The San Francisco call., 1896-10-29
Then Challenges Chairman
:. Henry T. Scott to.
!. Combat.
SAYS he WON'T BE BULIDozED
"A. Decidedly: Spicy Meeting of the
Board of Observation-Disclosures
!: : Murdoch Is Seated.

Superintendent Babcock, by dint OF per-
severance, managed to make very inter
e esting' session; of the Board OF Education
last evening out of what otherwise would
have been But a dull affair. He took an
other turn ortWo out of his old antlpathy,
ex.President Hyde, then he made another
but unsuccessful effort to oust Director
.Murdock1 fro.u his seat, that gentleman
: having returned to it IN spite of the Su-
2 'perintendent's declaration that he was no
.Iongera member. Then, after the meet
ing adjourned; he had the temerlty to.nlng
down gauntlet to President Scott himself,
declaring. that he (ScotD might buIldoze
the. board, but. he co1ld not bulldoze him
a.CBabcock1 nor so much as one side OF MIN.
Altogether the Superintendent was out
for large and deep vessels full OF red, red
blood last evening.
: The entertainment began almost imme-
:. .diately LATTER the reading of the minutes
a Mr.. Babcock rose with copy of the Wave
in his hand, and called attention to an ar
ticle. headed: superintendent of Schools, F."
which reflected rather severely upon him.
;: This board. is criticized with regard to
:.the expense of running the School Depart
.ment," he said. 1.-The article is evidently
inspired by a man who never does any
thing in 'the'light. He reiterates the false
=: hoods that he uttered before the Grand
:: Jury something over year ago, reiterat-
ing them on the assumption that decent
r.rnen. have forgotten. He never comes out
.: in to the lfght"to say these things that he
i knows TO be falsehoods. This same man
:: has said that he could run the schools OF
this Cisy and County on 1000 600 year
and put $75, 600 in his pocket. As to the
truth of the..latter statement have no
doubt. If any man could do so he could.
al. will read IN reference to this subject
a. Communication to the Examiner, writ
ten by this imam June IL, 1888, when he
was a mem Der ofsthe Board of Education"
:. Mr.. BaDGock. read the communication
in which, oyer his own signature, Mr..
Hyde took strong exception to the pro:
posal then under consideration by the
Finance Committee of cutting down the
demand of the. department TO $1,075,0 600.
and declaring that the schools could not
be run on that sum, and that the result
would be. that the schools would have to
be.closed for. a month. This, said Mr..
Babcock sis answer to the other statement
bv the same man. This publication" he
said, "has. been circulated among the
schools with the evident purpose OF aiding
. certain candidates" and this was his ex-
cuse for bringing the matter before the
board.
No action was taken.
a few minutes later, at the first call for
vote upon the routine business OF the
board, Mr.. Babcoek called attention to
the fact that "a name is being called here
of a man who has resigneu from this
board. His vote upon any matter here is
unlawful; he is not member of the
board"
Chairman Scott said briefly that be un-
ha
and, not confident of his own ability to
decide it, he had secured legal opinion,
and would now decide that Mr.. Murdock,
having Withdrawn bis resignation, was
still member of the board.
Mr.. Babcock took exception. He started
in to say what the claw said" when the
chairman interrupted him, saying that
the matter had been decided. He could
move an appeal from the chair If he
wished.
"But this is not matter that can be de-
cided by the chair"
"You can appeal if you wish-it is al
ready decided"
recorded in this matter in such event, and
it would be unlawful. therefore say that
the decision of the chair won't CO.,
"That is your individual opinion. There
are other officials of the board who differ
with you. The clerk will continue to
read
Mr.. Babcock sat down..
Under the head of new business Mr..
Murdoch introduced resolution instruct
ing all school principals to not per-
nit the circulation of any literature in tbs
schools relating to any candidate Di-
rector Carew moved that it be referred to
the Committee on Rules and this was
done. This action kills the resolution for
this campaign.
Mr.. Babcock was not affected by
Director Murdock's conciliatory resolu-
tion. A few minutes latter he rose, and
referring to the 'late member" said that
he had resigned and the board in view oil
the fact that the matter had been referred
to the City and County Attorney, had
without dissent decided to allow it to stand
Notwithstanding the withdrawal of the
resignation.
Mr. Muroock, he said, had srromised to
keep away from the meetings of the board
until it was decided. He offered this as
some history as the matter which had oc
CURED during the chairman's absence
Mr.. Murdock rose to answer this state
ment, but the chairman declared there
was nothing before the house.
AS Chairman Scott came down from hi.
seat at the adjournment a few minute.
later he said good naturedly as he passed
the Superintendent: You are wrong
Babcock, in this matter; you are wrong
II am not wrong and you will see tha