The San Francisco call., 1897-09-23
An Ugly Story That Teachers
Positions Cost Five Hun
dred Dollars.
DIRECTOR ARMER HAS A CHARGE.
He Accuses Waller of Gross Fx-
travagance, and Hints of Ways
That Are Dark.

The spirit OF accusation is in the very
air. and investigation seems the order OF
the day in matters municipal. Each day
adds to the interest in the Board of Edu-
cation fight, DIR. c. c. O'Donnell's threat
ened suit being the merest in ncieent in the
battle.
But DIR. o. Donnell will probably begin
his suit on Monday. He says he may file
the papers by Friday, and affirms that he
is in the fight to remain. Il have hire
Messrs. Baggett and Stephens to carry on
the suit" said he yesterday, ''and there
will be no cessation until the bitter end"
The belligerent candidate for Mayor
SAYS his suit will not down. He proposes
to adopt the New York Suns slogan,
Turn the rascals out, and to continue
the tight perennially if necessary. Ae
says his attorneys have advised him to
proceed against each mem Der of the board
separa tely and that he has already ad-
vanced the preliminary costs, relying
principally on the failure of the board to
obey that law which forbids a change of
books oftener than once IN four years.
John A. Wall, the fighting attorney of
Iii6 IIOQuOAS OAubf oCCAho 90 oN66S0 &C
O'Donnell in his ambition to proceed
against the board. He hints at darker
crimes than his rival ever dreamed of
and says his suit will be in the full bloom
of health when O'DonnelPs has ceased to
interest the public. In similar spirit of
jealousy and business rivalry O'Donnell
says he wonders why Wall has encroached
upon his territory, remarklng that "every-
body knows l never quit when L once get
a safe start
Meantime DR.. O'Donnell is being flooded
with anonymous communications, some
purporting to come from teachers others
from the people a large. Every letter has
a grievance and many agree IN the general
statement that prominent citizen who
is close TO the School Directors pretends
to sell teachers positions for about $500
each.
There is an ugly rumor afoat that there
| is man who knows the inside of school
! board affairs so well he guarantees to DO
| lighting mind -reading-reading the minds
| OF the board-at a fee of about $500 For
| this sum he guarantees that he guesses cor
rectly when he assures the applicant for
! position that the position will be forth
/ coming.
| 1t is said that the process is for the eager
searcher tor this Information TO visit
! certain office, file her application, leave
the gold fee on the desk, arise and walk 10
an open window, gazing out intently for
/ few minutes, returning TO IND that The
| gold has disappeared. The oracle then
! solemnly says. II WILL see about your case
| rs soon as the matter comes before the
Board of Education 1t is said that
many am bilious souls have never deeply
regretted the fee, having found it 10 be as
bread cast on the waters
! Speaking of the sale of positions in the
/ School Department yesterday, Director
| Armer said Il have never sold or offered
to sell any positions. ana l do not know
! whether any one has done so, but do
! know that there is too much secrecy re-
! garding the responsibility for appoint
! ments We have tried in vain to make
each Director stand respon>ib for his
! own nominations, but we have failed.
| Even the chairman of the committee can
not learn where names come from. 1t Is
/ all dark and secret work, and if it is per-
/ fectly fair why should any one fear the
| light of dav?
81 only know that as an active member
| OF the Finance Committee | have not been
! able to audit any of the bills, for l have
| believed them all to be illegal. fair
sample of the way things are done is seen
in the ridiculous proposition of Waller to
! paw $2700 for some knd OF hre gongS IN
the schools. In the first place the gongs
we're not needed, as | learned from the
teachers as the present system is all
riqht, and in the second place, as | told
| Waller, | would make money on con-
tract to furnish the gongs at one-tenth the
price.
SIN like manner his estimate of the re-
! quired outlay for the department was
about 81. .000,0 900 beyond all reason. 1t is
| no wonder that people are asking why
men spend so much money to become
mem bers of the Board of Education,
! place which has no salary, but is sup
posed to be an honorary BERTH"
So there is a general feeling OF ex-
pectancy in the minds of well-informed
teachers and citizens as to the probable
| outcome of the much talked-of investiga-
ton OF the affairs of the department. 1t
| is even said that there is probability
| that some of the teachers who have been
| bled may yet weaken and turn States EVIL
dence for the good and welfare OF the pub
lie and the schools. At all events there is
more interest in the public school ques-
| tioa than there has been In many years,
| and there is a strong probability .hat the
next two or three sessions OF the board
will be unusually lively from inception to
| close.
| John A. Wall, pursuing his investiga-
tions with view OF i'm peaching the Board
of Education, called at the rooms OF the
| School Directors in the City Hall yester-
day and had lively little time with Sec
! retary elch.
| Mr.. Wall asked for tie records showing
the amounts expended by the board in
| july, and was given the books.
He did not understand that the accounts
of any one month are usually entered up
in the following month, when they are
paid, and finding most of the entries dated
August exciedly exclai med that tie had
not been given the books he wanted and
that there was some job up.
Then it was the secretary's turn TO get
angry and he told Mr.. Wall pointedly tnat
unless he was willing 10 ask for documents
in geDtlemanly way he would moi be ac-
corded any courtesies
1--WE have given you what You ask for"
he said, land we want you to refrain from
casting insinuations on this Office