The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1880-10-28
COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT.

falnc a putsIon OF NeTacity betWeen nlnsell anu
ourself, which renders it necessary that we
should ventiiate certain practices. His remarks
were to the effect that he had acted with an eye
single to the educational interest of the County,
without regard to politics; but that his friend,
Mr.. Miller, who was then present, had charged
otherwise, but could not substanfiate his charg-
es. If Mr.. Heeney meant that he had not favored
Democrats as against .Republicans, or run the
Office in the interest of the Democratic party, he
may be correct, and We have never charged other
wise; but he has it, of late for the particular
benefit Of Mr.. Heeney, and has pursued practices
that are calculated to demoralize the educational
interests of the County. We shall state some
things that we know, and others that are of COM
mon report, and come from reliable sources.
At the commencement Of the late Normal In
stitute, communication was published in the
Ckief, savagely attacking Mr.. Heeney, charging
him with running the Institute as "boom" for
his own benefit. The writer promised us more
of the same kind, and something rougher. At
that time, we thought the writer was doing
Mr.. Heeney injustice, and we plainly said so
and defended him. The writer also wrote us
that if Mr. Shaner was nominated by the Repub-
licans, he would show up some of Heeney's trans
actions, to convince the public that he was not
the man for the place. As that writer himself
exposed the authorship of the communication,
we are under no obligation to keep it, as we did
keep it until he told on himself. 1t was a red
hot Democrat and his name is J. ]. Baker. He
swore hostility to Heeney, and intimated facts
to his detriment that he could relate. These
facts, which we shall relate presently, he also
confided to Mr.. Shaner. A few days after the
publication of the communication, Mr.. Baker
came to Troy, to attend the Institute. The next
thing we knew, he had made confession to Hee-
ney; Heeney gave up his own school, in Dis
trict where he had taught for years, took Baker
out there in his buggy, and secured the school
for him. Since then, Baker has been loud
Heeney man, and no doubt, ere this, has been all
over his old stamping ground" working for
Heeney, and telling cock and bull stories to the
detriment Of Shaner. Now, did Heeney buy
Bakers support, by using his influence as COun-
ty Superintendent to put him in his own schooli
As early as last Spring, Mr.. Shaners friends
began to talk of him as the Republican candi-
date for County Superintendent. Heeney recog-
nized him as the coming man, and has omitted
no opportunity to edo him Dirt At the very
beginning of the Institute, the male teachers,
many of them Republicans, began to evince a
decided animOsty,to Shaner, and to become par
tisans of Heeney. 1t began to leak out, that
this one and that one had heard of disparaging
remarks that Shaner had made concerning them
selves and consequently they were his enemies.
Some of these stories were traced up, and every
time they were "treed" in some special striker
of Heeney's, and in a manner to leave but little
doubt that they were circulated by order of
Heeney.
During the Institute, certain teachers, num-
Der of them Republican supporters of Heeney,
We're snugly nested here and there in the choice
school districts, through Heeney's recommenda-
tion and influence. They have put in full time
since, in blowing for Heeney; and some of them
even went so far as to set traps to stump Shaner
problems at the Teachers Association, in or
der to humiliate him before the teachers. This
was told by J. J. Baker to several gentlemen at
Highland, and should he accepted as good testi-.
mony, coming from Heeney's Democratic friend.
The last Teachers Association, at Severance, was
clearly run as Heeney boom, at which he was
pTofusely slobbered over, while the productions
of other teachers, some of them by ladies, and of
a high order of merit, were passed over with
silent contempt.
Several teachers at the Institute, who were
profuse in their advocacy of Heeney's reelection,
were asked their reason for it. Their reply was,
that they wanted high grade certificates; when
they were secured, Heeney might slide. 1t is
openly charged that more than one teacher has
a higher grade certificate than his examination
marks entitled him to.
Three persons compose the Board of Examin-
ers, and no certificate can be legally issued IN
less this Board, majority of it, so decide,
upon inspection of the examination record.
Members of the Board tell us that there is one
young man in the northern part of the County
who was unanimously rejected by the Board,
and so notified but who to-day holds a certifi-
cate. They tell that other persons in the
County hold certificates, under the same circum-
stances They assert that Heeney obtains their
signatures to certificates under false pretences,
and then makes out the certificates to different
persons from the ones reported. They say it re-
quires their closest watchfulness to prevent him
from demOraliZing the schools of the County, and
that his reelection will be calamity to the
public schools. How many teachers in the
County, calling themselves Republicans, are
bumming for Mr.. Heeneys reelection in consider
alton of some of the favors above relatedi
We now come back to Mr.. J. J. Baker and at
least one of the startling facts that he threat
ened to expose, to the detriment of Heeney. A
few months ago, school in Iowa Township was
vacant. There were two young lady applicants
for the school. One was the daughter of lead
ing Democrat, who was delegate in the Con-
vention, last week. that re nominated Mr. Heeney.
We shall not give her name, that of her father,
for our fight is not against the young lady, and
We do not wish to mortlfy her feelings. She had
prospect of getting the school in question, if she
could obtain certificate. She was examined,
and failed to pass. Another young lady was an
applicant for the same school, and would get it,
provided the other lady failed to get certificate.
This second young lady had attended the Insti-
tute, and applied herself to study, and had won
a certificate. We shall not withhold her name,
for there is nothing in this to mortify her feel
ings. 1t was Miss Jennie Arnold, daughter of
Dawson Arnold, another old Democrat, and one
of the straightest men in the County. When the
other young lady failed in her examination, and
was rejected by the Board of Examiners, Heeney
wrote to J. J. Baker something after this style:
"What in the name of God. shall dot For
Heavens sake, help me ont of this' This terri
BILE dilemma was how to give certificate to a
lady, for certain reasons, who was not qualified,
and thus defraud Jennie Arnold, who had cer
tificate ont of the school. Baker is smart, and
he readily put Heeney in way to get out. He
wrote Heeney to send him his list of questions,
aud he would instruct the lady, so that she could
pass an examination. Heeney did so, Baker