New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-08-12
THE CHTCAGO TRAGEDY.

THE CHICAGO TRAGEDY.
The newspapers of Chicago are crowded
with accounts of The latest homicide III that
remarkable city. In the Council Chamber on
the 7th inst the subject Inder consideration
being the nomination of certain persons as
members OF the Board of Education, letter
written by Mr.. Francis Hanford was read.
Mr.. Hanford was formerly Assistant Super
intendent of Public Schools, and more recently
principal of high school. He charged the
Ring" with attempting TO cripple the schools.
"The instigator,n he said, "and cngineer-in-
" chief of all deyitry connected with the leg
"islatiOn of the Board OF Education is Mrs.
" Sullivan, wife of the Secretary OF the Board
" OF Public Works. Her influence with COvin
was proved by her getting Bentley dismissed
" and her husband appointed in his stead"
She was also represented as plotting for the
exclusion of the Bible from the schools. There
were other charges and insinuatons IN the let
ter which it is unnecessary to repeat. during
its reading Mr.. Alexander Sullivan, the huS-
band N Mrs. Sullivan, was present and made
a copy of the references to his wife. Return
ing home, he informed her of what had Oc-
cured, when, in company with his younger
brother, they drove to the residence or Mr.
Hanford, of whom Sullivan, showing him the
letter demanded a retractiOn of the charges
AGAINST his wife. This was refused. and after
further words Sullivan knocked lantOrd
down. During a scullc which ensued, Han
ford struck Mrs Sullivan in the face. UpOn
this her husband drew n revolver fired at
Hmford, and so wounded him that he died in
l,Ic G,,'I il I'M
a charge of murder.
We have not attempted to give AL the mi
mute details of this tragic transaction, Of the
fostering local politics Of Chicago i'll which this
quarrel originated of the intrigues, plots, plans
for securing power, of the struggles for profit
able places which have all ended in murder
The important facts are that the schools OF
that city are in the hands OF the politicians
and that the school system there gives oppor-
tunity for pcculdtion and proigacy and per-
sonal Guarrcls. The natural conclusion of one
newspaper is that "the young minds of the
scholars will be famiarized to deplOrable
"extent with bloody thoughts and I'M
"aginiugs.n This is very just OBJ
servatiOn, but when we arc told that
"evcry effort should he made to dIsconnect
"the school system from the murder" we are
tempted to ask how it Is to be done. The
killing came not, it is true, of the school
system itself but it certainly dld come OF its
mismanagement and OF the unccan politics
which have crept into it, as they have into
every other department of the City Govern
ment. 1t is not possible, we should judge. to
hush the affair up when the newspapers are
overloaded with reports of it, printed in the
gigantic style Of Chicago typography. Ii is ~
Il miserable matter, fall of falsehood, passion,
selishncss, and other unmcntionaolc vices but
how is il to be kept from the young minds Of
the Chicago school children?
The lesson is one which has long been needed,
and which may be improved in spite of The
shameful shape in which it comes. Public
education is an excellent thing; but we have
done our best to make it deWUralZiug by com
hitting the outside management Of schools
and their internal economy TO the hands Ot
ignorant, INSCRIPTIONS, grasping, and pluGdcr-
ing boards and committees who have 40 more
regard for il than for any other branch Of the
public service in which theft is possible. This
is really becoming a very serious matter. In
many Il town and city, OF which greater decency,
not to say intelligence, might have been cx-
pectcd, The management OF the schools has
been usurped by gang OF ignorant
politicians who know as much Of education as
they do of practical piety. Hence come
squabbles, plots maneuycrs; hynce come
rings and cliques and factors Hence come
jobs, entertainments, and cut-tluoat contracts
for buildings, for salaries and for supplies,
with teachers turned out to crafty personal
g.udseS, and teachers appointed with as much
consideration for their fitness az il thcy were
to be employed in cleaning streets or IN dig
ging sewers. We do not believe that thcro Is
an important town or city in the United States
which has not been at some time dissmceL
by the bad behavior, the dishonesty,
or the incOmpetency, not Of teachers,
who for tho most part arc filter for their po-
sitionj than VIC might have anticipated, but of