Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-04-24
SCHEME FELL FLAT.
The Purpose to Deal Unfairly
With the Teachers.
A GARD INTENDED TO x1sLEAD.

The SUPPLEMENTARY Marvellous Innuence
Over Board Members Who Lend Them
selves TO Irregular Proeeedings-Dsnor-
allied State Of Affairs.
The scheme Of the board of educa.
ton, under the direction OF Supt.
Ament. to take advantage OF the
teachers and by intimidation and
otherwise to force them to weaken in
their stand against the superintend-
ent fell fiat yesterday afternoon. As
predicted, none of the teachers re-
sponded to the notification to ap-
pear with written charges at the
meeting of the board at the superiu-
tendent's office at $3.50. The No. 4
teachers were all in their building,
but they sent word in by their prin-
cipal that they wee not ready on
such short notice to submit their
complaints, but if given notice in
the proper form and manner they
would prepare their charges and
offer them. All the members of the
board were present except President
Robbins. Director F. NJ. Sinnet was
called to the chair, and. the supcrin-
tendent himself acted as secretary.
There was also a stenographer on
hand. the plan being to. exclude the
teachers as q whole and admit them
ono by one into the presence of the
board and the superintendent. The
plan was to give no teacher time to
prepare her case, and then without
defense to require her to appear be-
fore board which had-be it said
to the shame of every member who
countenanced such an outrage
surrendered its dignity, its self re-
spect, and its sense of duty to the
wishes OF the superintendent. To be
brief, the board proposed to put the
teachers on trial instead of the su-
perintendent. and to make them as
helpless as possible in standing up
for their rights.
Reporters Excluded.
Before the board entered upon the
proud duties it had planned. Direc-
tor c. b. Kinyon moved that report
ers be requested to leave. as
the meeting was to be secret. OF
course the suggestion was imme.
diately adopted, and the representa-
tives Of the press withdrew. Then
to make sure that there were no caves
troopers present the doctor closed
the transom. This much done, the
board-and the superintendent
were ready for the star chamb Der in
vestigation of the teachers who had
dared assert their moral courage and
their womanhood. But the teachers
came not. and today the public with
one accord is applauding their
spunk.
An Attempt to Mtalead.
The unfair disposition of the board
of education, under the direction of
Supt. Ament, toward the teachers of
the schools as exhibited in the short
notice to them TO appear before the
board at 4:30 yesterday afternoon at
the sui erintendent's Office, found a
parallel in the card given to the I'm
ion last night for publication this
morning. 1t reads as follows:
Rock Island. April 90, 1S96.-In
view Of the fact that meeting of the
teachers was held Saturday evening,
April Is. for the purpose of passing
resolutions against Supt. James
+. Ament, without knowledge
OF the board, and in view of the fur
Their fact that these resolutions were
presented to the president of this
board. in his official capacity. aud
these having not been presented to
the board. save through the press,
we. the undersigned members of the
board. deemed it necessary to give
the teachers an opportunity to pre-
sent their charges. For this pur-
pose a meeting was called Wednes-
day evening. April, p, in order to
authorize a meeting for such inves-
legations, and q meeting was called
in writing by the four members
present. and each teacher in the en-
ploy of the board was notified in
writing to present his or her charges
10 writing. and in definite form.
This meeting was held at the super
intendent's office at 4:S0. Thursday
afternoon, April 20. The board re-
manned in session till o'clock. but
no charges Of any kind were pre-.
ferref.
F. NJ. SINNET, Pres. pro. tenn.
| NORA G. HAMILTON,
SARAH j. Norris,
| CLAUDIUs B. KiNYoN.
lCnfaisness to the Teachers.
But one object is sought to be al.
tanned in the publication OF this no
tice-to convey the impression that
the teachers failed to substantiatt
their charges when given opportun
ity TO do so. This was the plan oil
the superintendent when he called
yesterdays meeting. and by that very
act he committed an outrage which
the school directors instead Of coun
tenancing should have con
demued. The scheme was to seek
the advantage Of one of two alterna.
tives, either to break the teacher:
down one By one, or in the event oI
their failure to appear TO give to the
public the impression that they had
failed to sustain their action. of las,
IC r.