Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-06-23
COSTLY ORNAMENT.
What Ament Has Proven to
the Schools.
YET Is A PRETsHDED ECONOMIST.

YET Is A PRETENDED ECONOMIST.
Expensive and fmpraeticanie Ideas for
the ratare but which Happily win Not
Al be- Carried Out wsras Rsom Oss
VINE Has Looksd Iaso the sasjses.
ut seems to me time for the citi-
zess to take q hand in this discus
sion about schools and school taxes"
remarked man who has studied
Rock Island public schools last even
ing. 1.-The schools do not belong to
the Union, nor to Mr.. Ament, nor
to the teachers. They are ours and
we pay the taxes. We have been
taxed pretty well to pay for these
schools, but We have not greatly
complained because we have had fine
school buildings and the teachers
have given us the worth Of our
money in hard and intelligent work.
Snow n man IL put in charge OF our
schools by the trickery Of member
Of the board who wants to ont .
SWELL and preteuds to be great
friend OF mprovement for his own
business purposes. This superin-
tendsns comes here ard soon after
declares TO members Of the board q
learn this from good authority that
they are parsimonious. He Is in
formed shat the board has re-
Gently found it necessary to slightly
oversteP its legal rights and to bor-
row from ons faud to help out an
other. He in grsndiloquent way
declares that the wealth OF the city
Of Rock Island ought to furnish
100000 4 year for school parp2ses.
He goes about laying his plans for
spending that amount. One OF his
first schemes is for doubling the
capacity OF the High school by build
Ing on as much more to the east, and
by putting in statuary, oil paintings,
easy chairs, brussels carpet in the
rostrums. electric bells, an entire
new system OF hesting, ventilation,
and closets to make the school attras-
tive. Tho years work has shown
shat all who come we're accommod-
sted within the present walls.
What He Has Done.
"Hs proposed enlarging the High
school corps oi teachers at large sal
aries. He did secure the services
OF q science tescher at 5000. who
probably would have come for 5000,
rs that was more than he had ut
Carroll. and who has spent $44O.s5
for apparatus and supplies during
the year on Mr.. Ament's recommen-
datlon. Mr.. Anent had less work
than Nr. Kemble, as he was relieved
OF the work as secretary OF the board.
yet he incurred the expense OF q
supervisor Of primary tessners al
$50. He sought to have the board
purchase a Autographed lettsr-head
to contain his own name at an OK.
psnss Of el0o. He purchased on his
own responsibility three expensive
standard dictionaries Mt $4s. He re-
qucstsd that the board furnish his
ofies in q style far surprising any
Office Of any kind in the city, 1929.
He was authorized to spend moi
more than $500 for supplementary
readers. The bill was 5000
"All OF this has been done by him
althosgh the board has constantly
held him In and has sat down ON him
pretty hard several times. Wha,
can we expect when he has full
swing with the majority Of the boart
back Of hirnp And yet this man hal
begun. since he discovered what .
hornets nest he had brought abou,
his head by his carelessness OF tn,
good ~ the schools, to pose befor,
the uniformed taxpayer as an econ
omist. rs revealer OF secrets
(Which he would have concealed. haC
lac been unhinderod In his course,
when In reality he remisds one OF
the man calling stop thief ant
pointing out an innocent part
who happens to be hurryinj
along. His associates in the proies
sion ought to be disgusted with tn,
man. and 10 is q shame that we have
members on our board so blinded b,
Prejsdics that they can't see through
him"