The morning times., 1896-06-29
STRONG LANGUAGE USED
They Condemn What They Term the
secret Methods Follow ed In I'm
seating Mr.. Sites-Arguments Ad-
vanced to DIsprOve the Charge
of incomrefency.

five was appointed To icok into the matter.
In communication from the committee 10
Hon. j. w. Whelpley, president OF the
board of school trustees. they say:
I'VE were authorized TO call on Prof
Powell and the board of trustees, with d
view to effcct!pg a reconsideration OF your
determination TO remove Mr.. Sites, or IL
rcopening OF the case, with u coherent
statement OF the grounds for removal. and
an opportunity to him to interpose an at.e-
Quatc defense.
You Etiu already personally admitted
that thcre were no charges against Mr.. Sites,
that his character was unassail,ble. and lis
learningun usually profound; ;thatneither you
nor any other member OF the board OF
trustees nor the board collectively, had IN
ves,gatcd uDy complaints agains; Mr.. Sites;
that whatever Investigation was had was
made by Prof. Powell and DR.. Lane, and
that the action by your board was taken
solely and entirely upon the advice OF these
twogcntlemen. You further added then Il nd
there, i'll the presence OF three members nf
this committee that if Dine-,enths of all tile
patrons OF the school Should signify their
disapprobatioD of the action your cornInittee
had taken, il would not, in your Judgment,
have any influence whatever upon the said
committee.
FOR DIPLOMATIC REASONS.
.Thereupon this committee called upon
Prof. Powell, who. by your statement,
was, with Dr. Lane, the largest factor in
bringing about the removal OF Mr.. Sites
ami there Were met with an intpnaJion
that the reasons for such action were
diplomatic. and not to he revealed.
Our next resort was to your board OF
trustees, and on the sth instant, we asked
you to call special meeting to hear Us
RaEa..n hts aln
Piled for the board. declining to call a
special meeting, for reasons stated by you,
but assuring Us that the board will be glad
tohear your committee at the regular meet
ing on the 2Uth instant, before any action
may he taken by the board, and before an
report may be made to the board by the
High and Normal school committee
AS Il result OF canvass among the
patrons OF the school there was procured
a list of 231 patrons. WHO subscribed TO the
following statement. viz:
We, ttIe unders gned, who are patrons
Of the Eastern H.gn School. having one
Child or more. matricuiated pupils in the
said high sChuoI. hereby declare that we
are entirely satisfied with the conduct OF
the school under the manag cement of lis
present principal, Mr.. c. NJ. Lacey Sites
Our children are well contented and have
made satisfactory progress.
Being entirely satisfied with the ad-
ministratIon of Mr. Sites, and with the
progress recorded under his superintend-
cncy. and knowing full well tie dangers
which always are to be feared from a
change. we. as the persons most sGbstan-
TALLY interested in the matter. respect
fully but earnestly protest against tile re-
moyai of Mr.. Sites
ONLY EIGHT OPPOSED.
I'm the whole canvass there was found
but eight persons who Were professedly
hostile TO Mr.. Sites; and in every instance
that has come TO our kno wiedge, it appears
that the grievance was founded upon the
theory that the child or children thereby
represented had not advanced Enthusiastically.
You have stated that there would lie
certain .infuriated' persons who would
oppose the Retention or Mr.. Sites. 1t seems
as though the 'infuriated persons did not
care 10 assume the role of responsible
accuscrs; and so, forsaking your first issue
that the removal of Mr.. Sites is in the
interest OF the pupils. and the expressed
wish OF parents, you refuse in your note of
the 25th instant. 10 prefer charges or to
permit Others to prefer them, you deny
TO us the right to debate the question,
and debar Us from the privileges of a court
of inquiry, and then you frankly state
the only question at issue, to lie decided
next Tuesday evening. is. will the re-
commcndatiOn of the committee on Normal
and high schools he approved by the board?'
SECRET MEETING HELD.
80. then, your recommendation being
self-cunfessed, if pubic rumor be correct,
that on last Tuesday night. the 23d Instant,
your committee held u secret, executive
session. at which you definitely agreed
upon certain gentleman as successor to
MIR. SITES, sour refusal 10 offer ciIaIges
or permit; them. or to suffer debate, or
Inquiry, ceases to surprise us. But, to
appear before your board under tn aye
circumstances, would be the merest farce
on our part. and an insult 10 the inteili-
Sencc OF the public mind.
The board Of trustees is composed of
eleven members, one of whom is absent
from the city. AS the only question to
he decided is, as you say, whether the
Recommendation of the high and normal
school committee will he approved ny
the board. said committee, whose recon-
mendatlOn is to be approved, being six in
number. 1t Is safe 10 assume that the
recommendation will he approved.
We, therefore, denied a hearing by your
prearranged action, can only withdraw
from further connection with the case.
In doing So however, we wish to call your
attentlou 10 certain factS, obtained rroin
reliable data. In IS90-91, with only one
military company, out of six, the Eastern
High School took the prize in competitive
drill. In 1928, with two companies
out OF eigh en- ga ged it took the prize a gain
In lS95-96, with two companies out OF
eight, it for the third time took the prize
for drilling. Among the high schools Of
the District the ratio of graduates to
average enrollment.' from figures in
our possession, appear as follows:
1S94-5-CCntrdl, S94 enrolled, l 50 gra du-
ates; Eastern, 1913 enrolled. 81 graduates;
Western, / 50 enrolled, 26 gradua ties.
1S95-6-Central, 5S graduates; Eastern,
32graduatcs: Western. 20 graduates. Aver
age enrolment not yet stated
The only utteraDce so far of Prof. Sites
telling of the affair was a letter to the
above committee, in which he lIutled TO
the trouble, and thanks the committee
for its vindication of him as far as the
unknown charges are concerned.
Would Sell the Danish Islands.
London. June rs. The Times will to-
morrow publish dispatch from Copen-