People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1897-05-13
Where the Blame Lies,


Daily Journal.
One of the members of the board OF
trustees of the county high school
gave Us some inside facts Thursday
Afternoon in regard 10 the cOntro
Versy between the board Of education
and the high school trustees which
resulted in the killing OF the county
high school project Tuesday night.
1t was generally known that the
board OF education of this city, was
seeking to fasten its influence upon
the high school trustees and that the
trustees were maintaining a firm Cd
position to the advances Of the board OF
education, but the public has learned
very little Of the Vaccinations of the
school board in ende3yoring to force
the trustees to submit to their dicta-
.tiOnS.
When the news Of the passage of
the bill providing for county high
school in Sumner county was publish
ed In the Journal the day following
Its enaCtLent, the forces that iii ally
destroyed the Institution began iay-
ing their plans for rule or ruin. The
news Of the passage Of such a bill
created a general surprise. There is
no doubt that the bill was Surrepti-
tiOuSly prepared ard worked through
both houses Of the legislature. But
it received the governors signature
anG became law. 1t was mandatory
upon the county commissioners of
this county TO establish such a school
as soon as suitable building could be
secured. The board of education Of
this city controlled the only suitable
building in the county for high school
purposes, and thus they were in a
position to make their influence
with the friends of the county high
school felt to great extent il they
should desire to do so. They realized
[thiS, and from the mOmentOf the dis
toyery OF their power they resolved to
obtain absolute and unQueStionable
control over the management of the
county high school. They gave no
consideration to the rights of the
board Of trustees, but looked upon
them as their subOrdinateS, and were
determined to rule over them with an
iron hand. 1t was left for the county
high school trustees to submit to
their d mineering and dictatiOnS or
see the cherished institution die in its
incipienCy. The trustees refused to be
influenced by the board of education
in conducting their charge and rather
than allow it to control their actions
they we're determined to see the
school killed in its infancy. These
were the positions taken by the res.
pectiv3 boards. Both we're obstinate
and determined in the matter, and
the question of the responsibility for
its defeat lies with the board whose
duty it was to help along and encOur-
age the school, rather than to retard
1t progress in an effort to secure con-
troll.
The arguments advanced by the
members of the board of education
for desiring 10 control the county high
school may be summed up as
either as fatherly sOlicitude for tue
welfare Of the city schools or an over
weening and unrightful desire for
power. We firmly believe that The
former was largely accountable for
the action of the school board, but
believe just as strongly that the latter
entered in degree into the question.
The Argument of SOliCitude for the
city schools was not affirmed by the
action of some of the members of the
board Of education, whose Jealous
NwurklnsS and continual efforts to
Secure control of the county high
fSchOCl implied hearty diStrust Of
the members Of the board of trustees.
1t is reasonable To contend that tue
trustees would be as Jealous in their
labOrS for the success Of the county
high school as the board of education
could Do for the success CT the city
schools, for under the accepted ar
rangement to combine the Two, the
one could not succeed without the
other.
Behind the expressed solicitation
Of the school board for the welfare of
the city schools, was a piece of per-
SOnal jon work and trickery on the
part OF several of the more influential
members of the board which no per
son with any degree of Independence
in his makeup could cOnsclentiOuSly
expect the county high school trus-
tees TO willingly submit to. The
trustees were told in plain words that
unless the board of education lad
positive assurance that a certain
faculty would be employed to COT
duet the high school, a lease
on the city high school building
would be refused. While there is
no question in our mind that
that faculty would have been employ.
ed, for the present at least, the truS-
tees did not like the idea of being
bound to carry out the wishes of the
board Of education Of this city. The
board of education not only wanted
to control the faculty for the first