San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-12-07
STlNFIELD SUPPORTED.
His Arms viii be Held Up by Friends
While He Invokes the Leg
isIaturP

At the mass meeting OF the school truS-
tees and teachers of the county schools
Saturday afternoon, Mr.. StanfeldG made
his statement Of the county school mud
die as follows:
He reviewed the condition Of school at
fairs when he took charge of the office in
1887, stating that he had never paraded
the Irregularities that he found in vogue
because some would have blamed the.
agents OF the system instead Of the sys-
TEN itself. That he was satisfied that it
was impossible for county Judge in a
county like this to discharge the school
dutiesreQ uired by the law in connection
WITH his other 1fficG duties. Rut that
there were few intelligent people in the
county who imagined that IL could be
done and were opposed to the
office Of county superintendent SIM
I'd into the question. They
knew nothing about how it was zone
under county judge, nor what had heen
done Gy a county superintendent. Buthc
thought the time had come when all these
things should be brought TO light. He
then mentioned some Of the refOrmations
that he had quietly inaugurated. The
great task of giving detiLiie boundaries to
the school districts, which were laid off
on imaginary lines that had already been
ignored, was accomplished. In some cases
trustees and school houses had been found
70 De- IN one OlStIlCt lnOuEh Clallulnp 10 DE
in another. The scholastic census
had been considerably reduced bv cor
Tecting the district lines, but he presumed
the people were SATISFIED with NhaL non
eStly belonged 10 them. The miserable
condition OF the schools on account OF
having as many as four or five different
series of the same grade of readers.
ari,hmetics, &C, in use in the same school
{ the same time. had been remedi-u Oy
adopting a uniform series for the county,
in better shape than was accomplished
ANYWHERE else in the state. The habit of
transferring TO outside counties, like
Cvalde, Kerr and RianCO. was corrected,
because there was no authority to trans
fer except TO adjoining districts or com
muniticS situated on the county line.
He said the people had no conception of
| the amount Of this sort of Strengthening
! up that had been done.
Just as all this outside work had been
accomplished and nearly half of the
| schools led TO adopt local taxation and be
| ready 10 start in with the school as they
| opened and see to their proper classihca-
| tion, he was interrupted and his years
work in this respect ruined by the action
| Of the commissioners court IN Sept. 1880.
| That attempt was Dullilied by non com
| pliance with the statute II for no other
| reason. He said, however, that be
could have walked out and given mp.
| every thing as was done in Travis county
| under similar cl cumStanceS, but his in
| teIeSt in the schools and 10 save what has
been accomplished caused him TO contest
| il. he said that the issue would have
| been made in the campaign last fall, but
! for the interference and assurance Of in
| nuential politicians who did not want q
| fight of that sort on hand.
in abiding TO the recent action of the
| commissioners court he said that it was,
| his honest opinion that the cause for it
| Xt-oS that hn had nrntnGtn1 anoipS4 Yhnir
paying out school funds IN two instances
| this year where they had no authority to
| interfere, He believed IL his
duty to try TO protect the funds
| that the people had elected
him to guard. He preferred being kicked
| ont Of Office in this manner 10 sitting
quietly by and seeing the private funds of
| The districts invaded. In this connection
he read a letter dated Nov. 1890 from tho
| man who conducted this scheme TO abolish
the office. In this letter the county super
intendent was implOTCd to consolidate TWO
schools for the personal benefit OF this in
dividual and threatened with his thing
which he accom- liSned through his politi
cal friends if the schC OILS were not cOnsOli-
dated.
The following resolutions were adopt
ed:
Whereas. the commissioners court Of
BcNdr county, Texas, at the inStigatiOn Of
few SchCming enemies OF Superintendent
Stanteld has seen fit TO abolish the office
Of county superintendent Of public schools
without the knowledge or consent OF the
country people, and
Whereas, we, citizens, trustees and.
teachers OF BeXar county, consider this
action an injustice and an outrage, there
fore be IL
Resolved, That we do hereby publicly
denOuncC said action of the commission
ers' court Of RexAr county as being an
action UnjUStiicd by the general welfare
of the people and schools concerned, in
placing the supervision and control OF
the county schools into the hands OF a
man who acknowledges his inability to
attend to them. Therefore be II further
Resolved, That we endorse the action
OF Superintendent Stanteld in testing the
legality of the action, believing said Office
to be absolutely necessary to the proper
advancement and progress of the county
schools.
VuIle sum OF money was subscribed to
hold the ease in the courts and more is
forthcoming.
As the matter stands now County
Judge AcAlliSter will have TO perform
the duties of school superintendent in the
city and do all the office work for small
fees. The visiting of the schools in the
county he will not have the lime for and
some one to do this will have to be chosen
by the commissioners. and paid with the
fees the Judge gels. In February at the
regular term, the office OF Superintendent,
will probably no rPcrPatPd.
.ih.. M,nsfrsl.