The herald., 1897-12-12


of any officers of the city, We pledge oul
earnest support and assistance so long and
so far as such action on their part shall be
thoroughly impartial and unflinching.
| Resolved That the city council be and
they are hereby requested to take actor
under the charter to suspend from office
those members of the board Of education
now under criminal indictment or accu.
sation by the grand jury
| Resolved, That the board Of education be
| requested to consider. and. so far as prac-
| ticable. to adopt proper rules which shall
| give all competent and efi1cient teachers
| in its employ a reasonable assurance OF
continuance in their employment. And
that in the matter Of the purchase and dis
bursements of supplies. such system be de-
vised and rules adopted as shall insure as
far as possible actual bona fide competitive
bids. and careful accounting Oh the part
Of those charged with disbursing and dis
tribution.
Resolved, That. recognizing the made
quacy of the present charter of the city.
the League for Better City Government
are requested to take the necessary steps
for the board OF freeholders to formulate
a new charter to be submitted to the
people.
These resolutions were put to vote and
unanimously adopted.
Councilman Hutchison was called
upon as the next speaker While q
teacher for seven years in this city, he
announced, none of the members Of the
board Of education had ever called upon
him for one cent. As a councilman he
had no confession to make. He stated
he knew nearly every one Of the 500 city
teachers by name. Most of them are
honest and conscientious. If the league
= l.. tt. u.
shall be secure in their places during
good behavior the league will have ac-
complished the best thing it could en-
compass.
He was sorry to say, however, that
there are teachers who were unfit to
teach anybody. Speaking Of the fitness
of teachers, he said that this was well
recognized, even by the disgraceful pa
rents of children far better conducted
than their progenitors, and that many
such would ask for the change from one
class to another of their children because
the teacher there had a reputation for
intellect and learning. Mr.. Hutchson
said that the civil service as now con-
Quoted is a fraud because it permits
the selection of party men with a lesser
ence to the one who is highest on the
list, when a choice has to be made be-
tween several candidates.
At the request of man in the gallery,
Job Hartman, as representative of the
labor party, was called upon to address
the meeting. but he declined. consider
ing that he would be forcing himself on
the audience.
w. II. Holabird, who was in the au-
dience, stood up and said that he would
be willing to be one of hundred to in
vest s25 in aid of the work of the league,
and it would be the best investment he
had ever made.
Other speakers were Charles F. Lunl-
mis- and Mr.. Hartman. who had recon-
sidered his decision not to ascend the
platform. The audience, however, WAS
not prepared to leave when the chairman
called vociferousy for T. E. Gibbon.
who was obliged to respond.
Mr.. Gibbon thanked the audience in
the name of the school children of Los
Angeles. He said he had been endeavor-
ing for the last three weeks to uncover
q conspiracy which had for its aim to
defraud the rising generation Of this
city. OF all that had been said durins
the evening, one potent agency had been
neglected-the agency without which
the investigation would never have been
successful. He meant those four or five
incorruptlble school principals who had
had the manhood, in the face of prob
ability Of losing their positions If the
other side proved the stronger, to come
up before the investigation, tell the truth
and so open the way. Their names, said
Mr.. Gibbon, are Professors. Phillips,
Keppel, Emory, Latham and Bonebrake,
and to them 1t was due that the inherit
ance of our children has been saved. He
offered vote of thanks for these gentle
men, which was given with hearty good
will,