Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-10-17


Epr1o1 Posr-Ixrsxxzozxcxz
W.. ~ nndsniensd directors d thi1
disenet. feel Ilks o1exinR y0c and ycur
reNdexB "a ap0foQy Tor uof1osnR arfleiee
which appear<d ii youx daiIies Of sept
sth and 21st, dictn4ed ~ Andrew AelsUus
oterk of this distr5ct, Ne. s.. ID whjca -
purporss 10 give tke public infoemat1on
about our school Affairs. We wouId not
rsfice bis shameful MISREPRESENTATION
AZ al. II IL were nnt for the fnct thAf
many persons p1y taxes for this district
who i've Ia SeasxIe ard wo1id biamo %
Tor suaqnderinQ tbs school mouey. HIS
charges tia dsrsctofs with NOS doing
their duty. Tho no<lo6a of the annual
school meeting for 1875 notified tbs
district that . site for : echoolhsuse
would be voted on. Mr.. Nelson offered
70 ofys site xdj0ining the county road
We selected the Same lot and said: II
ron viii give this. - will submit Is 70
4 vote of tbs district He answered.:
= Yes; hese ron can have ycar ehot1e
ubnre you ike Is Was voted On, snd
the day after THANKSGIVING il was sur-
veyed. We twics notified Nelson TO be
prssenf, bat be Iefs home on that day,
and, when be Tesarned, be said he in
tended 20 give rs another lot twenty
reds from the county road. and would
not give deed on that We had sur
yeyed. Ali re could do vas to call an
other school meeting and vote u back.
Not being acquainted with Mr.. Nelson's
peculiar way of saying one thing and
meaning another, gave as and the dis
trie< a great deal Of unnecessary trouble.
In order 70 be able TO give satisfactory
report at the extra school meeting, We
took Mr.. Sherman with M to value the
lots We selected. Wealso examined Mr..
Nelson's lot ON the hill, bat il was not
ID 10 build sch0olhousc on; 10 one
would vote for It, Because the district
refused his lot, Nelson b4came wrathy
and said TO many persons that be was
going 10 make all the troabie be couid
for the directors.
The lot We selected il cheaper and
better, notwithstanding we paid $50 for
il. There il q apring Of water on each
side OF the scho0lhouse, and the ground
about II ID cleared and safer from fires
IA the woods than any other place va
could get. II 10 In tine center of the
district and gives perfect satisfaction to
everybody except Nelson. He says DR..
Smith. being director, had no right 10
sell land to the district. We took legal
advice on that point and were informed
| that if was not the intention OF the
school Iaw to prevent q district from
buvinQ 4 school site of director, when
be owns the only suitable ground to be
had.
Just a. tho school lot Is pat in false
light, so il the schoolhouse misrepre-
49, IA. AAl Ia af.x1 IA lac
foundation OF the schooih0use WAS laid,
Nelson complained that II was not good
enough nor strong enough, although ex-
perienced house builders said It WAS
stronger than was necessary. He CON-
planned about the entire building from
beginning 10 end, and still keeps II up
in order to be as good as his word that
he would give rs all the trouble he could.
The house 10 built Of first class material
and exhibits first GLASS workmanship,
which can be seen. de says IL IL not
built according to contract. There were
few uninportant omissions that were
overlooked by the builders, but the d.
rectors had them do extra work not
called for, which was of more import
anoe, and they accepted IL in lieu Of the
tFifling omissions.
We are accused Of robbing the district
because We have no deed for the ground
the house stands on. DIR. Smith is held
in $500 bond for good and sufficient
deed 10 the lot, and every person in the
district, save only Nelson, is satisfied
that deed will be given in due time,
for the doctor can have no possible mo-
tive In refusing one. Nelson says the
house Ii too expensive for the Humssr
of children tl6) in his report. We now
have q attending school. and more will
attend soon.
In the school meeting one of the di.
rectors moved that $500 be set apart to
build the schoolhouse and the remainder
be kept for charts, maps, seats, DO, so
as 10 avoid special tax next year.
Nelson opposed this arguing that We
needed a $1,000 house, as the number O:
scholars would constantly increase; and
now he is the first one complaining of
unnecessary expense. and is doing all he
can to prevent a special tax being COL
lected, even using the public pross to
that end. He lays all blame for every
thing done on the directors, when, ac-
cordinq TO law, the directors are ".di-
rected" by the vote of the district. He
says the let Ia not cleared. II is both
fenced and cleared, with the exception
of few sticks and pieces of stumps
that will be useful for fuel. Nelson
says the house was not furnished with
seats according to contract, when he
knows that the school meeting decided
not TO have the kind of benches called
for put in. as the district wanted better
ones, and tho directors were ordered to
buy them on credit. He says also that
the contractor gave no bonds, and that
he was paid OF before the house was
finished. He was stranger aud unable
to give bonds, bat we secured the dis
trict against loss by requiring him to
deposit all the material on the ground
and half complete the house before re-
ceiving dollar, and afterward We paid
him only after the work was done. An
other base misrepresentation is that the
contractor was to wait one year for all
money due him which WAS not In the
treasury when the house should be com
pleted. These are the facts: SIS only
OF the $1,000 which he was TO receive
had already been used for surveying,
DO, which amoant he was 90 wait one
year for. and the order for that sum SO
specified.
The only apparent reason for finding
fault Is that all the voters in the district
are opposed TO him, Andrew Nelson, who
is :" clerk in his own DISTRICT" to use his
own Tor rather attorney's) language.
The only proof he has furnished Of the
grave charge OF "joohery aud fault
finding" is that the contractor boarded
with one of the directors, which .'to
him looked very suspicious ALI things
look suspicious TO suspicious minds.
GUSTAV ANDERSON,
JoHS LISDoUIsT.
PAssENGEgs f0W PORTLANn