The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1896-02-01
HOOD RIVER SCHOOL MEETING.
Professor synder Criticises the Voters for
Not Levying a Greater Tax.

Professor synder Criticises the Voters 70
, Not Levying a Greater Tax.
AT the special meeting of the voter
| in district No. 3d. Hood River town,
; called for the purpose of voting tal
to pay Indebtedness and to maintair
the school for the ensuing year, an act
was committed which ought to bring
any community into disrepute so far as
educational sentiment is concerned;
and worse is the sentiment manifested
in the act, since the mischief was con-
ceived, led on and perpetrated by men
who wish to poS9 in the vicinity, the
county and, in the case of one, the
state, as representative men.
As the head of the school, may now
say what could not say in the school.
meeting held last Saturday. Being
neither. a resident nor a property own
er of the district, and having no chill
dren to send to the school, and being
salaried employee of the district, OBJ
viously could. not consistently say
anything in defense OF the school or in
behalf of a more liberal tax for the
maintenance of the same.
At this meeting, special tax Of
nine mills was levied on an assessed
valuation in the district of Sl41 900, six
mills of which are required to pay the
interest on the bonded indebtedness,
and three mills to pay floating indebt-
edness amounting to about 81, ,000 The
three mills IN question will notpay the
floating liability, and the school is left
without one cent for the next year ex-
cept what is derived from the state and |
county. This last income will hardly |
suffice to carry on the school for two |
months; so that the district stands in |
danger of losing its state apportion-
ment. With a prospect of only two or
three months work, it is not to be pre-
sumed that teachers. can be hired for
the beggarly salaries for which the
present teachers have been employed.
With one of the best school build
ings OF the kind in the state, with four
teachers who have labored early and
late for the upbuilding of the school,
with board of directors who have
worked Increasingly in conjunction
with the teachers to establish school
that should be looked upon with pride
by the people of the district, and what
IS the results? Because the directors
had contracted debt of $500 without
,he consent of the taxpayers, for the
purpose of keeping tide school open
1ine months in the year, through the
scheming of two or three
the board are rebuked or, to
lse more expressive language, they {
we're summarily squelched. Every eff
ort VIII ch the board OF directors and {
eachers have made to build up a
chool on modern ideas is undone. and c
he school ruined, ruined. Hereafter
10 self-respecting man who has any l
lotion 6f we'll organized school will l
'ermit his n"me to be used as a candi- c
ate for director in the district. In t
he future it will be a go-as-you-please T
chool, for the voters have said they 8
7ant that kind Of school.
The question arises, who is to blame !
DR. this result? The answer is obvious. d
here are two corporations in this dis
riot. one of. which has been in exis-
ence for several years, anda the other :
J of more recent formations, each of
'hich owns valuable real estate in the
istrict. In additisn to this, the heads =
t these two corporations are each +
olders of considerable property out r
de of the companies which they rep
,seat. Beside these two corporations
lere always has been pretty liberal
blowing in the district, who would be
lad each year to see no tax voted for
le maintenance OF the schoal. Ofthe
rst corporations The Hood River
ownsite Company, the: Honorable E. [
/. Smith, is the head I am not mis-.
sting fact wheh Esay that this gen.
eman, at every school meeting that
ave ever attended in this district, has
Used the loudest voice against lib
al tax for the support Of the school,
nd this extends back through series . .
years. When this gentleman will b
and before body of voters and with .
i the spread-eagle oratory and pom
erous rhetoric he can command, de- Y
berately mistate facts as he did at
lis meeting, in order to save himself !,
dollar, it is time some of his state b
ents were refuted. The whole bur. .,
IN of Mr.. Smiths anti-educational d
,eech was in substance, that no such q
tax as p mills had ever been heard 4
in any school district before. I o
ould remark for Mr.. Smiths benefit, n
my information is correct, that the b
osier district levied 20 mills for the !,
lst year, and that the little town of e
ntelope levied 1s mills. Mr.. Smith :,
ted the city of Portland in support Al
low tax. If Hood River had the o
xable property that Portland has, al
I'd the number Of children drawing II
lbHc funds in proportion to her pop e
alton, this district could get elong
ith as small levy as Portland. The =,
'unty levy of 5 mills and the state ap- N
ortionment yields the Portland J.
hools about s235. 900; so that she p
asds 20 levy only seven-tenths of one Oh
i'll this year to raise about $4,000, p,
hich will be sufficient to carry her u
hools for the next school year in the :
me high degree OF excellence in which
ley have been conducted In the
ast. Again, Mr.. Smith would make
appear to the voters that the most n!
lvanced educators we're .clamoring th