Daily Republican., 1879-05-16
Tn. school Board Commit ees.

ylng tho action Oh the iIeoaoen' W va
Board of Education in the appointment
Of his standing committees, seems TO
think that the members who resigned
the positions to which they were ap-
pointed, lowered themselves in the es-
timation Of sensible men, and it also
thought that if their abilities were so
transcendaDt the fact would sOen show
itself and they would then have been
advanced to positions Of greater respon-
sibility. The "Gazette te" seems not TO
understand the question, or else pur-
posely misrepresents the case. Such
men as Charles Baird and Doctor Grim
shaw have NO need of making record
for themselves. They have been mem-
bers of the Board so long and so often
that their abilities are we'll known.
They have no need to be placed IN
probationary state like new and I'M
tried members. 1t is an insult to init
mate to such men that if they filed
the little positions to which they had
been appointed faithfully, they would
then he advanced-that the President
in the goodness of his heart after a
wear of anxious and faithful watching
over them might, at the commencement
of the next year say, well done good
and faithful servants step up higher.
1t may be possible that there may be
majority of Republicans in the next
Board of Education, if So the President
will no doubt be ready, hat in kand, to
make his most profound bow and offer
to take the leadership, and if necessary
even to call a caucus of the Republican
members AID have himself re-nOmina-
ted for the Presidency. We suppose
this to be the time in the distant tu
ture to which the "Gazette leoks for
ward and when, if the gentlemen who
resigned their positions had proved
themselves competent, they would be
advanced to higher positions. 1t is al
together wrong to suppose that M-ssrS.
Baird, Lobdell and Doctor Grimshaw
resigned their positions on account OF
dissati. faction. They resigned because
through the influence of the President
the Board had been turned into poiit-
ical machine, ostensibly for the pur-
pose of having himself reelected, and
then afterwards made show Of unpar-
tisan spirit by giving unimportant
positions to Republican members, and
wrote an article for an evening paper
lauiing his own actions. Mesals.
Baird and Lobdell did exactly what
honorable men wouli do in such cases.
They saw that the Board had been or
ganized according to the behests of
party caucus. They saw the old and
efficient Secretary and Treasurer re-
moved simply because he was Repub-
lican, and Mr.. Morrow, new and un-
tried man, elected TO the Office simply
because he was Democrat. E7en
Lang the bailif had to be removed be-
cause he was a Republican and Daily
appointed because he was Democrat.
Had the committees been thought o! in
that caucus no doubt Democratic Chair
men would have been chosen for q i of
them. The Republican members are
not blind to all these things, and still
preserving their seli-respect and inde-
pendence they could do nothing more
nor less than to resign from the com.
mittees on which they were appointed
and let the Democrats run the machine.
We doubt very much whether the
President expected Mr.. Baird to retain
the Chairmanship OF the Committee on
Finance when lie appointed him to it..
The duties of this committee are very
closely conue cted with the Treasurer,
the latter being subject to the commit
tee. The Treasurer then having been
elected for no other merit above the
old one, than that he was Democrat
it would be very inconsistent to place
him under the supervision Of COM
mittee with Republican Chairman.
Mr.. Baird anyhow saw this poiht
and promptly resigned, and Mr.. Lob.
dell as promptly resigned the chairman.
ship Of the committee on Normal School
Certainly no one can blame them fol
: doing so, as the Board having bee1
turned into a political body like Con
J gress, like Legislature, like ,:he city
J council, it. like them, of course shonlc
; have Democrats at the head OF all il!
committees. Though DR.. Grimshav
was not chairman Of any committee
} no one can blame him for resigning thu
, secondary positions to which Ire hat
: been appointed apparently for the rur
' pose ofhumiliating and tantalizing him
3 We thought We were done referring t.
7 this School Board affair, but it Seerne
7 necessary in refutation of the article il
: yesterdays ''Gazette," to say just thi
S much more in defence of the positlC
9 taken by the Republican members
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