Omaha daily bee., 1885-03-09
TO-DAY'S ELECTION.
lmpartant Facts For Voters TO Con-
slider,
Mott Got Hot.

Although there are o 80 many loaves
and fishes for the ward workers to scram-
BILE after as in m ordinary city election,
yet to.day's school election Is no less i'm
p~ortant, and every voter should see to 1t
that his ballot Is cast for good men and
true. The school board disburses more
money and controls more patronage than
any other department of the city gov
eminent. Financially 1t Is of the utmost
importance that the best citizens be
chosen as directors. The duties of di.
~rectors are arduous ard the pay nothing,
80 that when men ara 30 anxious to get
the position that they will use column
after column in the papers to help their
candidacy, the effort Is looked upon with
suspicion.
Not only are the pocket books of the
present generation largely in the hands
of the directors, but the heads and hearts
of the uprising generation. Financially,
intellectually, morally, to days election
is therefore of greater Importance than
the mere favoring of the wishes Of two
men, who want to keep in office.
n LIE VAC dUVChtioli w Jug Ol1Clal
record of the two men whose term now
expire. 1t said not a word against their
private record but, in fact, spoke favor
ably of that. Their official career Is pub
lie property and THE BEE treated it as
such frankly and honestly.
In response one of the two, Mr.. Mott,
devotes a column of the Nonpareil 10
abusing the Council Bluffs editor of THE
BEE. For this abuse THE BEE man cares
not q whit, for If man Is 30 ashamed of
his official career that he gets mad when
the record Is given to the public to whom
1t belongs, then let him get mad. In his
rage, however, he should not 30 far forget
himself as to make foolish and false state
ments. THE BEE was not disappointed
In not getting a lady friend elected as
teacher in our schools" No such ap-
plicatlon has been made, no hint of such
a wish even was ever made, and In fact no
such lady existed to the knowledge of
THE BEE a In fact every word, let
ter and intimation connected with that
statement is false, and no one of the d.
%rectors. or any n else can produce any
evidence to support Motifs charge.
The attempt to mislead the public by
making any such false stateme nts, and by
putting such a false construction on the
motive of The BEE man, shows into what
straits desperate ambition will lead an
OF fice-seeker.
The statement is false, but if true 1t
would count for nothing, 1t does not
change the facts of the official records of
Messrs. Mott and Pettibone.
In his statement Mr.. Mott does not
deny the three facts stated in The BEE.
First, that teachers are ''docked" for
every day In which the board orders the
schools closed. A practice In existence
no where else In the state.
Second, that the board has not adver-
tised for bids for furnishing the immense
amount of coal used by the schools.
Third, that they are responsible for
mission schools being forbidden the use of
the school buildings under any circum-
stances
Mr.. Mott merely seeks to explain
these. He says the law requires the
docking" of the few nickels from the
h~ard-worked and not over-paid teachers.
A year ago this docking" was tried,
but failed, as 1t was not In the teachers
contracts, and 1t was conceded that under
the law the board could not deduct the
few nickles sought to be taken. This
last year, Mott and Pettibone, knowing
that the law was not sufficient, and that
it must be done by special contract, made
the teachers sign an agreement to that
effect, or else they would not employ
them. Why the need of these special
contracts if the general law was sufficient?
Such parsimony Is not shown to employees
in other places, and 1t Is not common to
the employment of perzons in either pub
lie or private houses. 1t is predjudicial
to Council Bluffs; it Is a part of the illib-
eral policy which enables other cities to
get some of our best teachers away.
In regard to the letting of coal con-
tracts, amounting to Thousands of dollars,
the county, the deaf aud dumb Institu-
lions and other public institutions Get
bids, so that the public treasury NAV be
saved all possible expense. Mr.. Mott
does not deny that a contract was drawn
up. ready for signing, without any adyer-
Using for bids, After The BEE exposed
the matter, Thea the prices of other deal
ers was obtained, but not till then. THE
BEE believes In letting all have a chauce
to bid, and then letting the contract SO as
to save the city all possible expense.
Gin regard to mission schools, the only
excuse Mott and Pet ibone offer is that
the result of mission schools Ia ''tbat
children's books and states are carried of,
obscene characters made on the black
boards, outhouses befouled etc " This If
true would show q depth of immortality
among the young which demands more
moral institutions. Just how children
in a Sunday school would DC engaged in
drawing obscene pictures on the black
boards. does not appear. Thi, excuse is
too gauSy. The fact is that when the
people whose money builds the school
houses petition for the privilege of having a
mission school, where they pay extra for
the extra expsnse, where they pay the
~janitor for taking charge of the building
Sunday as On other days, WHERE they