The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-06-04
-. NJ - =
THE MAYOR HUNT HIM
SELF
WHEN He MIXED IN SCHOOLS.
i-SE..
PROPOSED CLOSING3sOF BRANCH
SCHOOLS NOT sA!gfoPULAR
MOVE. 81
PROF. SMITHS ATTITUDE IN III.
He Explains How she, Central High
School Can BE Made to AccOmO-
date ALL

Mayor Doran will be sorry he mixed
up in this school business so prominent
ly," said az active Sixth ward Repub-
llcan yesterday. HE will find that it
Will cost him so per cent of his strength
In his own ward, if he seeks renomi-
nation, as l have no doubt he will. It
means great deal to our people, as it
does to the people of the other por-
lions of the city which have been ben
ehted by branch high schools. 1t
means an expense of SO cents a week
for car fare for every family on the
west side, practically, which has any
one in the high school grades. That
Is burden which will be felt strongly.
Furthermore, the accommodations will
not DE SO good as they have been, even
II they are really sanitary. There have
peen, L am told by those who have
looked into the figures, 1,100 pupils en-
rolled at the Central high school this
year. That taxes the capacity of the
building, believe..a What will be done
when the high school pupils from the
other parts of the city come in,they will
certainly lift that. number at least to
I500, do. All this talk about economy,it
seems to me, is largely due to jealousy
between different city departments. If
we must sacrifice the health and posi-
bly, the lives of our children to this
eternal wrangling; it is time halt
should be called"
There is some talk, in circles friend
~ to the Mechanic Arts high school es-
peclaliy, of resisting any effort on the
part of the school board to- retain Prof.
A. j. Smith as superin tendent of the
consolidated high school, as it will be
next year. 1t is hoped by these peo-
pie to get a sufficient support from the
other disaffected districts to enable
them to prevent his appointment for
the next year when the committee
meets to make the appointments. Mr..
Smiths interest in some of the branch
eS of school work which are of later
adoption is said to be very slight, and
it is this feeling which prompts the
advocates of the mechanic arts training
to oppose Prof. Smiths appointment.
Prof. Smiths friends, however argue
that no weight should be given to
local dlSaffectiOnS in the selection of
the principal, and that the board will
not be governed by any such consider
alton. There are rumors of dissatis-
faction, however, in the ranks of the
board, with the fact, or allegation, that
Principal Smith has been more or less
active in the coercion of the board by
the mayor into closing these schools,
which term coercion is used by. the
friends, especially of the mechanieearts,
without serious apology Mr.. Smith,
il is said assured the mayor that the
central school was amply able to ac-
commodate the pupils Of, all four high.
schools, if the. available room should
be used. 81 -..,- 4F;
Prof. Smiths friends, on the other
hand, urge that he had as good a
right to tell1that to the mayor as" he
had to think it, and that the members
of the board have no right to get on
their dignity because of any real or
fancied slight of their official position,
the seeming presumption being that
the principal of the school should per-
nit the board of school inspectors to do
all the business with the mayor and
other branches of the city government.
Prof. Smith explained to a G. l o b e
reporter yesterday that, in his opinion,
the present central high school build
ing could, by the use Of the rooms
now occupied by the board of school
inspectors and superintendent, accom-
modate 1,500 pupils, should it be re-
Quired. There are two or three other
rooms not at present, in use, which
are available, and the assembly hall,
which is now used for certain recita-
tions as a inter of convenience, could
be regularly used for recitations and
study purposes.