The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1877-05-16

COMMUNICATION IoI u EtOpit.lr
TO The Editor. Cheyenne Ledder:
DEAR SIR:-There may be those who
abuse your paper, but you have the
proud consciousness of knowing that,
in at least nine cases ont of ten, it is
because you have opposed their immoral
practices, or unlawful schemes. 1t is
because you have taken a firm stand
against vice, and unlawful acts, that l
venture to lay before you the facts of
an outrage recently perpetrated upon a
portion of the people of this Territory.
A school district, with boundaries,
was set apart, and a call converting the
| school electors of the district, was is
sued by the Superintendent of Schools.
| Pursuant to this call, the electors as
sembled at Egbert station, U. p. r. R.,
on Tuesday, May sth, at 1 O'Clock, p.
m. There were also present a large
force of railroad employees, including
| station men from Pine Bluffs and Hills
dale, and the men belonging to a freight
train which stood upon the siding.
The meeting was! organized by elect
ing a chairman and secretary, and then
the call converting the meeting was
read. f r..u ,.-.f..s Fl.
Immediately after this several ques-
lions were asked; which, while they
might be of interest to the school cleo
tors, were not about matters that
would be laid before the meeting as
business. One, regarding boundaries,
was purely n geographical one, to be
decided by reference to the surveys of
this region; another, that it is made
the duty of the clerk Of the district, to
ascertain and report; with one or two
| other questions of still less relevance;
| all of which the chairman answered
with sufficient accuracy to satisfy curl
osity. But before eve these questions
could be calmly considered, and within
ten minutes at least Of the hour set for
the meeting, a motion was made and
seconded to adjourn for n year. The
reason given for making this motion,
was, that no one seemed to know any
thing about the district, or what they
wanted; and this, too, by a party.who,
only the day before, had said that he
was not a school elector.
Does anyone suppose that after a
calm, deliberate and manful discussion,
the electors were too ignorant to deter
mine for themselves, their wants?
A calm discussion was thwarted, and
1 do not hesitate to assert, as my firm
belief, that there was a c%oncocted
scheme to break up the meeting before
any discussion upon the real object of
it could be had.
Some, suspecting this, raised the
question as to who, of those present,
had the right to vote-I cannot ven
ture to occupy space to detail all the
incidents-but by others, every project
to determine who of those present
should vote, a steadily opposed.
Is it too much to ask of an assem-
blage of American citizens, convened
for the purpose of holding an election,
that those only should vote who are
entitled to. It certainly debars none
from their just rights.
The railroad men are no doubt hon.
est men, and have their rights as well
as the President of the United States,
but one of these rights Is, not to vote
at aschool meetihgin asdistrict where
they do not reside, and where they have
not property subject to school tax.
After a long discussion the motion
was pushed to a vote, and all present
voted. 1T was carried, Of course.
There is mo- doubt that one-half of
all the votes cast were illegal, and these
were cast for adjournment.
One singular feature of this meeting,
was, that men were there, who, if they
took any part in the meeting, should
have been prominent in raising their
voices, manfully and earnestly, in OPP
posing all appearance of illegality in
conducting it, and in calm discussion
of the wants Of the district, whe-well
who did not do it. "CITIZEN."
George Serthsw will celebrate his 42d
birthday today He&wM have>at his
C"Iive and Let Livery restaurant and
| Beer hall o fine band Of music and free
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