Johnstown weekly Democrat. (Johnstown, Cambria County, Pa.) 1889-1916, 1890-05-23
THE CASE FULLY STATED.

The Cambria Herald of last week says
that the DEMOCRAT misrepresented things
in its report of the School Direcl ors' Con
vention. They quote from our paper of
the 7th inst, the following:
The directors from the new borough OF Hast
ings presented decision of the superintendent
OF Public instruction setting forth that they
were entitled to a vote in the convention. The
chairman read some law on the subject and in
terpTeted IL against them refusing TO acknowl-
edge the decision of the state Department.
The Hastings men were not permitted to vote.
Then the Herald goes on TO comment,
as follows:
The truth OF the matter is lirector got up In
the convention and said That one of the di-
rectors from Hastings had recelveda letter from
the State Department, but that he ToIDO, to
bring it with him.
The chairman read TIE school iatc In regard to
the matter, which explicitly states that new
boards can not vote before the organization in
June.
And It is not contrary TO custom, as intlmated
by the DEMOCRAT, TO fix the salary question
after the election OF county superintendent.
We do not wish to get into any contro
versy in regard to this matter, but every
word we said Is true, and the "veracious"
writer in the Herald, who is easily dis.
tinguished by his italics, either through
ignorance or for the purpose of putting
matters in light more acceptable to the
people of the county, told in the state
ments quoted above several things that
are untrue.
Mr.. John A. Platt, director from Hast
ngs, stated that lie was prepared to take
oath that the board from that Borough
had authority from the State Department
to participate in the election. Mr.. Platt
also stated that he had accidentally
omitted bringing with him the letter from
the Department.
The chairman thereupou produced from
a copy of the School Laws this section:
That when a new district Shall hereafter be
formed, such district shall not be considered and
recognized as separate and independent school
district until after the termination OF the cur
rent school year in which it became a new dis
trict, and until 1t have a full board OF directors
regularly elected or appointed and organized,
except that the directors thereof shall have au-
thorlty TO levy, assess and collect tax, procure
school-houses, and do all other acts necessary to
the commencement of the schools for the ensu
ing year.
Does that explicitly state that new
boards cannot vote before the organiza-
tion in June ?" Reader, compare the Her.
ads statement with the above and see
who misrepresents matters"
If the chairman, who would certainly
make good judge, if the dispatch with
which he disposes of legal questions be a
merit, had looked moment at a decision
of the department appended to the above
section of the law, he would have found
this
The board OF a new district may do every Off
cial act during the year next before that in
which 1t goes into separate and Independent op-
GRAFTON, necessary to the putting of the schools
into full working order, except that of actual
orening them for instruction.
The letter received by the Hastings
board, in answer to the question whether
they were entitled to vote for county
Superintendent or not is as follows
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION.
Harrisburg, April 80 1890
John 4. Plat, Esq.
DEAR SIR: You have legal right to vote for
county superintendent on the first Tuesday in
May. Yours Truly,
HENRY HOUCK, Deputy Supt.
Has the Herald anything more to say on
the subject :? Our reply has been de-
laYed little in order to get possession of
the above letter. The right of the
Directors to vote was presented at the
convention by gentleman who would
not misrepresent the matter, and the de-
cision was ruled out by the Chairman,
either because he and those who were
back of him didn't know any better, or
because they did ii for purpose, and
that purpose it isn't hard to see.
On the matter of fixing the salary there
is only this to say: 1t has been the cus-
tom IN this county for great many years
to first settle the salary and then elect the
Superintendent, and the man who wrote
the article for the Her0M knew he was
writing an untruth when he wrote it. If
what we say is not correct will he state
in what instances for the last fif-
teen or eighteen years has the Superin-
tendent been elected before the salary
was settled Is not that long enough to
establish a custom?