The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-05-31
KING STRIKES BACK.
4 Pointed Letter in Reply to
MacDougall.
NO EXCUSE FOR STAYING AWAY
p~~soas for Equalization OF Salaries
s,,d Change of Term-why Oszden's
salary Was Increased.
so EXCUSE FOR STAYING AWAY

r.srewtar NacDougall in regard to the re-
ss.soa Of salaries, have not gone urchai-
sanxed. Director King expresses surprise
:. uacDougali's position. and says he in
s~xnarsd 10 back up the board In every
s,Se that has been taken When asked
-1s,erfiav as 70 his position IL the mat
ter xr. King prepared the following let
Seattle. May %.
..ro the Editor: Your interview in to-
hav.s paper with DIR. j. p. MacDougaIl
e. regard 10 the action or the school
hoard is ia some respects. so extrsor-
Ssnarv that cannot help thinking your
,erorfer must have occasionally misun-
sersrood him For instance. he is report
~ as saying that he tpurposeiy' stayed
sxay from the meeting OF the educational
committee
NacDougail Invited 10 the Meeting.
Nov. Mr. MacDougaIl Is not a member
of the educational committee. but ne was.
nevertheless invited 10 be present at it's
meeting and when the committee was as
sembled I teIsphoned him. saying we
awaited him. / was answered that he
RAD come important business TN hand
t;st then which would prevent his COM
ing. Now. one OF these statements must
he untrue, yet | DO not think Mr.. Mac
r,cngaH would wilfuiiy tell falsenood
Again. II seems "a little unreasonable
that he should complain that the board
acted I'm opposition 10 his views. when he
parposely abstained from letting us know
what his views were.
Ogden Farms His salary.
The salary of the secretary was In
creased, not because he IL Democrat
bu. because the board felt that he de-
served H. He has done his work excep-
tionaIIy well. and even with the increase
-
When Afr. whitney. the former secretary
who was Dir. MacDougaiis bookkeeper
and his warm personal friend, got a sal
sry OF g. 90 n year Mr.. Mac Douglas rest
was uBtroabled.
An increase In the number of school
children will. Mr. MacDougali says, in
crease the work OF the teachers. but not
OF the secretary. Will Il? Let us see An
Increase OF children may make il neces-
gary to employ more teachers. but unless
we increase the number In a room which
We have not done. will not add any addi-
tionai burdens to the individual teachers
while every additional teacher EMPLOYED
makes so much moro work for the secre-
tary.
Because Mr.. MacDougall has not found
the secretary at the telephone whenever
he wanted him, he draws the conclusion
that the latter is keeping cigar stand
Vo"H toHfts AiitS II ttVA -NoTtN answering.
Mr.. MacDougall must have been reading
the adventures OF Sherlock Holmes, or
taking recent course in inductive logic.
Special Teachers Not Wanted.
"Mr. MacDougall says: When the
school board was elected, It was under
stood that the departments OF music.
drawing, physical culture and writing
were to be continued
This Is not so. At the last school elesc-
ton, as is generally known. the issue was
saaareiy made on the retention or not OF
these special teachers. and the special
teachers themselves and their friends
used their best efforts tas they had a per
feet right 10 dol TO elect Mr.. Holmes.
VINO was understood TO be in favor OF
their retention.
MI. MacDougall asks by what author
ny the board acted. I reply by the sama
authority that he and his colleagues
wen comprising majority OF the board,
acted. The present board does not claim
20 De infaiiioie. and 1t doubtless has made
some mistakes, bat 80 far II has been for
tcnaie enough 10 escape the cenaure of
the grand Jury
laying '''A -" 90
The taxpayers never asked Il. for I
an as heavy a taxpayer as any in this
ioSn' and ! asked the board for nothing
Of the kind
That settles Il. Because Mr.. MacDou-
GAL Is heavy taxpayer. and because he
never asked the board to take the aetion
aid. therefore all the other taxpayers
'own are opposed to an economical
administration of school affairs.
A short Term Advisable.
me length of the school year was
thoroughly discussed at the meeting
sn'en mr.. MacDougall tpurpoSeiy) re-
.osed 70 attend. and the action OF which
ne erticises. AID it was believed 10 be
uest' In view OF the reduced income of
tae district caused by the reduction an
eu valuation, non-payment OF taxes
ana The barefoot school boy bill.' to make
sae year nine months. at least until bet
ger times. This is as long as the schools
We kept open In many of the large cities
" the country. and Is advocated hy many
Nno Relieve II % be preferred. independ-
eh' OF monetary considerations.
Salaries Only EquaIized.
nc reductions In salary were made
Win view OF doing away with what
--aPeared 70 the board as discrepancies
Iney thought the jump from SO for
sSasliar school teachers to $40 for high
esaeei teaeherS. and OF 500 for one prln-
v,pal to Si5o or sis5 for another too great
vas rot done in any spirit OF personal
luminosity % Mr.. Mac Dougau. The num-
ger OF ladies' affected IS few. ard | do
Het mink any OF the gentlemen wear
'esdy-msde clothing.
MI Aacnougail SAYS that two OF the
ssmoerS Of the board are 'hirehngs' I
~ not know what he means by hire
saes nor who the 'hirelinss' are hut I
Aaow that the members OF the board
Alo hook the action he complains OF we're
~ssaafed solely by What they believed to
conSctentioOs sense OF duty and n
neeTe desire 10 do a very difficult task,
w 70 run the schools 20 the best inter-
OF the children and with the least
'sFaea 10 the taxpayers Respectfully,
GEORGE II. MING"
Churchill Makes Answer.
pr +. A Churchill. another member.
sSo replied 10 Mr.. MacDougan's stric-
lures saving:
ne reduction o. salaries was neces-
@Fy N order 70 keep within our income,
ne new Law does not allow us 20 20
= 9eot We could not see that the In
as i appears 20 be coming I'm.
So tdstiiy rs iH any larger expendt-
- Il Il becomes apparent later on
,.N our income viii Justify US in en-
ms special teachers or paying the
sulAF teachers more money, there is
member ~ the board but who Is In
-, % anon1ing the children the very
49, instruction and the most talented
-. van possibly - given them.
tgten has shown himself a very
working and careful man. He al
~. has facts and statistics wanted by
eosfd ~ his fingers ends and has
80 himself anxious 20 save the dis
Ass 10y dollar az expense possible and
~. ~ several instances effected \ saw
- -. y. seSersl hundred dollars. By virtue
~. VAace ne Is superintendent OF ell
~ Saooi buildings This keeps him on
ofe gced part o. the time so that
tAss -. spend all the time AZ hts Office:
i,.A,,.. sF sccount tor Mr.. NacDougalrs
ss,,. :, % catch him ~ the telephcne.