Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-09-21
-ss SALMON BAY sCHooLHoUst
sQTABBLE.

,o,;cs in the Posr- -ISTELLIGEsCEB o
1S,h inst. that one II. A. Smith take
fns fnss.;ons . TO what be says told a Ger
nauspaper man ia regard to hov
sain ALE stooa in nv school district il
ms' mssso,ce To the new schoolhouse, etc.
Tt;e Gentleman Was taxpayer In mi
IL district, and. as he knew | wa
So.s he yss wanting to know how
e.,ars we're. and was interested per
ua.iIv u 20 know where his money wa
sa;ng / will briefly state the facts il
.Ss csse. az Smith fails TO give them.
A. the annual meeting of School Dis
-. No. 81 the people voted on a schoo
n A. Smith offered site, and a,
,.s not present, srnt written offer
". Aid not describe 1t. / offered e
20 . site in the center of the Dortbwest
ssns,ter of the northwest quarter of sec
IA. on condition that the LAND
.sanld revert to me if abandoned fol
...ooI purposes. vote was taken and
~ offer accepted, as may be seen b.
ne minutes of that meeting.
few days after this two OF the Di-
actors objected to that condition in the
Sssd. and claimed that other persons
sonjd Give clear deed for a school site
soon after this these two Directors sur.
ssvsd site on my land, but, instead Of
,ocatinP it in the center of the 40. they
IOestsd one about 20 rods north of the
ssntsr. This / objected to, because 1,
rss not the land ] offered and which
sss voted upon. The one located was
on the county road. and they left the
,oad only Is feet wide between my
sIsared land and this site. The Law re-
Guires the road to be &C feet wide, and
% make il 30 ~ feet would have to be
tsksn from my cleared land i was,
however, willing, and agreed with Gus
tsye Anderson and Chris Sherman that
ihsy could have the site where they had
mTsyed il they would move the lines
hack enough to clear the road, but this
yas given up on account of the soham.
inc OF a certain individual not friendly
10 me.
Ia December, 1883, H. A. Smith, one
of the directors, offered a school site
for $50, which was accepted, and be
vas to give bond to pay $500, in case
be failed 10 make deed.
AT the same meeting said Smith, as
one Of the directors, was authorized to
survey the ground, advertise for bids
for clearing the ground, fencing it and
building school house, and seats for
The school house.
On Jasuary 9th, 1884, the bids were
opened. s. e. Bright bid $lCCo; Blue,
Moon a Co. bid $l0il, and offered real
estate bonds. Brieht's bid was accept
ed without bonds; he was to finish the
house according to plans and specifica-
tions, which he failed to do. IL there
was not enough money TO pay him, he
vas 10 wait one year, and the minutes
Of this meeting were signed and ap-
proved by Bright.
Now the cause of II. A. Smiths dis
like to me is that objected to paying
him $50 for a school site, when he did
not own the land and could not make a
deed for il. The land belongs to his
children, and thought that he ought
not TO take school money for property
he could not convey-that it was tbs
same as robbing the school fund. Then.
ss schcsl clerk, / objected TO his $500
bosd, because 1t was worthless. | sub
mitted it to the Prosecuting Attorney,
and be said it was worthless.
Again, | objected to Mr.. Bright get
ting the contract unless be gave bond,
which he never gave. He was a stranger
TO all Of as, and thought that Ii. A.
Smith, who had charge of building the
school house, should also insist on
bonds, so that the people would not 10 ,e
ANYTHING in case the house was not
built right
lmust say it looked little strange 10
me how things we're managed. especial
ly whom we consider that Mr.. Bright
boarded with Smith. All in all, 1t WAS
conduct calculated to excite suspicion.
felt 1t NV duty rs clerk to enter my
protest at the way things were going,
tho1gh it did call forth abuse from
Smith.
Mr.. Bright did net comply with his
contract. He failed To clear the ground,
did not remove the stumps, there is no
gutter to the hoase, and the supports
and braces in the frame of the house
are insufficient, and not according TO
the plans. The wallis were left open, 80
that rats and mice can get in thropgh
the house, and no seats were put in ~
agreed. Now these things did
not suit me, and 1 have right
70 object to the waste of school
money, no matter II Mr.. Smith
does not like me for IL. IL is a little
strange that Mr.. Smith should sell a
sohool site and take school monay for
i, when he knew the land belonged 10
minors and that be could not make a
little. As one of the Directors he made =
,ontract with himself which the law
prohibits. Section 73 Of the school law
ieclares that " no School Director shall
be directly or indirectly interested ia
any contract that may be uade by .
Board of which he is member"
This law was made to protect
taxpayers. It was made SO that no one
could plunder public funds, 50 that no
school officer could sell property he
owned, or that someone else owned, 20
school districts. How did it happeR
thar Mr.. Smith could sell a school site
be never owned to the district when
others we're ready to donate site free
OF all charges9 Was ii because he was
q director?
Again, il looked little strange that
MT Smith, as a director, would author
ize school warrants for the full amount
70 be issued TO Mr.. Bright, before the
oaliding was completed, and ne time
when there was no me nsy in the tres-
sury. and he knew it. Why was he in
saeh hurryf No prudent man would
pay mp before the work was done--cs-
pecialiy to stranger, and when there
vas no bend or other security.
Mr.. Smith sught to know that as
school clerk have nothing to do IL
nlsina money for building schools; l,
Is the duty of the directors to do that,
S anyone can see by looking at section
Sof the school laws. IL is an ignorant
director who does not know that.
IL was the duty of the directors in
.aislne money, to state in their notices
'oe sum of money they proposed TO
.aise, 80 that the people can know how
vote intelligently. This they did not
uo IN the notices they did post in this
cnooi matter, and Mr.. Smith hsd bet
ssr inquire how he has performed his
uuty IN all things.
Mr.. Smith inslnuates that would not
oe good for costs in ease suit grew out
oI THIS matter. OF course he is the
proper man to make an observation OF
sas sort. He must infer that am not
Soou TOR costs for the reason he knows
Ss Is not. That is a way some people
ave ave OF judging their neiehbors. It II
su "a 20 suppose il he had had any land
" MS own he would not have sold that
y some enc else TO our school district
o sstachments or judgments have
s s'sI ,ssued against me. my land is as
~sseo az xl5o0 and ! owe no man q
Vcut What eau Saith ~. q, a hs,,,t 1ahts