, as to reasonable appropriations for
the school, were endorsed by the Board
instead of having suffered a severe de-
feat" as he asserts. His defeat and
Mr.. Kellogg" He talks about close
listed parsimony, when he is SO selfish
as to see nothing beyond his own de-
mands for an increase of his wages.
His bigotry and narrow-mindedness
leads him to tell several absolute false
hoods in regard to the members from
his own home. 1t is not true that L ever
gave Mr.. Overstreet any figures to be
presented to the Board of Directors. Ii
is not true that l resigned my place on
the Board ga few hours before" / re-
signed several days before the meeting,
and went with several other citizens
and solicited the appointment of Mr..
Overstreet. Lad announced my inten-
ton to resign some time before 1 left
Emporia, and consulted with seve-
raj friends of the institution as
to who should be appointed. L did
not consult Mr.. Kellogg, because L did
not consider him proper person to adj
wise with. 1t was none of his business
who was appointed. 1t would certain
ly not have been we'll to allow him to
select the person. We have had enough
of the "ring" business in the manage
ment of the Normal School already.
There shall be no more of it if 1 can
prevent it.
had heretofore entertained the opin-
ion that the action of the Legislature
was authoritative and final" in the
matter of appropriations. 1t is news to
me that after the Board had agreed up
on the figures, which do not happen to
suit the overreaching avarice of small
Principal--that he can call another meet
ing and make its actions ''authoritive
and final" Let me here state that Mr..
Kellogg told me at this called meeting
that all the teachers were satisfied with
their salaries as fixed at the first meet
ing of the Board except himself and the
Preceptress.l
Permit me to inform Lyman Beecher
that am fully determined to do as !
please in asking appropriations for the
Normal, seeing that the Board does not
agree in the matter. l should rather
follow the action of the regular meet
ing, if either. All the Board attempts
is to recommend the estimates. 1 sup
pose there is nothing legally binding in
the merGrecommendation of sums for
salaries, etc., and that the legislature is
at liberty to fix the amounts. That has
been the practice of the legislature, and
Notwithstanding this little fellow, who
is interested to the amount of five hun
dred dollars, pronounces it can assump-
ton of irresponsible power" l shall
follow the practice of the legislature in
stead of taking his view of the matter.
With a full appreciation of his great
ness staring me in the face, and without
fear from his terrible wrath, 1 intend to
do as please about raising his salary.
If it will be any relief to his fears, 1 will
say that no threat is intended. He shall
not be hurt. Allow me to suggest to
the Principal, that while 1 am here to
represent the interests of the Normal
school, 1 am also here as sworn of
ficer of the State, to look after the in
terests of the whole State and as he
evidently cannot afford to furnish brains
to run the Normal school and the Sena-
torship, too, allow me further to sug-
gest that he permit me to discharge the
duties of the latter position according
to the best of my ability.
His assertion that would thorough
ly deserve and should receive the con-
demnation of the people who sent me
here, for the outrage commit in not IA
vOring his selfish demands for more
money, is decidedly cool, if not down.
right impudence. Because l refuse to
ask for him, from the State, five hundred
dollars more than consider him worth /;
because refuse to vote another thou
sand dollars for an assistant teacher
when there is no need of it, in my esti-
nation; because refuse to vote to
raise the salary of another teacher $500,
when 5000 advance is enough; because
1 refuse to sustain that arrant humbug of
''back pay" for teachers who accept po-
sition knowing what the salary is, / am
to be handed over to the people by this
little man. That's rich. Perhaps my
will condemn me for my
assistance in saving the State $4,000 of
what 1 consider needless expenditure,
and perhaps they will not. Perhaps the
Principal will, in future, condescend to
select gentlemen for the Senate and
House who will consider his avaricious
demands above every other interest
Perhaps he can secure, for these posi-
tons, gentlemen whom he can run to
er1ff him