St. Paul daily globe., 1892-12-30
GREAT Is KIEHLE,
But His Wire Pulling Will AvaiI
Him Nothing


A victory that is worse than defeat
was won by the Kiehle machine yester-
day in the meeting of the state teachers
association. After hard fight aud the
use of every trick and device known to
the practical politician, Mr.. Kiehle was
indorsed by a scant majority. An accu-
rate resume Of the situation follows,
from the lips of one of the prominent
educators OF the state:
The formal Endorsement of Mr..
KIehle by the state association served to
show his weakness rather than to de-
yelop any strength in the membership
of that body for him. Supt, Lewis, of
Hastings, fought valiantly for a secret
ballot on the resolution, bat his sup
Dorters knew the danger attending such
ballot. The resolution failed to pass
in the county superintendents' cOnven-
ton, but IN the state convention the
four normal school presidents had their
forces marshaled, aud by forcing a
standing vote carried the resolution.
Nevertheless, the fact remains that it
was reluctantly supported by many
teachers who dared not stand up and
vote against measure that they
secretly condemned lest they in
cur the displeasure of their superb
ors. His support and the speeches
made i'll his behalf was wholly by the
normal school presidents. Gov. Nelson
needs no instruction IN the mattur of
this appointment, and he certainly must
see from the opposition to Mr.. kiehle
that he is pOwerless to promote the
educational Interests of the state, if the
senate can be induced to confirm his APP
pointment, If made. AS.an illustration
of the means used to secure his indorse-
ment aud WIN dangerous opposition to
his support, it is fact that prominent
county superintendent was heard to say
yesterday mOrnlug that Mr. Kiehle did
not seem to know that the common
schools of Minnesota are part
Of her educational system, that the
county superintendent received from
him no assistance, and received no
credit for what they effected without
his assistance. Within two hours it de-
velOped that this county superintendent
was to be appointed a member of the
normal school board within a week in
place of Mr.. Greer, whose term is about
10 expire. AS result this superintend-
ent battled nard, though in vain, to IN
duee the uperintendentS to indOrSe his
chief.
The city and county snperintendents
20 to their homes and will use their in
fluence to induce the senate not to con-
firm Mr.. Kiehle, if appointed. The OBJ
jections offered by Supt. Lewis, OF
Hastings. to the resolution indOrsing
him were well taken. They are:
FirSt-IIe is at least a poor business
man, so far as serving the state is con-
cerned. The substituting of his own
| text books, or books written under his
direction. books not worth the paper
upon which they were written, for the
original text book, may have been bus
iness stroke in somebody's interest, but
but certainly not i'm the interest of the
state. The rates at which the state
library books are supplied districts,
ma ny of them at from one-third to one
half higher than they can be bought OF
other book dealers not the contractor
was business stroke, but not III the in
terest of the state.
THE policy by which deserving men
have been cashered and places made
thereby for his personal friends has not
been in the interests of the state, and
after letting loose the normal school
battery to enumerate the wise measures
that he had succeeded in having enact
ed the only measure they could bring
up to his credit was the one mill tax
that they bOasted took teus of thou
sands Of dollars from the city schools
ana gave to the rural schools"
Great Is Klehle!