, 1873-05-08

SCHOOL MEET1NG.-O On Saturday even
ing, MAY 4, 4 meeting of the citizens
Of Seattle was held at the school house,
to consider the proposition of the Direc-
tors to build an additionalschool house,
en- the town school lots, to be occupied
exclusively by the primary department.
After much discussion, in which the ne
cessity for more school room was admit
ted by all, the proposition of the Direc-
tors was almost unanimously rejected.
= resolution Was adopted for the ap-
pointment of q committee of three to
examine and report upon the expediency
81 building two additional school hous-
es-one in the north and the other in
the south end of tae town-with suit
able sites for the same, for the better
accommodation of the children of the
town in the primary department The
following were appointed said commit
tee: Amos Brown, Fred. Slater and J..
5. Anderson.
On motion of Mr.. Leary, the meet
ing, without dissenting voice, passed a
resolution requesting the Clerk of the
District, Edgar Bryan, to resign that
Office. On the passage of this resolu-
ton, His Honor Chief Jus tice Jacobs
took the floor for an elaborate protest
against this action of the meeting to-
wards the clerk, and pronouncing a
high eulogy upon the ability and integ-
rity of tina: officer. We were astonished
and grieved 10 hear from man who
commands from us 50 high degree of
our confidence and respect such sentl-
ments and opinions as he uttered on
that occasion, and that he should so far
forget what is due to public sentiment
as not only to impuGn the motives of a
large majority Of his fellow citizens, to-
wards one of their own public servants.
but to throw the weight of his high so
cial CT aracter and judicial position into
the defence of acts Of a public officer
which have already been passed upon
by public censure, and are liable to
come before his court for judicial decis-
ion. We are extremely sorry that the
Judge should challenge personal issue
upon this matter, out CT order or place,
when neither his remarks or reply to
the same could be properly entertained
by the presiding officer; but our duty to
the public will not permit US to shirk an
issue thus forced upon the public by
the volunteer champion of the school
officers.
We will premise by saying that there
sre not ia this community gentlemen OF
the same number who stand higher for
honesty and integrity than Judge ia
cobs and the school directors whom he
seems to have taken under his special
protection; and that our public schools
are conducted by competent and efficient
teachers, We have never heard denied
But in these days of public demoraliza-
ton and official IRE egularities no pubic
man is SO far above suspicion as not to
be amenable to censure ald subject to
the laws provided to guard against
official irregularities. Honesty of in
tention will not excuse any public officer
FOR misapplying public funds, and ring
combinations 10 defeat the popular will
IN the control of public matters, are
prin'a ticie evidence of corruption which
previous good character cannot remove.
In other words, it is against public pol
icy to permit men of reputable charac
ters to indulge in disreputable acts
The fact that the school officers
have never given public notice of a
school meeting through public print,
hut only by small written placards,
which not one person in a hundred
would ever think of stopping to read, is
pretty conclusive evidence that they
do not want the public to know what
they do. Last year, as we are credibly
informed, a meeting of not more than
dozen persons, on motion of Judge ia
eobs, levied small special tax for incl
dental expenses. What was the aggre-
gatefamount of that tax; to what pur-
pose any portion of it WAS applied, We
have no means Of knowing, but one the
directors Informed the meeting on Sat
urday night, that 800 # that fund was
yet in tie hands of the clerk, unappro-
priated. Of how this special tax was
collected We have some knowledge. The
owners of about 220 lots and tracts of
land in this district knew nothing of
this special tax until their property was
advertised for sale for delinquent taxes
by Edgar Bryan. clerk. What this tax
amounted to then, may be judged from
the following bill rendered over Bryan's
official signature. now in our possession:
Special school tax ...... -. OF
Advertising -. ......-.....2 q SO
Certificate of sale. e............2 2 90
Com. on ..... ......... OF
County, Territorial, &c. tax, ...... G3
Interest on purchase price,. -. 08
So 81
From this it will be seen that inno-
cent property holders, who had no no.
tice of this special tax, large portion
of the proceeds of which is yet unex-
pended, were taxed S5 27 by Br, an for
the collection of cents. The same
,,rinter for whose advertising he charo-