Southwest-sentinel. [volume] (Silver City, N.M.) 1883-189?, 1893-12-19

Further Exposure Of the Illegal Acts
Of the Lord-nIgh County school
Superintendent.

n ~ tNNA AAN"HNAN " NAN AAANhW avs
Of the Lord-nigh County school
superintendent.
AS was to be expected the very serious
charges brought by the SoLruwEsr SIN
r1NEL forced the County school super
intendent TO come out with q Published
letter In reply. But az was also 70 be
expected. the reply is no answer TO a
single one OF the charges. There can be
no answer; the charges are true, and
the only reply Mr.. Theilmann makes is
wildly to shrek "You'r a liarl Your a
liarp like a bad boy whose badness has
been exposed and who has no defense.
The County school superintendent at
tempts TO gain sympathy by calling the
grave charges formally made against him
"a personal attack In no ems can the
exposure Of wrongdoing by a public OIL
cial be called "a personal attack; doubt
less officials who are misusing their Offices
and iniuring the public would like TO
divert the Investigation into their in
deeds demanded by an indignant pub
he BY calling the exposure Of their
wrOngdoinR "a personal attack" The
only sort Of answer that Mr. Theilman
attempts TO make is to prove that this is
not the Independent school district OF
of Silver City. In the charge Of deliber-
ate, official untruthiulness which we
made and proved against Mr.. Theilman
we showed that even If that is not the
name Of this district it would not help
him in the least. He Teceived the enum-
Grafton from this precinct and then oni-
cially denied doingso. We did not call him
a liar IL was not necessary to do SOY, we
proved the charge we made against him
and left the public to brand him with
the name his conduct deserved. In any
case, who is the County school superin-
tendent that he should have the audac-
ity to decide the legality or the illegalty
Of the name once conferred by a special
act OF the Legislature on thus district
Who gave him the right or power to
decide on a matter which can only be
settled by the district courtS The fol-
lowing opinion by the solicitor general
shows that the question, il raised, must
be decided by the court, not by a little
County official with an inflated sense Of
his own dignity and power;
HoN AMADo CHAvEs,
City,
DEAR SIR:-
Your favor of the 18th, enclosing com
m%unicatIons FROM II. II. Belts, Esq. sec
rotary board Of Education, Silver City
N. Nj. with reference to a letter from
II. II. Thielmann, supt. OF schools Of
Grant County, returning to him the emu
meration Of persons between the age OF
5 and 81 years residing in independent
school district of Silver City" Grant Coun.
ty New Mexico, in which the superinten-
dent states that he does not know of such
school district and returns the list for
correction and asking my opinion on the
subject, has been received, aud in reply
would say; That 1 have repeatedly stated
officially, that the boards OF Education 10
cities OF towns under Chapter n session
laws of 1891 are entirely distinct from
and not governed by the same laws, as
schools district organized under Chapter
% of the same laws, except that the pro
ceeds Of the Territorial levy, not to ex
coed three mills on the dollar, is TO bt
opportioned among the several schoo
districts, including those in cities, 10 pro
portion to the number OF children resid-
ing in each, OF school age rs provided
for in section Is Of Chapter 25 and sec
ton l OF Chapter n session laws OF 1891
That is all the supervision which the
county superintendent has over boards
OF education in cities or towns. The Ii
censes, taxes, fines, etc. being disposed o.
under section 80 of Chapter 25 as 1 have
before stated in an opinion to you. Il
there IS no such school district as indie.
pendent school district of Silver City
that Is question OF fact to be determined
by the courts. II there is such district
it is entitled to its proportion of the
school money as provided for in the schoo
law.
Very respectfully yours,