, 1891-05-03
THE SCHOOL ELECTION.

THE SCHOOL ELECTION.
Tomorrow between the hours Of 10
O'Clock il the forenoon and 4 O'Clock in
the afternoon the f~arcical proceedings
designated as the annual school meeting
will take place. The agitation started by
THE LEADER will be provocative OF at
least one. good result. 1t will call atten-
ton TO the utter lnadeQuacy of the ma
chinery now employed under the law for
conducting school elections. We hope it
may result in some reform. The town
meeting idea Is antiquated aud Intellectual
It has never yet provided proper oppor-
t~unities for the electors to study the sltla-
ton, and money has sometimes been
voted in large sums and actions Of the
the board endorsed without any ade-
quatc realization of what was beng
done. These methods of election have
also resulted in the entire membership
and consequent power Of the board being
centralized in a particular portion of the
city, to the possible and even propable dis
advantage Of the other sections 1t seems
to US that all sections should be repre-
seuted on the board as they are in the
city council The district should be d.
vided for this purpose aud the elections
should then be held in the same manner
and, If considered advisable. at the same
time the city elections are now held.
This plan would at least have the merit
of giving representation to the classes
and sections, thus making OF the board a
more democratic body.
The practical results otherwise achieved
are not exactly Of an astounding character.
Extraordinary apathy has been mani
tested in quarters which would receive the
direct beReft by the proposed changes.
Everybody realized the importance of the
agitation, the advantages which might re-
suit from it, and yet comparatively few
were inclined TO give up the few hours of
their time necessary to the accomplish
ment of the purposes which appealed so
strongly to their good judgment and even
their personal interests. II every man
aud woman directly affected by the move
ment will only manifest enough Of inter.
est in school affairs to visit the central
school building tomorrow and cast their
votes against the two candidates slated by
the board they will succeed in rebuking
this piece of presumption and in e~lelting
men OF their own choice. We hope to
see some independent candidates in the
field tomorrow and active men and women
the ground to help elect them.
In another column we present the off
ciAl report OF the school board with their
recommendations to the annual meeting.
1t demonstrates very clearly that they
need $1,000 more than was voted to
them last year to complete the coustruc.
ton Of the new high school building. This
will make the building cost very little
less than $40. 900. In the report it is
stated that the building will ACCOMMODATE
800 pupils. This is probably a slip of
the pen as we have the statement Of ut
least two members Of the board that 1t
IS intended TO accommodate 100 pupils.
Mr. Potter's defense of the construction
Of the high school at last nights meet
ing had at least tho merit of being in
Eenious and he was em%inently correct in
his statement that there were differences
OF opinion as TO the wisdom
of building the high school or erecting
several less costly schools in more remote
quarters Of the c,ty. There can, how
ever, be little gained by n Discussion of
this question now. The school is being
built. aud what has been done cannot be
changed. The report, while not as ex-
tended or detailed as 1t might have been,
will prove interesting reading and give
the taxpayers an idea of what is to be
considered tomorrow.