National Republican., 1883-06-29

NV Dlu 10 lnc OlneFHt VIM WbIb lutItby bhouip
to underbd me by only SIS.
GEN Birncy has published several other
statements not true Ho says he invited pro-
posals to do tho work from the leading plumb
ing firms in tho district. Only Hayward "
Hutchinson answered. Who arc tho other
leading plumbing firms he invited to make
proposals2 lie says Hutchinson's bid for
$li1O was imperfect; was not for the sano
work as mine; did not contain tho same
specifications, and was unsatisfactory.
unoto his exact words. Why then did he
copy Hutchinson's bid of Aug ii, 1882, all
most exactly in language, precisely the same
in substance, except IA have pointed Out, and
send it to me to be filled up, as a correct form?
The chiefdinerence was had four sinks less to
mako than Hutchinson first offered, and was
required to guarantee the work for year,
which Hutchinson was not. And if Hutch
insou's form of contract was unsatisfactory,
why was the same form Of contract sent to me
for acceptance and finally accepted as thoir
bid, aftor Gen. Birney had found out my price
and asked them to underbid thaR
have demanded an investigation from the
commissioners, and trust they have justice
enough to grant IL. This is my statement of
the affair." There arc other circumstances
pointing as strongly to prove my charges,
which l do not now state"
"Mr. Brooks" said q REPUBLICAN re-
porter last night to that gentleman, "why
did You resign from the board Of school
trustccsW
MY reasons for that step, said Mr.. Brooks,
care assigned Mt length in my letter of resig.
nation to the commissioners, and until they
take official action thereon think IL would
be dscourteous to them for me TO speak of it
outside"
Have they accepted your resignation 2"
81 have not been so informed as yet"
"What do you know about this petition
presented to the commissioners asking tlrtt
another trustee be appointed in tho second
diyisiou in nlaCe of (ipli. nirnpyY
"Cicn. Birney is obnoxious to tho great
majority Of the people of the second division"
Has Il anything to do with the Hutchin-
son bllY
"As 20 that l wish to say in justice TO tho
board of trustees that tho Hutchinson bill
was never before the board nor the committee
on accounts. Tho commissioners in their in
terview, Az published in the press, and in their
conve, sation with members of the board
talked as if the board knew all about It,
This is not 81. l for ono was
entirely in the dark about it. Gen. Birney
usurped the functions of the board and of
the committees in getting from the commits
sioners early in the organization Of the board
authority to purchase supplies, do repairs,
and make other expenditures. The commits
sioners supposed he was acting for tho board
as he was It's president. Tho board, so far as
he was concerned, was not informed regularly
nor at the proper time, nor allowed
te take its usual course in direct
ing what should be DONE This
action on Gen. Birncy's part was tho
commencement of the trouble in the board.
He received communications from the COM
missioners which he did not lay before the
board. lie deceived the commissioners in
leading them to suppose he was informing the
board of their communications. So extraor
dinary was his conduct that on one occasion
it became necessary in open board to pablicly
inform him that he lad only the authority OF
trustee of the public schools, and that as
president Of tho board he was simply n
presiding officer, elected by that board
for its convenience in transactng busi-
ness. He also insisted upon tho
authority to control and mako up tho min
utes. By voto the board refused to adopt a
rule he had introduced giving him the power
to direct the making UP of tho minutes. So
far as the Hutchinson bill is concerned Mr.
Hutchinson told me that Gen. Birney told
him 81 ,250 was the limit he was authorized
to spend, and that If he would do IL
for that sum he could There are other
reasons, besides those / have mentioned
which impelled the citizens of the second
division to ask for change. Before Con.
Birney was put on tho school board last year
the trustees were appointed as q. body, and
each assigned to division by bylaw Of the
board. When Birney was appointed, he was
specially assigned by the commissioners to
that division though residing out of Its limits,
and in reality out Of the city limits, in the
county"
Mr.. Lovejoy was called upon by reporter,
and asked II it was true that no had resigned.
1t is not true" was the answer. 81 have
not resigned and have no intention of re-
signing" yl"
The reporter next called on DR.. Robert
3. DIETRICH and asked him about the petition
40 had presented to the commissioners during
tho day, asking that another trustee be ap-
pointed in place of Gen Birney for the sec
ond school division.
"The people of the second DIVISION" said
DR.. DIETRICH, have good reason in wishing a
man. resident of the district-Mr. B. ii.
Warner-whom we wish to see trustee Of
that division secondly, Gen. Birney is not
resident of the division, and we think it re-
fleets on us to go outside of the division
and appoint man to manage our schools as
we didn't have ability enough within our
solves to do IL. Thirdly Gon. Birney is an
inhdel on religious matterJ Not passive,
q1't scent skeptic, but an active prosclytng
SIX ptc. Now we who believe in Christianity
TANK We have sonIo religious rights in tho
schools, which we propose to maintain If
mace IS ry we will appeal to tho Christian
s'ntiment Of the country to sustain u.s."
"What evidence have you that Gen. Birney
isa sk ptcp
His own speech and general reputation.
Moro than that Aug. %, 1882, he offered in
the school board an amendment to the by
1t optional with the teachers to repeat the
Lords prayer. You will find this on page "a
of the minutes of the meeting OF that date.
He had expressed himself very earnestly
against tho reading of the Bible in
the schools and the singing of hymns,
saying he didn't want any Methodist
hymns sung in the schools. The hymns are
such as are common property with all Protes-
tant denominations Well, the board voted
down his amendments, and he then went to
the supervising principal Of the second divis-
lou and requested him to direct the teachers
not to repeat the Lords prayer or read the
Bble in the schools, This the supervising
principal refused TO do. Gen. Birnoy, for this
rrfu,al to aCcede to his wishes, afterwards
fried TO get Mr., Gage transferred to George
wn and Mr.. Janney assigned to the second
division. He failed in this-among othor
reasons because Mr. Janney refused to be a
party to the scheme. Gen. Birney also went
to a lady teacher and made the sano request
he did of Mr.. Gago. He said there were
many Catholics and Jews In the schools who
were offended by reading tho Bible and re-
peating the Lords prayer. This lady
teacher spoke to several Of the teachers
among others TO one who ia Cath.
olic. The latter Indignantly refused
to stop reading the Bible. She wouldn't give
il up. Thus you see how persistent was his
attack on our religion and how like subtcr.