The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1897-03-19

/ tOuutnk q 5CnOOi VI ihotAVSsAOh AZ <Ans 80
Dor during that period. At least that was
the newspaper report. Now the work done
by Mr.. Sheldon, during these two months. !
do not desire to criticise. The facts are
that 1t is the vacation season, when there Is
almost a cessation of school work. The
point Is that he criticies me for duties per.
formed during the vacation, when the Of
| fee of commissioner demanded very little
| field work.
There was organized In Shiawassee
| county I'm 1894. the Shiawassee County
| Teachers Summer Normal School, and Mr..
| Sheldon, then commissioner, was vice presi.
dent thereof, and an instructor. Now com.
panies or corporations are formed for fra
ternal or charitable purposes, or for the
purpose of gain. The body aboye referred
to was for gain, as there was, If recollect
| tuition of $500. The law forbade the
commissioner from having any financial In
terest in such a school within the county,
| for which he was commissioner.
The object of the law was to prevent the
certificate granting power from making
gain, by using their position as instructors
| and thus exert an influence to dragon
teachers to patronize them.
1t was distinctly stated, however, that
the vice president did not get any OF
the gain, and hence was acting legally. II
| a member of an organization, organized for
gain, does not get any of it, a fair inference
is that he is allowing himself to be used to
accomplish that very purpose for others.
law, it is of the spirit. And were l so un-
generous as you, Mr.. Sheldon, would
| openly charge that had no confidence in
your statements as to whether you got any
thing out it.
As Commissioner you quarrelled and de.
nounced every member of the board of ex-
aminers you came in contact with, save one,
which is simply in evidence as to DISPOSE
ton to personal dislike when difference In
opinion is held, as is the case when
courteously asked your opinion on question
WI pubIlC pOiiSJ ohu PioSNN"'N'
Again, when you resigned the Office Of
commissioner, you had arranged an election,
months ahead of the vacancy, to dictate
your successor. And considering your in
trigues in electing your predecessor that it
might be to your gain,it was never quite clear
what the consideration was that led you t.
DICTATE your successor, unless it might have
been good thing for the concern which
you were vice-president of to have COM
missioner for vice-president and a commits
soner. elect for the chief. and he being also
as well member of the board of examiners,
that it wonld be good thing to have mat
ters we'll under control.
With these considerations as to your
official connection with Shiawassee County's
selects an inexperienced and unframed man
in the county is not judge of qualifications.
That man who visits 10 schools in five
months, should not value too highly the
matter of school visitation. That man
who draws $500 90 salary while only visit
ing Is schools, and then serving as vice
president Of company that probably took
that sum from the teachers of the county,
which they either had or expected to get
from the taxpayers, and then for the past
few years has been the chief beneficiary of
a school tax which pays $-one very 500 is
not we'll qualified to speak on questions OF
taxation.
Now as TO your personal thrust, at me
desire to say that considerable pressure was
brought to bear upon me to resign when
connected with the schools in 1890. The
pressure came because it would have rem
dered the election Of my successor. your
man." at snap election more certain and
with less trouble than at the regular time.
Again, when once in. the claim would be
that he had CLAIMS of incumbency. You,
undoubtedly. looking ahead to what was
actually done later, as described before,
approached me on the subject Realizing
what was wanted, told you that If the
census work interfered with my duties in
cNhVoi hoteCiot WOuiu hpl tCoiBhs pub
would devote the salary to the institute
fund. You either intentionally or through
failure to remember, omit the part that If it
interfered with school work. Now the facts
are that it did not interfere. And in order
to do even more than had been done for
schools before, extra help was employed at
my expense. l continued the visitations
right up to the close of the spring terms.
b. G. Hall assisted in visiting and also
visitor was hired in Venice township. Jay
b. Woodin assisted in the work of the dis
trict school examination papers. My brother
was executive officer in the census office.
So instead of a record for the same quarter in
1890 that you had In 1894, there were visit
ed IS schools, and instead of packing my
grip and going to Ann Atbor In July,
stayed in the county and carefully looked
after such work as the schools may have
needed. And in August continued the
same, instead Of serving as vice-president of
q normal school which was a money max er