The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-02-20
TALES OUT OF SCHOOL
The Political Fix of the Board
of ucatiOn.
a Troublesome fractional Division Reforms
Proposed That Will Probably Not Be
Made-ston Plays His Part.

l ony uoeS uOt prevail IN the B0arQ OIL
Education. The members are all Repubi-
| cans, but evidently not all from the same
deestIlck." Two factions exist, both
strong, both determined. One faction may
DC styled political, whose simple creed S
ito the victors belong the spoils." The
other faction shows a DISPOSITION Just now
to mind the public veal, though whether
from spite or honesty of purpose remains
| to be seen.
Inc first appearance of friction was in the
race for the presidency of the board 1t lay
| between John l. Sabin and F. A. Hyde, that
was conceded. HYDE at first appeared to
nave walkoyer Sabin was called East on
| business while the canvass was most active,
ahd when he returned found the slate had
Deeh organized with Hyde at the head of it.
ne was not at all pleased; he had not been
| consulted, and some of his wishes had been
completely 1lSregarded. He put on his war
| paint without further ceremony, and the
| force OF his determination was made fully
apparent in the subsequent demolition of the
| slate.
RETROSPECTIVE.
10 recall all the influences that were put
| III motion just then it will be necessary to
| 20 PACK some little distance behind the re-
| turns"
II was pretty well known throughout the
| department that eX-Director Charles b. Stone
| nau nigh ambitions. Quite Il while before
| the Democratic Convention lie went person.
| ally TO Chris Buckley aud asked for the
| domination of Superintendent of Schools.
| MI: stones stewardship as School Director
ana chairman of the Classification Commit
| Tee ulu not make him popular He wrought
| more revolutions and planted more diScUn-
| tent IN the department than all other COM
| pihed Influences for decade back. In short,
ne turned tile whole public-sch0ol system
! lnto political machine.
1heIe was never so much dissatisfaction
IN the department. Hardly a teacher
escaped interruption in one way or another
| uutlhs MS administration, and many of the
peSI educators San francisco ever had were
| removed TO make from for his political
| friends. The School Department never cost
So much IN proportion, and never made
Such unsatisfactory progress. Public edu-
cation seemed TO have given way for the
| While 10 the ambitions of one man.
POWER OF TIE TEACHERS.
The dissatisfaction of the department
hnaiiy crystallize0 into purpose, showing
| what 500 teachers and their friends can do
| When II comes to a pinch. Stones ambi-
lions were nOsed abroad; the department
| realized Its position if lie became Supern-
lendent; 1t resolved to move, and 1t did
| move; the Bush street boss WAS notified
| tnat he must not nominate Stone, and he
| did not.
stones right-hand man, notwithstanding
she difference in political complexion, was
Thomas I. Woodward. The department
! had come to dislike him almost as much as
| S.oht Just now 1t came about IS not dis
| closed, hut when the slate was made up
with Hyde at the head of it, Woodward was
found at the head of the Classification Com
nittee. Another shudder went through the
| Whole d. partment and some say it broke
| the Slate. Mr.. Woodward stepped down
| and afterward took his seat with subiued
| dainty at the head of the Salaries Com
| mlttee.
| SERVING TWO MASTERS.
A rumor has it that two or three other
causes helped TO dislodge Woodward. The
! Chairman of the Glass fcation Committee
has more power and patronage than all the
| other chairmanshlps com bined. Wood
| wards subserylency to Stone was not hooked
upon with favor by the would-be Republic
| can bosses, Crimmins and Kelly. He would
ind 1t difficult to serve two masters, and
| they feared Stone might out ank them.
hyde was not a dyed ln-the- wool Grim
| mins-kelly man-anUther reason why his
| element must not have too much power in
! the board. With the President and Chair
man OF the leading committee pulling away
| from tie local camp the outlook was gloomy.
1t had to be changed. 1t was changed.
The original slate was completely recon-
| structed by putting Sabin at tie head of the
board and Brooks at he head of tie chief
committee. In the shaking up of the first
| canvass the exact political temperature of
| every Director was learned, aud the subse-
The local Bosses, put the lukewarm mem
| Ders where they could do the least harm
| and exercise the least influence.
THEIR POLITICAL LIFE.
Pennington, Chairman of the Committee
on Janitors, is said TO be neighbor and
protege Of Martin Kelly. Dunn, Chairman
of the Schoo-houscs and Sites Committee
is also understood to be very friendly with
Crimmins, to whom he owes his nonina-
ton. DIR. Decker. Chairman of the Rules
aud Regulations Committee, has long been
entrusted with the Crlmmns-Kelly pass
word, and Culver, it is said, owes his place
as Chairman of the Furniture and Supplies
Committee directly TO the local Bosses
These committees comprise about all the
patronage.
Hyde, Sewell, button, Ames and Wood
ward have been used as board ornaments.
They preside gracefully at the head OF the
| committees that have little or nothing to do
and no patronage to dispose of. In dividing
up the spells OF the department they have
been completely ignored. Out of control
and out OF favor they say they might almost
as well be out OF the board.
Now they put on their war paint. Dis
claiming all political ambition they have de-
clared themselves friends and champions OF
the public schools. They are going in for
reform, heels over head, and prOcla Ill that
II not recognized by the Crmmins faction
the dongS of the department shall surely be
| discovered to the public.
ECONOMf. UNPOPULAR.
The necessity for great economy has pre-
sented Itself. Colonel Harvey, Chairman
| OF the Finance Committee, is facing it by
! proposing to borrow half months salary
| from the teacherS-a proceeding INDUCED in
| several years ago and it has never been re-
| paid; Mr.. Harvey disayows any allegiance
| 10 the "SpollS" faction, but the records of
| the board show that on all political matters
his vote is recorded as one of the seven.
MI Hyde is an out and out economist.
| wherever Il Is possible to retrench he pro-
poses ii. Thus far every proposition of that
character has been voted down or in some
| otlIer way defeated. Sewell, button, Ames
| ara woodward are nearly always with him.
| But the anomaly in the board is Brooks,
| Chairman of the Classification Committee.
| Woodward was hauled down from that po-
siton becalse subject to the intluence of
| Stone Now 1t is discovered that Brooks
| bondsmen are Stone and Dalton another
| eX-Director), and those who claim to know
| say he Is doing the phenomenal feat of
| serving the two masters with charming sue
| cess. lie is reIigiously handing over the
| patronage to his political bosses, while his
policy i'll disposing OF the affairs Of The de-
| partment is directed by Stone.
f. BLOCKING THE WAY.
In all the sessions of the board the MEM
| berS have tacitly admitted that they are
pledged to retrcnch. and say they are will
ing TO do 1t when the way is opened. Hyde,
| Ames, Button and Sewe!l have opened the
way three or four times already, but in a
| roundabout. evasive manner it has been
closed every time by the prevailing seven.
The result Is, so it is rumored in the de-
partment, &. b. Stone is moving about from
place to place saying that the present board
is furnishing him with a complete vindica-
ton of his course by continuing his policy to
| the letter.
At the last meeting of the board Super
tendent SWEET recommended the consolida-
ton oil seven classes. 1t was referred to the
Classification Committee, with power TO act,
and 1t is already stated that the measure has
been squelched. Stone disapproved of it on
account of policy; Crlmmns disapproves on
account Of patronage. The classes have not
been consolidated. AT the same meeting the
policy OF retrenchment was c0nseienti ously
adhered to by eiecting four more teachers
into the department.
| STONES INFLUENCE.
One of the napes W hare copSolida zion w., O