The Republican., 1888-10-13
ACCIDENT, Md, Sept. Sth, 1888.

M II, EDlIOks-A COlll iioOh w."
the condition Of affairs now and Wheh
DIR. Bartlett and his Board TOOK
charge of the school affairs certainly
can do no harm. Especially since
Judge Hoffman, as well as you ana
the Republican party ofGarrett, have
been accused of desire to stop the
schools. When the Bartlett Board
took charge of affairs the books were
inextricably mixed, which took days
and nights of careful labor to correct.
The Ludwig Board was fighting
their Secretary and Treasurer, meet
ings were held and no minutes kept,
the Secretary WAS off in Ohio, all
kinds of rumorS were at1Oat, the
President of the former Board SAID
there was plenty money to run the
schools, Mr.. Ludwig when seen said
the Board was hopeleSsIy involved.
At the very first meeting notes and
obligations came in in manner to
make ones head swim. One for five
thousand dollars, another for thou
sand, one for almost seven hundred
in the hands of Mr.. Totten himself
seven school houses unpaid for; over
five thousand In old due bills running
back to 1881, and no interest paid /;
over ten thousand dollars due teach
ers and incidentaIs for the fall term
Just closed the schools running on
the winter term and costing almost
two hundred dollars a day. Grand
total Of debts something like twenty
six thousand dollars, and only sew
enty-six dollars and forty cents in
bank to our credit; seventy-six dol
lars and seventy cents available
assets. On the street all kinds of rG-
mOrs were aflOat advice was plenty
and cheap. Some said stop the
schools some said go on and let the
old Board look out some said bond
1t, bond it, that's the great sovereign
remedy let the County Commission
ers tackle it. Amid all this confus-
ion worse confounded the county
Collector was falling to pay over
what was due. In brief, Mr.. Editor,
the debts were paid and the debt due
from the Collector was Collected by
law from his bondsmen,
The law passed last winter creating
a new Board to 60 into effect May
1St, before Court met, was defeated
by DR.. Bartlett and Mr.. Miller going
to Annapolis, and the time extended
to July 1st. Meantime the bonds
naen handed over five thousand five
hundred dollars Just stop and re-
fleet, fellow. citizens, right here. Con-
slider the condition of affairs when
DR.. BartIett's Board went into pow
er consider what work they done !;
consider who passed the law creating
a new Board consider who was to
be benefited, and before you go very
far you will get at the milk in the
cocoanut. "Give the devil his due"
Perhaps the law was passed to punish
DR.. Bartlett. Perhaps, too, it was
passed to stop his pressing the pay
ment of FIVE thousand dollars. Per-
haps to reward some favOrite, Per-
haps the wrong man got the plum
after all, Perhaps and perhaps. We
think its passage was all mistake
from first to last. 1t was a danger
Gus precedent and if unconstitutional
it should be known. No one knows
only those who had these affairs to
contend with, the trouble, annoyance
and difficulty that the Board met
with at every step. Only those who
felt the responsibility and had it to
fight through can fully appreciate the
size of the understanding. One stead
fast purpose actuated the members
of the Board, and that was to pay off
the Indebtedness, every cent stop
interests and discounts, and to say to
the people the books are clean, your
School Board is free from debt.
Abuse, accusations of dishonesty and
fault-fnding generally are some of
the rewards of School Commission
er's life. l aspire to no office, 1 ask
no political fayors as God is my
witness | accepted no bribes, 1 tried
hard to do my duty, and my whole
duty. 1t pains me only too much to
know L could not do more. 1t is
fact, unfortunately none the less true,
that many of Garrett county's chill
dren are without schooling for want
ofhouses. The other members OF the
Board, Mr.. Miller, Mr.. Johnson and
Mr.. Winterberg, are honest, true
men. Men above reproach. This l
sincerely believe.
| seek no CONT oyersy, neither do |
come as an apOIogist. My earnest
wish is to see every child, rich and
poor, of Garrett county in the school
room. L hope brighter day is in