St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-05-27
MUST HAVE MONEY,
Or the Board Of Education
Cannot Built High Schools
This Year.
State Headquarters Of the
Royal Arcanum Located
in Minneapolis.
The Heilpern Case Inter-
rupted in a Rather Pc
culiar Manner.
A Saint Paul Washer Nearly
Gets Into Very Serious
Trouble.

The board of education had one of
those good old protracted meetings
yesterday, for which it was once on
time celebrated, although Uncle A. G.
Austin was absent most of the time.
The board was waited upon by two del
egations of eager and determined cit-
zens, who demanded certain things
which the board is powerless to
provide unless it gets some money.
The first was a delegation from East
Minneapolis. headed by j. S. Pillsbury
and Baldwin Brown. Their request was
modest, and could be granted at COM
paratively little cost. They only wanted
the fourth grade added to the Holmes
school.
The second delegation was numeri-
cally stronger and proportionately
more aggressive. 1t was the committee
appointed at the meeting held Monday
night:at Tollefson's hall, and had come
to demand high school for South Min
neapols.
Aid. Parry led off with covert
threat, that if the South side does not
get high school, that an effort Will be
lIQuC W SCG DdCh DIT IllC DOdlu ILIOuSH
the council when it may seek favor.
Prof. Oftedahl was more polite and be-
gan with a honied compliment TO the
board. He said that the need for
high school this year amounts to all
absolute necessity. The South Mime
apolis school district, he said, con-
tanned One-third of the entire school
population. Since 1884 nine school
buildings have been added to this dis
trict. All of these buildings are now
well filled with pupils in the higher
grades, from the fifth to the eighth. AS
an illustration of the increase in higher
years ago in the Monroe school
there were but five pupils
in the upper grades; to-day in that
school there are Pol. He gave similar il
Illustrations from other schools. showing
that the present school population in
higher grades has increased 90 per cent
from year to year. Within the next
four years there will be school pOpu-
latlOn of 800, ready to go to the high
school. He thought an injustice had
been done the south side, which will
cause feeling. Prof, Ofledahl, as an
ex-member of the board, was familiar
with school matters, and read the board
Quite a Lecture.
He went on to claim that the high school
should be part and. parcel of the public
school system, and not separate insti-
tuition by itself. He said that $50 is
spent in graduating Central High
school scholar and S55 at the North
Minneapolis High school. Such favorit-
ism should not be shown. President
Ankeny disputed these figures, and
quite discussion ensued, which Prof.
Oftedahl cut short by saying that he
simply was using these figures approx
mately to show the present condition of
affairs.
To both of these delegations President
Ankeny said that he did not doubt the
reaSOnableneSS of their demands, but the
board is more seriously hampered by
a need of funds than ever in its history
The tax levy this year is smaller than
ever. The state law took away some
$4,000. The only way for the board to
carry out these demands for immediate
school improvements is to supply it with
funds. There are only two ways in
which this can be done, and that is.
first, for the citizens to cooperate
with the board in trying to
get the council to give the
school board portion of the
funds authorized to be issued for public
Improvements instead of expanding the
entire amount upon street improve
ments. The other way is to get the tax
levy increased from 2.S mills to 3.5 or
mills, which would provide some $780,
600. "MinneaDolis is like great big
boy" he said, "who is OutgrUwing his
clothes; his pants are too short and his
sleeves don't cover his wrists. We must
either buy him new clothes or else put
clamp on his head and heels to stop
his growth"
The mater was finally referred to the
finance and building committees, who
will consult with citizens concerning
measures to supply the board with
funds. President Ankeny spoke in such
a conservative way that the beligerent
committee withdrew, much Modified.
Later on Mr.. Jaeger offered a resolution
that the building committee take steps
to select site for South Minneapolis
high school.
CrOmbie Roasted to a Turn.
The board next tackled the list of
teachers to be employed. John Norton
submitted the list which contained the
names of the teachers who will be of
fered positions, but did not read it. Mr..
Gjertsen moved that the board be al
lowed to vote separately upon the cleo
ton of Prof. Crombie as principal of the
central school. Mr.. Jaeger also moved
that the appointments of three others
be discussed. His objection to two was
that they were recent graduates, one
of the Michigan university and another
of La Crosse academy, and could
hardly have had the experience to en-
title them to hold the positions to which
they were about to be appointed. His
objection to the third was based upon
the fact that she was an assistant to a
1rinainal xuhn had nria
against her.
Prof. Crombie's appointment occa-
stoned a lively but dignified discussion.
Mr.. GjertSOu stated his opposition to
Prof. Crombien til following language:
'In opposing the reappointment of
Prof. Crombie as principal of the Cen
trail high school, | desire to emphasize
that there is absolutely no personal
feeling debating my vote. Personally,
L rather like Prof. Crombie; why
shouldn't l? His friends are my
friends; he is a Christian gentleman,
and an elder of the church. L have no
cause to harbor anything of resent.
ment steward him. The sole ground
upon which l oppose his re-elec-
ton is the wide spread dlssates
faction with his administration
of school affairs, which dissatisfaction
is entitled to be voiced in this board,
and which dissatisfaction until very re-
Gently was quite general in the board
itself. 1t was mainly on the strength
of figures and representations submitted
by Prof. Crombie that this board was in
duced to make the mistake to build the
costly and unnecessary addition to the
Central high school, which. until now.
has prevented the board from furnish
ing the necessary school Accommodation
for other parts of the city. from which
neglect the educational interest, and
with it the future welfare of hundreds
of our children, has suffered great in
jury. The sacred trust that the people
of this city have given into my hands
as their representative here and my
oath of office make it to me sacred
duty to work for the best interest of all
the children of this city, and to guard