Eureka weekly sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1887-1902, 1898-11-05
A CAMPAIGN FALLACY
VENTILATED.
To h Citizens Of PsIisade, Stafford
Reovswe and Cortexs

To the Citizens Of Palfsade, sanord.
Reowswe and Cortex:
During ny recent trip through the north
end Of the county l ran scross . campaign
faIlsey which merits exposure. IL has been
said that I, IS County Superintendent OF Pub
lie Schools Of Eureka county declined to sane
ton the selection OF . certain teacher for the
Gerald School District who held . valid eer1f-
iesse. The charge is 50 absurd that it hardly
needs enisl, as . person Of any UNDERSTANDING
could not help seeing that neither the County
Superintendent Of Schools or any other living
person could prevent one holding Q valid
certificate from teaching and receiving con-
pensation for the services performed under
u. The facts are IS follows:
In the fore part Of September last Mr.. Jon
sthan Waller, one of the school Trustees OF
Gerald School District. wrote me that the two
other trustees, Messrs. J. S. and J. P. Raine.
had employed . person from Carson City to
teach the school. and that the person 50 en-
ployed did not have . proper certificate, nor
was she competent to teach some of his chill
dren, who were more advanced than herself
30 walker claimed.
Nj. Walker appealed to me for protection Of
his interests, and ssked ne to see to IL In case
the certificate Was not of the right kind, that
the holder did not ersw public school money
upon IL. About . week or 90 afterward . prt-
mary grade certificate was sent me for inspec.
ton By the teacher in question. with Q request
from Hon. II. O. Cutting, State Superintendent
of Public Instruction. that ! make il good or
| renew 1T until January next. The request Of
| course could not he granted By the Board OF
Examiners Of Eureka County; first, for the
reason.thst il being q certificate Of the "pri'
| mary" grade, 1t was not subject to renewal
after the year 1897. Sec 7, Of the Act Of 1885,
reads a. follows:
THE County Board Of Examination may re-
new the certificate OF any person successfully
engaged in teaching in the county; provided,
| that after the year 1897 o PRIMARY school ceru-
hcete shall not be subject to renewal"
An second, for the reason that the certificate
in question having been originally issued BY
the Board Of Examiners Of 0rmsby county,
that Board alone possessed the power Of re.
newal. in Q proper case. I Immediately re-
turned the certifcste, stating my objections to
the same.
On the and Of October I received . letter
from Mr.. Cutting, saying the State Board OF
Education had issued to the teacher 20 tenn
porary certificate Of the primary grade, good
until the examination in January" Being
somewhat familiar with the laws Of the State
(which should not be a matter Of surprise after
ten consecutive years Of public service in my
present ofice) 1 was taken aback at the action
Of the State Board, being unaware OF any law
justifying such action, and / immediately so
notified the Board that the temporary certificate
being invalid 1 could not honor IL.
Mr.. Cutting In the meantime came to Eure-
ka, and confessed to me, both in my office and
private house, that such temporary certificate
was not 9 legal one and had been issued as q
matter Of "expediency." What the "expedien-
cy" consisted of / am unaware to this day. but
this I do know, "the temporary certificate" no
more entitled the holder to teach a public
school in this State, and draw public school
money. than would g piece of paper of similar
size containing stypewritten copy Of the Last
Rose of Summer instead Of the names Of the
members Of the State Board Of Education. etc,
etc. 1t is needless to say l rejected the stem
porary certincste."
In answer to 9 request OF mine In regard to
this unpleasant matter l received the following
telegram Q few days ago:
CARSON, Nevada, October 80, 1893.
Peter Breen, Eureka. Dear Sir:-Your refusal
to recognize o primary certificate for the Gerald
school was correct, a teacher Of that school
must hold q grammar certificate. / Informed
Miss Stern and Mr.. Raine that your action wa
Just. Yours, b. O. CUTTING.
The above telegram does me ct least partial
justice.
How the teacher In question. after being
apprised by Mr.. Cutting that I could notlegslly
or Justly accept her so-called certificate Is {
valid one. can reconcile II with her conscience
TO 60 around Beowawe, etc.. etc, campaign
ing" against me is more than I know. ofwhs'
use 10 q good and valid certificate to Q teacher
who obtained the same in an honorable man
ner after years Of study and toll. IL an invalid
one can obtain Its owner employment and 70
Enumeration?
The public school funds were intended fol
the education of our children and not fod
eleemosynary purposes. The law makes thu
County Superintendent Of Public Schools tn,
guardian Of the school fund of his county. and
until the FIRST Monday in January next. elected
or defeated, when I shall hand back TO thu
people of Eureka county the responsible ofhcs
they honored me with ten years sgo-And fo
which there Is nothing in my heart but un
bounded gratitude-the public school u o.
Eureka county shall remain unrsided.
PETER BREEN.
District Attorney and County Superintendent
Of Public Schools.
Eureka, New. Nov. 3. 1898.
MINING NOTER.