The Anaconda standard., 1898-01-12
MR.. HALL WILL HANG On
The School Trustee Says He VIII
Not Resign.
TO THE END OF HIS TERM
In a Letter to the Clerk He Criticizes
the Action of the Board and the
big Four"-Will Attend as Often
as His Business Permits.

O. Nj. Hall, one of the school trustees
who was requested to attend the meetings
of the board or resign his job has de-
clared that he will hang on until the end
OF the term for which he was elected. Mr..
Hall has received a letter from Thomas
Richards clerk of the board. notifying
him of the boards action The letter reaes
as follows:
AT regular meeting of the board of
trustees of school district No. l of SILVER
Bow county, Montana. held on Thursday
evening. Jan. 6. 1898. | was instructed to
write you asking you to attend the meet
ings of said board and to kindly do your
part of the work in carrying on tbe
schools of the district. Your colleagues on
the board are of the opinion that you
are working unnecessary hardship on
them in compelling them to perform du-
ties that should in part be borne by you,
but if your business is such that you can
not attend to the duties of school trus-
tee, they would consider 1t a favor II
you would so state and tender your res
gnauon.''
10 this letter Mr.. Hall yesterday replied
as follows:
'Your communication dated Jan I just
received. In reply Will state that 90
not recognize any authority in my col
leagues 10 ask for my resignation under
the circumstances in this case. i Will
further state that j am now. and at all
times have been, quite as ready"and VIII
ing TO perform my share OF the duties
OF the school board as any of the gem
tlemen who desire my resignation. The
action of the four members of the boald
from the first moment that they TOOK
their seats, has been such as to impress
very forcbly upon the minds of the hold
the old members as much as possible
from the duties of their office.
After the election of Mr.. Long as
chairman and Mr.. Morgan as vice chair
man, the chairman appointed his COM
mittee. He first placed the three old men,
bers the least important committee
he could find and then proceeded to COM
plete his committees by placing two new
members ana one old member on each OF
the remaining committees, and in order
to have a majority of new members on
each committee, Mr.. Morgan is placed
on four committees, while Mr.. Lyons Is
placed on but two.
thine will not permit me to enumerate
all the instances that / might in which
what is generally known as the Big
Four have taken occasion to impress
upon the minds of the old members that
they, like good children. should be seen
and not heard and anything that SAVIOR
ed in the least of opposition to the caucus
agreements of the big Four have al
ways been received with a considerable
degree of impatience to say the least. as.
for example: There is a rule requiring all
| teachers to file their certificates of quail
! ification with the board. | insisted upon
! the, adoption of rule which would also
| include the superintendent and require
| him also to file such credentials as would
| legally entitle him to hold the office. After
| considerable parliamentary sparring,
| which consumed considerable time, the
] dofo cd l,Nr hn
| new members, and | was politely inform
| ed by the chairman that by bringing up
such a frivolous matter ! had entailed
| upon the district unnecessary expense,
as the four new members were drawing
1 salaries and their time was Valuable.
| Whether the matter was frivolous or not,
! / leave it to the public TO judge, but ii
| was of sufficient Importance to cause
the new members to oppose 1t bitterly and
| TO spend the greater portion of two even
| ings trying to dodge it, and its rejection
| enabled the present superintendent to
take his seat without disclosing to any
| of the old members of the board what
If any. credentials he held that would en-
title him to hold the office which he now
| holds. All that | could find out about the
matter was that the gentleman did moi
hold state life certificate in this
state, and that at the time he took his
office he did not have even license to
teach school, and according to the news
| papers. ne mas only HSd Il ttiAiilNdtS
from the state board within the past few
weeks. If at the time he held the neces
sary credentials that would entitle hin
under the law to hold his position Il
seems to me that he should have beer
glad to let the public know what tn }
were and when he suppressed them the
fair inference is that the production OF
them would have been detrimental to his
cause.
eff this were the only instance where
the new members have sought to impress:
upon the old the precepts of silence anc
non-intcrference | should have been in
| clined to pass it over, and at the tim
/ did pass 1t over: but as every act o
opposition is met with impatence, if no
with actual rebuff. there seems but l:ttlt
that the old members can do except to 81
still and be counted for quorum, espe
cially all questions are decided bN
votes. and four can outvote three any
day in the week.
when the new members first took theil
seats l attended regularly as an,
member of the board. but when | was
last forced TO a recognition of the tac
that the board consisted OF but foul
members instead of seven, | could SEE
but very little use for my presence. L
my colleagues find that they have mor'
than their share of the work of the dis
trict to do it is but the legitimate resUl
of shoulderins it all in the beginning ant
giving the rest of us TO understand tina
our services were not needed.
"In the future ] shall attend OTTER
as my business will permit. but not fo
the purpose of being counted for quor
um but will take the liberty of opposing
the majority of the board whenever IL
my humble Judgment they are wrong
as they have been on more than one &C
casion in the past.