Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1884-09-29
CITY SCHOOL BOARD.

Board was held last Friday night; present
VIM. F. Carne, esq, Supt. Public Schools,
! and Messrs. r. L. Carne, Fendall, Herbert,
Leadbeater, Mankin, Marbury, Smith,
Strauss, Thompson and Vincent, Trustees.
In the absence of the Chairman Mr.. Fen
dali was elected Chairman pro ten.
After the reading of the minutes, the re.
port of the special committee on the pro-
posed new building was taken up as unlin-
ished business, and on motion accepted, the
committee being discharged.
Mr.. Il, H. Carne then moved that the
| Board authorize Mr.. Leadbeater 10 offer
SO 900 for the Friends Meeting House and
| lot.
Col. Smith Immediately rose and charac-
| terzed the motion rs 1.-The most outrageous
ever made to deilberative body" The
law, which he read, required that each
ward should be school district and no child
could be sent to school outside the district
of its residence. No city of 1900 people
crowded all its boys into one place. Apart,
too, from the public wrong, the rights OF
citizsns would be invaded his mother had
valuable property just opposite the propos-
ed purchase, and If it was accomplished the
value of that property would be greatly
lesscned. He read the law regulating the
condemnation of land for county school
houses and preserving the distance OF
| houses on land go condemned from dwell
ing houses, and asked what right the Board
had to build them nearer. He entered his
earnest protest against the purchase.
Mr.. K. l.. Carue said that the law read
by the gentleman was not that now in force.
/ 10, ha lictri ,.rls fret
appointed, it was seen that unless some CO.
operation could be secured between them,
no progress could be made. The law re-
quired the separation of the races, public
| sentiment that of the sexes if there must
| be four schools in each ward they must be
miserable primaries. Uuder these circum-
stances, being then Superintendent, he had
requested the opinion of the Superlnten-
dent of Public Instruction, as to the legality
of combining their operations, and that Oil
Ger had replied that joint action, il uEani
nous. would be lawful. The present sys
tenn was then unanimously established and
within three months other cities having ex-
perierced similar trouble, the present law,
consolidating and establishing city boards,
was passed. The plan advocated By the
gentleman would destroy the system. As
to inconvenience to private persons, he
would not willingly infiict it, nor did he
think there would he any additional trou.
BILE; six hundred boys would annoy the
neighbo!s if they had no place to play; he
proposed giving them such place and
keeping them off the street. Their dlvl
sion would only multiply the lucouven-
ence fourfold and Inject four times the mum
Der of persons to the annoyance of which
Col. Smith complained AS to the outrage
| - Df h.. IN. q,
merely proposed TO do again what the
Board had already done and had thought it
so very reasonable that it would be unani-
mously adopted.
Mr.. Strauss opposed the purchase; he
was staunch friend OF public schools, had
always been so, and wanted liue building
erected. He would, himself, contribute to
its erection. The offer in question bad been
made before the purchase OF the Howell
property we did not want both lots.
Mr.. 4. l.. Carne asked if Mr.. >. had not
said he would purchase that property at
So 900 after the Howell property had been
bought.
Mr.. S. said if he had, he had changed his
mind.
Mr.. Vincent advocated the purchase. Mr..
Smiths property would not be injured by
it, but preserved from injury. The boys
would have u fine ground TO play in and
could then be easily kept in bounds. The
building would give four very fine school
rooms, much larger than usual, and the
expense would be much smaller than that
of building School houses must be near
somebody Here was the Peabody building
right in the centre of the city, yet there was
very little complaint from those living
around it. Col. Smith inquired how he
| 4 IN, Lat,o cnl,n 4
which he replied that be lad lived opposite
that he missed the boys when they went
| elsewhere.
| The Clerk, by permission of the Board,
made statement OF his reasons for signing
the report.
Mr.. Maukin said he had understood we
had $4,000 in the treasury and was, there
fore, in favor of building new house; now
it was said we had only 81 500.
1t was explained by the Superintendent
and Clerk that 81 900 had since been paid
to Mr.. Bradley, on his account, and $500 for
repairs, furniture, &c., but that nearly that
amount had since been received from the
State and that $4,000 was again available.
Supt. Carne offered as substitute for the
motion the following:
Whereas, Differences of opinion have hereto.
fore prevented the establishment of L properly
graded school for white boys, and it is essential
delay should cease; therefore
Resolved, That this board do now proceed to
vote upon the acceptance of the proposal of the
lowest bidder under the advertisement OF July .,
1854 and that if majority be found therefor,
the committee in charge of the matter be directed
to contract with Mr.. VIM. Gibson for the building
of school house in accordance with said proposals;
but if majority be found against tue acceptance
of said proposals OF Mr.. VIM Gibson, then that Il
special committee of five do proceed to purchase
the Friends meeting house aud grounds with 4
good title at a sum not exceeding So 300.
Col. Smith moved to divide. The resolu
ton was unparliamentary inasmuch as 1t
committed the Board to one of two propo
sitions.
Supt. Carne thought it was perfectly in
order. His object was to have one thing or
the other done, he cared not which. If the
Board intended doing neither it could reject
the resolution, but in its very nature it was
incapable of division. He called for the