The record-union., 1891-09-14
The Educational ,Journal.

EDS. RECORD I have just read
carefully your leading editorial in this,
Saturday, mornings issue.
l read therein, very particularly, your
extract from the last Republican State
platform, as follows, to wit: "We prom
Use the people that IN the hands of the Re-
publican party, the State finances shall
be handled with honest and rigid econ
omy, and with a view to administer the
affairs of the State in a business like and
economical manner"
/ fail TO find anywhere in your extracts,
or III the entire platform itself, any ex-
ception or exemption from this solemn
pledge in favor of the educational depart
ment.
In another part of this same issue is re-
port of the proceedings of the State Board
of Education. This report gives the reso-
lution-written and introduced by the
Superintendent himself-by the adoption
OF which, in secret session, the illegal ac-
ton ofSuperintendentA Anderson in desig-
mating the Educational journal as the
"otficial organ" some time since, was in
dorsed y
doors were opened at the conclusion of
the secret session, superintendent Ander-
son was finally, by strenuous insistence,
forced to read to the board the proposals
which were before him at the time he had
made the designation several weeks ago,
and which designation the board had just
previously indorsed. By these proposals
and propositions it appeared that the cost
to the people Of this State, by reason of
his action in the premises, was 80 per
cent. in excess of what the cost would
have been for the other journal, or total
excess for the four years of this admins
tration of from s., 400 to $4,000.
AS has been said, Superintendent An
de-son very reluctantly, and only by
repeated and persistent prodding, pro-
duced to the board the propositions
which were before him at the time he
had made the designation, and his only
attempt at explanation of the action he had
taken ALREADY indorsed by the board)
consisted entirely of characteristic bluster
and personal abuse of me, for which lat
ter he was finally called to order by the
Chairman. 1t is certainly very weak or
very bad cause, or both, which can find
for its support only that sort of argument
and defense.
This Sc, 600 which Anderson SO gener-
ously gave away, and which action the
board indorsed in secret session without
the propositions before them which had
been given to the Superintendent, is not
Anderson's money--it is not the individ-
ual property of the board-it belongs to
the people. and while, therefore, Ander-
son can afford TO exercise the most prodi-
gal iberality in its disbursement, with
out jeopardiZing in the slightest degree
his own personal bank account, he has
no legal or moral right to thus squander
it-give it away.
If his personal opposition to me, or his
personal interests, or the pressure of
political, fraternal, business or other
obligations, made it necessary for him to
give the designation to the old and ex-
ceedingly unpopular journal TASK any
school people you know or meet about
this unpopularity of the old journal), his
sworn duty to the people of this State,
and his pledge to the platform of the party
which nominated him, should have pre-
vented him from gratuitously, know
1ngly, and unnecessarily donating alb
solutely, together with such designation.
a cash bonus of $4,000, or any other
amount of the peoples money. That is
not honest and rigid economy"
No abuse of me personally by Superin-
tendent Anderson can satisfactorily
answer the following questions, to wit:
/. Why was this sum unnecessarily ap-
propriated?
2. Who are the parties in interest,
among whom it is to be divided?
He, Anderson, is a public officer,
charged with public trust, and sworn
to its honest discharge. 1 am only
private citizen. He can't escape his OFF,
cial obligations by abuse of me. He
must answer these two questions. Gov
ernor Markham will undoubtedly see
that he does so.
Perhaps, however. we shall have to wait
to find out all about these and other mat
ters connected with this business, for the
judicial investigation which / shall at
once set in motion.
FRED. NJ. CAMPBELL,
Sapramapt0 Sent 10 1901