Los Angeles herald., 1891-09-08
Fol De ROl at the Board of
Education Meeting.
A Meeting that Was LudicrOus
and Full Of Puerility.
The Irresistible Four Meet the I'M
movable Three.
A Fruitless Attempt TO Elect a Member
of the BOard-Hair Splitting Ar
guments on Parliamentary
Law-Mrs. Severance
VS.. DIR. Smith.

1t was quarter to 8 last evening
when President Boal, of the board of
education, tapped the table and said
Gentlemen, will you please come to
order"
For an hour there had been a number
OF confabs, Notwithstanding that there
was select audience in waiting, which
included number of ladies. The ap-
pointment of a new member of the
board, to fill the place made vacant by
the resignation OF President Shafer,
doubtless caused the members to in
dulge in so many private caucuses.
They had their heads together long
enough to have selected twenty men,
bers, especially as the council chamber
was not the coolest place in the city.
The temperature did not appear to af-
feet the honorable board of education,
for it was nothing to the heat which
followed later in the evening.
Applications were read for positions as
janitors.
The resignation OF Miss Crowley was
accepted.
A communication was read signed by
a number OF citizens recommending that
DR.. Smith be appointed to fill the va
cancy in the board of education.
Mr.. Smith appeared before the board
and requested that Miss McGraw be re-
turned to the Swain street school, as it
was the unanimous wish of the parents
in that locality. After considerable dis
cussion and waste of valuable time, act
ion in the matter was postponed until
the next meeting. The names of several
others were proposed as teachers, but
action was deferred.
Bids were opened and read for the
building of the Geary street school of
eight rooms, and the Ann street school
addition OF four rooms. The lowest bid
of $40, 200 was accepted. 1t was made
bv Peter keenan,.
1t was decided to advertise for bids
for the construction of the Union avenue
school.
The building committee recommended
that four lots in East Los Angeles be
purchased for $2S00. The report was
adopted.
The clerk was instructed to advertise
for the supply OF coal for the schools.
The board then proceeded to ballot
for the ninth member of the board, as
foliows
First ballot-E. R. Smith, 8; Mrs. G.
NJ. Severance, Q; Mrs. Hughes. 2.
Second ballot-E. R. Smith, 8; Mrs.
Hughes, 4.
Fourth ballot-E. R. Smith, 81 Mrs.
Severance, 4.
Fifth ballot-E. r. Smith, 81 Mrs.
Severance, 4.
At this stage Mr.. Gaffey moved that
Mrs. Severance be declared elected,
having received the majority vote of the
quorum present. He claimed that a
majority vote of quorum was sufficient
to elect Here followed long discus
sion as to whether any, one but an
elector could act as a member. Mr..
Wilmer held that according to the
charter no woman could be elected.
Mr.. Gaffey | maintained that she
could act, and read from the state law
in regard to the matter. There was
clearly a conflict between the city char
ter and the state law. and the board
were at loss how to proceed.
The president threw out Mr.. Gaffey's
motion as being out of order, and that
gentleman announced that he would
appeal from the decision. A motion to
adjourn was lost by a vote of four to
three. A vote was then taken as to
whether the decision of the chair should
be- sustained. Four voted against sus-
tanning the chair. There was another
lively discussion in which parliamentary
rules cut big figure. The solid four
insisted that the chair had been knocked
out, while the other contingent claimed
a victory. A motion to adjourn was
lost. Mr.. Gaffey insisted that Mrs.
Severance was elected.
The section from the state law which
conflicts with the city charter is as fol-
lows
"Women over the age of 20, who are
citizens of the United States, shall be
eligible to all educational offices within
this state, except those from which they
are excluded by the constitution.
A circus is coming to town. This fact
is generally known, but very few people
knew Los Angeles had as much home
talent in that line as was found at the
circus at this meeting of the school
board Davis and Wilmer were arrayed
on one side and the solid four were
Messrs. Marsh, Gaffey, Kierulff and
Crowley.
Messrs. Gaffey and Wilmer had q
lively discussion over the law. The
former fred up and accused Wilmer OF
fixing up all assignments.
Mr.. Witmer-"It is not fact"
Mr.. Gaffey-'It is fact"
Matters were beginning to get lively.
Mr.. Witmer-'.You were at the meet.
ing of the classification committee"
Mr.. Gaffey-"You came out with a
cut and dried report and DR.. Barber
sided in with it. wouldn't have any
thing to do with such scheme"
The chair in mild way informed the
belligerent members that they were out
of order.
Gafey soon had the floor again. This
time he paid his respects to the chair
man Your rulings are simply abom-
Unable. You have overridden every par
liamentary rule. According to your
theory you could rule that black was
white and white black"
The appeal against the decision of the
chairman in declaring Mr.. Gaffey's mo-
tion out of order was then put to the
meeting. Three sustained the presi-
dent, while the solid four voted that he
was wrong.
81 move that the chair be declared
vacant" said Gaffey.
The motion was seconded by Crowley.
Kierulff, Gafey, Crowley and Marsh
voted aye. The chairman declared that
the motion was lost. The big four in
sisted that DIR. Boal was no longer chair