The morning call., 1893-04-01
BRIBES ON PARADE
The Grand Jury After
Director CareW.
HE IS IN HOT WATER NOW.
He Refuses to Tell Who Offered a
Bribe-Ventilating One Tlethod
of Becoming a Teacher.

Who bought an appointment as teacher in
the San Francisco public schools?
How much might a husting School
Director make his job worth?
Who is the aspiring schoOlma'am for
whom some gentleman offered Director
Carew $1,000 if he would have her promoted
to a prncipashp?
Who offered Director Clinton 500 for an
appointment as teacher in the public schools
here?
Well. the august Grand Jury took up
these questions yesterday, and the extent
TO which the interesting subject will be in
vestigated remains to be seen.
School Director Carew got between the
devil and the deep blue sea in the after
noon when the Grand Jury got hold Of
him. He refused to tell who offered him
the bride, mainly to protect the lady in
whose behalf it was offered. and who, he
says. is now teacher in the School De-
part ment
The Grand Jury did not appreciate his
chivalry, and on the complaint of District
Attorney Barnes. in behalf of the Grand
Jury, Judge CARRIER issued a summons to
the chivalrous School Director to appear on
Wednesday next and show cause why he
should not lie punished for contempt.
The situation is quite dramatic, and the
Grand Jury is supposed to be hot after this
form OF corruption, which now for the first
time has got beyond the limits Of gossip aud
within the reach of the law.
1t has been talked about loosely since
long before Boss Buckley ruled Boards of
Education and the attempts to use money
there, which Directors Clinton and Carew
have exposed, must have occurred since the
first of this year. Director Carew has been
on the inside" only since that time, but he
says that such things are matters of nc
toriety" ana that at is not at all an I'M
common thing for members of the Board of
Education TO be approached in this way"
The investigation by the Grand Jury is,
OF course due to the Open assertions of
attempted bribery made at meeting of the
Board OF Education four or five weeks ago.
Director Clinton then stated that he had
been offered 500 tc secure the appointment
of young lady in the School Department.
and said further that Director Carew had
been offered $1,000 This Director Carew
confirmed.
II transpires now that the bride offered
Carew so recently was apparently TO secure
the advancement of teacher TO a PRINCIPAL
ship, which would be practically doubling
OF her salary as well as an honor. At least,
Director Carew SAID last night that it was
for promotion" and that would be the
only promotion possible.
Director Clinton answered a summons of
the Grand Jury yesterday, ana gave the
name Of the person Offering the alleged
bride gentleman who was said to be
this person was subpenaed, but for some
reason was excused.
When Mr. Carew, undertaken and School
Director, was ushered into the inqulsltion-
room the result was as related.
In an interview last evening Mr.. Carew
said: Now the facts are these. When |
appeared before the Grand Jury to-day GER
tain questions were put TO ME which good
citizenship would prevent me from ans wer-
ing. ! answered those questions to the best
OF my ability and made frank statement.
Outside of this statement l am free to
say that it is a matter of nOtoriety that for
years past members of the Board of Eluca-
ton have been approached in the interests
OF teachers desiring appointments or pro-
motions, and that financial inducements
have been offered to members. | am not
saving who accepted them; | can merely
refer to matter of common report.
Under the system existing before the
present board came into power a nnmina-
ton was equivalent to an election. Pfacti-
cRlly each member of the board had three
such nominations at his disposal in each
year.
1.-The Ames plan altered these conditions
so far that the Normal School was entitled
to thiTty-siX appointments. In other words,
the patronage Of the board was reduced
from three to one ard a half appointments
each year for each Director.
MY friend DR.. Clinton formulated a
plan for dlspensin with the entire patron
age system. with its attendant evils of
money inducements, by which appoint
ments we're to be made as the result of
competitive examination.
That is to say, that persons seeking APP
pointments as teachers would have to COM
pete for appointments worth say $50 or $50
month, with an annual raise of So a
month; and when a vacancy occurred in
the ranks of the principals, whose positions
are worth from $50 to $3.50 a month, there
would be a further com ettion.
The board rejected this scheme and that
is where all the trouble comes in.
81 did not refuse to give up to the Grand
Jury the name OF the young lady in whose
interest certain proposition was said to
have been made me for the reason that |
did not know the name. do not know il
now.
1.-THE matter came up in the shape of
declaration by DR.. Clinton that he had been
offered 500 10 secure a certain appointment
and that lie knew of another member of the
board. meaning myself, who had been
offered $1,000 for securing the promotion of
lady teacher.
- Il want to say that ii Is not at all an I'M
common thing for members of the Board of
Education to be approached in this way. Ii
any Of the tea hers or other persons inter-
ested in obtaining appointments were to
come up 10 me and ask for a certain posi-
ton, Offering money for my influence, |
would tell them right down that | would do
nothing OF the kind.
at is fact that a gentleman approached
me Will suCu hu UueI LOT lnnu person, q
lady VIII ON do not know. If | were to
give his name l should be doing him ser-
Gus injury and the lady, whom | understand
to be at present an empioye of the Board of
Education, would lose her position.
Il understand that DR.. Clinton has ap-
peared before the Grand Jury and made a
statement, furnishing the name of the per-
son who approached him. | understand,
though have no certain knowledge. that
this gentleman also appeared and was ex-
cused.
My position is just this: The action OF
the Aboard in refusing to adopt Mr. Gin.
toms scheme has left all the old evils Of the
patronage system unaltered, except so far
as the patronage is reduced bv the share ac-
corded TO the Normal School. | feel that
DR.. Clinton's plan is the proper one. For
the rest will say that | cannot give up the
name Of young lady whom | do not know
even by name, and that while | wish to do
my duty as a good citizen aud have every
respect for the Grand Jury, | feel that i
cannot give the name of the gentleman who
approached me without injury to him and
the loss Of the good opinion of my fellow
citizens"