Omaha daily bee., 1889-07-20
THE MACHINE kNOCKED OUT


THE MACHINE KNOCKED OUT.
The ranl, partisanship that has pre-
vailed in our school board for years. to
the detriment Of taxpayers and dis
cipline of the schools, has at last re-
ceived u backset.
The apportionment by the president
of the board of the various chairman
ships OF the committees eliminated in
an angry protest from Messrs. McCon-
nell, Clarke and Sholes against the APP
pointment of democrats to chairman
ships OF important committees.
Now, why should any man be barred
from the chairmanship of an important
committee in the board of education
because he is Il democrat, or even IL pro.
hibitionist or mugwump, if qualified
for the duties incumbent upon the
chairman? Why should anybody draw
the party line in school board
which is supposed to have no
relation whatever to the political COM
plexion of it's members? Why should
the president of the board be censured
for appointing whomsoever he believes
to be best fitted for the heads OF COM
mittees regardless of all party bias? If
mans politics are to be the test of fit
ness to fill an important craftsmanship
in the school board, why not also apply
the religious test and insist upon Civ
ing the important committees only to
Lutherans or Presbyterians? The let
ter and spirit of the law has excluded
politics and religion from the public
schools. The sooner this principle is
recognized and lived up to the better it
will be for the public schools.
THE BEE knows nothing about the
inside workings of the school board SO
far as they relate to its recent organiza-
ton. 1t is an open secret, however,
that there have been combines and
inside rings in the board for years.
These cliques have had control of the
schools long enough, and they should be
broken up. 1t is unpleasant to wash
the dirty linen of the board in public
and we will desist from going into par
ticulars. Suffice it TO say that the
patrons of the schools are anxious for
radical change in school management.
Viewed from rank partisan
standpoint, President Goodman's APP
| pointments of committee chair
manships may be offensive, but
from the standpoint of the taxpayer and
| school patron, they appear to be judi
cious and in the main satisfactory
Mr.. Fred Millard is known to be a
| prudent business man, and he is emil
nently qualified for the craftsmanship
| nf ha p1 1ain wi h
| standing the fact that he voted for
Grover Cleveland.
| Mr.. Henry II. Clark has been very
successful in all his financial deals, and
therefore is the right man at the head
| of the finance committee, notwithstand-
ing the fact that he has always been a
straight railroad. republican.
Mr.. Poppleton, being a lawyer, was
very properly placed at the head of the
| judiciary committee, Notwithstanding
the fact that he cast his first vote for
John A. McShane for governor.
| Mr.. Rees as chairman of the commit
tee on supplies, is in every respect as
competent to supervise the purchase of
school furniture, stationery, inks, lamps,
ETC., as if he mad voted the republican
| ticket from the time he became OF age.
Mr.. Points may be mugwump, but
his qualification for the chairmanship
OF the committee on teachers nobody
will dare dispute. He certainly will fill
the position as acceptably to the patrons
of the schools, II not to the school
marms, as it has been filled by Mr.. CO.
burn, who votes the straight republican
ticket.
We believe that the citizens of Omaha
will rejoice that for once the old states
have been smashed and the partisan
machine, which should have no place in
the school board, has been knocked out.