Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-06-18
NUMBER l55.
THAT INVESTIGATION.
WHICH THE BoARD OF EDUCATION
HIVE ON HAND.
At the Instance of the Secretive Tom
Cochran the Board Investigate the
Charges Against Superintendent Bur-
rington in Private-They Find Great Cry
and Little Wool-Rev. DR.. Dana to Be


and Little wool-Rev. DR.. Dana to Bo
Censured.
The board of education met last evening
conformably to adjournment, for the purpose
of continuing the investigation into the grave
| charges made through the columns of GER
tain newspaper against the superintendent and
the general management of the schools.
At about o'clock one or two members of
the board arrived, and several persons who had
been invited to attend. Among them were
DR.. Dana. Col. Newport. Thomas Cochran. Jr.,
Mr.. and Mrs. Trumbull. D. D. Merrill G. Sydney
Smith, Col. Griggs, Mrs. Griggs, J. B. Fish. A.
P. Connolly. Mr.. Cary, Joseph Roberts, Maj.
Newson, W. Fl. Murray, I. S. Sewall, and sew
| eral teachers from the public schools.
At few minutes after o'clock and before
the board had convened, there not being quo
rum present, Mr.. Thomas Cochran said:
| MIR. Manson. was this meeting called for
! o'clcck?"
| Mr.. Manson-Yes, sir.
Mr.. Cochran-It seems to me that it IS UNI
| business like to be unpunctual, especially in
| board OF education.
After some minutes further delay, the board
waiting for DR.. Murphy who had been called
| outside, Mr.. Cochran again rose, and in an au-
| thoritative tone demanded who is chairman of
! this board?
| Mr.. Manson-Dr Murphy
! Mr.. Cochran think to say the least that
it is exceedingly discourteous in the board to
invite number of ladies and gentlemen here
and then to keep them waiting in this manner.
| Dr. Murphy having entered, the roll was
called, DR.. Hagan, Messrs. Thomson, Benz,
Merriam, Kerr, Scheffer, Manson and DR.. Muir
! ply responding.
Mr.. Merriam moved that the board proceed
| with the investigation where it left
Saturday.
The motion was carried.
Mr.. Cochran-May be permi ed to ask
question two before the boarsi proceeds to
! business.
MIR. PRESIDENT can see no objection.
Mr.. Cochrane-I have been informally sum-
| u,oned here as a witness in this Interrogation.
and should like to know if it Is the purpose
of the board to take evidence as in court of
law by administering oath.
Mr.. Kerr thought the board had no power to
administer OATH and he would be equally
satisfied with the plain statements of the ladies'
| and gentlemen present.
Mr.. Roberts-How is it, gentlemen, that you
insisted ON me taking an oath on Saturday if
you have no power to administer one?
Mr.. kerr-Ihere was mpulslon
Mr.. Cochran then rose and made lengthy
speech in which he stated that he not go
| ing to testify to anything if what he had to
say was to appear in the papers. He came
there by request and alone; he did not come to
support any one or with any personal feeling
anything it the representatives of the press
were not excluded.
Mr. Kerr thought with MIR. Cochran that the
investigation should be carried on with closed
doors. He thought SO because he had often
been misrepresented and made to say by news
paper reporters what he never had any inten-
| ton to say. An instance in point was the
the garbled report in the Pioneer Press of Sat-
urday's meeting, which was no report at oil of
| the business transacted and Justification of
what took place. There was not a word said at
that board about MIR. Burlington s triumphant
reelection it's connection with this investi-
cation. And he (Mr. Kerr had never said DR..
Dana was unmanly. All he had said was that
any one making allegations against MIR. Bur-
rington or any one should come forward and
state his reason.
DR.. Dana asked permission to say word or
two. He was satisfied with Mr.. Kerr's expla-
ton, and he wanted to say, moreover, that
they were not charges he had made, but COM
| plants. He had no charges to make. All he
had done was to make certain complaints SO
that the board could investigate and see if
charges could be made out of thenl-comp plants
that the board could formulate into charges.
He was present at q great sacrifice. He had
come by request of the board, not as q witness
making charges. He had none to prefer.
Mr.. Scheffer moved that the members of the
press be requested to withdraw.
DR.. Dana, again interposing, asked that h1r.
burlington be included in the resolution with
the members of the press.
Mr.. Benz amended the resolution to include
| ell visitors except the witness testlfying.
, The amendment put and carried.
, just as the members OF the press were leaV-
ing DR.. Sweeny arrived and took his seat with
the board.
! Thus at the suggestion OF man who on every
possible occasion has strlven to hide the pro-
ceedings of public bodies from the public and is
an avoWed advocate of dark lantern proceedings
hoard showed
led to perpetrate very unpopular and unwise
act.
The witnesses during the investigation re-
I tired to the Y. NJ. G. A. rooms, where several
v INDUCED III cosby conversation upon the OBJ
ject of their investigation, and with some the
policy of secret inquiry was debated. MIR.
q Thomas Cochran maintaining that the press
had too much liberty and should be checked.
| He did not believe in all these things being
q | made public, and he thought the press ought
h | not to have been admitted at the first.
o Mr.. and Mrs. Trumbul were the first persons
admitted into the star chamber. They did not
remain long, however, and after they retired If
f was announced in the Y N. G. A. room that
, ''the board heard pretty plain speaking, both
n from man and woman"
! Mr.. and Mrs. Griggs and then DR.. Dana en-
tered the inquisitorial chamber, and as the lat
+ ter returned Mrs. Griggs asked, Are you
4 alive?''
+ DIR. Dana-There is a little left of me yet.
n Inc substance OF LIZ. Dana testimony "at
n | that he had personal feeling against Mr..
n burlington and had never been in conversation
IF with him but occasion. He had nc
. clique behind him. The Communications hs
e made to the editor Of the Pioneer Press were
~ entirely in conversation and not in writing
a He had been asked if he had any authority ant
~ he gave the names for what they were worth
"a but none of the tales animated from him. 81.
r was asked it the schools were equal in disci
a pline and grade to schools in the East and b.
Dana) said they were not.
, An affidavit read from J. G. Donnelly il
20 which that gentleman characterized the state
ments made by Dr.. Dana in connection wit
h the Boyce matter. and to which Mr.. DonnelIy'
o name was attached, as utterly false.
q Mr.. Donnelly called away to Morris an
It could not attend, and In lieu of attending sen
f. in his affidavit and also asked some of tn
s. board to denounce for him the whole affair O
a malicious fabrication.
ri Thos. Cochran disclaimed writing anythin
A. under nom lie plume, or without name-h
"A despised any one who would reflect upon anotf
n ers character in such a wayne considere
r. such course unmanly. He knew but litt
NJ about the schools as he had not visited them.
M George Sydney Smith thought it was unwis
ot to abolish the rcd from the schools Go
he Newport thought the same, and so did sewers
" others who had unruly children at home.
= B. Fish, A. P. Connolly and Mr.. Thomson we
also called in, and statement was read fro
II. A. Castle.
The meeting was in session till II :45, whs
mr. they adjourned.
- The result of the investigation wasthat the
W was not one word said derogatory to the ch
racter of Mr.. Burlington. That the charg
he mainly were leveled at the adjustment by t
M board of corporal punishment in the schoe
which the witnesses attributed to Mr. Burrin
at ton.
The reporter further learned that the boa
he will frame for publication a resolution e
bracing the facts and generating Mr.. Burrir