The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-11-29

Wanted to Know If the State
Wouldn't stand for More Than
S2,JOO-Morey's Row with Prof.
Freeman-Penderga Talks.
The motto of the Minnesota state
normal board seems to be the scrip
tural injunction '1et not your right
hand know what your left hand doeth"
In fact that seems to be the case with
all the state boards. A popular vote
among the members of the different
state boards would probably result in
| having the present state motto revised
and the Biblical quotation substituted.
The following are the members of the
normal board, majority of whom will
be all through when Jan. 1, 1885, ar
rives:
w. S. Pattee Mortified.
Andrew Grindeland Warren
Q. A. Morey. Winona.
w. B. Mitchell ST. Cloud.
George H. Clark, Mankato.
S. G.. Comstock, Moorhead.
w. +. Phelps, st. Paul.
G. B. Ward, Alexandria.
w. w. Pendergast, ex-oficio secretary.
This board is about the closest of
any Of these secret bodies of public
servants and it is claimed can furnish
the least excuse for 1t. According to
recent reports 1t would be a surprise
to the people generally to know the
one man power that is running each
of the normal schools of the state but
this fact is kept dark. The friction
In at least one institution for months
has been kept from the public. The
normal school board hasn't even been
able to find time to choose a successor
to President Shepard for months. so
how could it find time to worry about
any of the happenings around any of
the institutions? 1t has been willing
to let Prof. Shepard keep on drawing
a salary at the rate of $500 as prin-
cipal of the Winona school and a sal
airy at the rate of $500 a year as sec
rotary of the National Educational as
soCiatlon, rather than to take time
enough to get a successor for him.
ONE OF THE SECRETS.
Speaking about the salary of Prof.
| Shepard 1t seems that the head Of the
Winona normal school or some of his
friends thought the state would stand
| even more than the So 500 a year which
| is the limit allowed by the law. That
is one of the things that the public
would never have known about had a
| reporter not run across an interesting
opinion Of Gen. Childs on the subject.
I Inc Only line the pubic mas on C0e
| normal schools of the state apparently
is the vouchers in Auditor Dunn's
! office which are always open to any
! taxpayer who wants to see them. Any
| changes in the pay roll of any state
institution can be discovered here, de-
| spite the secret meetings of all the
| boards
| A reporter called on the superinten-
! dent OF public instruction yesterday
h it11 on hi cd
| custom of the board. but with the fo.
| lowing result:
! PROF. PENDERGAST SAYS LITTLE.
What are the duties of the normal
| boaId?" Mr.. Pendergast was asked.
THE board exercises complete con-
troll over all the normal schools"
Since the work of the board is of
more general interest than any other
/ public board, don't you think the pub
! lie ought to know what goes on In
stead of the board holding executive
sessions?"
mo one has ever mentioned execu-
| tive sessions at our meetings; we mere
| ly meet and transact our business,
without inviting the public In" replied
the professor.
''Wen. then, why is 1t that any one
who attempts to attend the meetings
is 80 promptly put out?"
well. you must understand that a
| great deal of our business has to do
with the employment of teachers, and
to make these discussions public would
| injure some good teachers
| why is it, then, that such boards S
the board Of school inspectors of ST
Paul, who employ several times as
many teachers as the normal board,
| rarely find 1t necessary to hold execu-
| tive sessions while considering mat
ters CT such general interest?'
| We'll. l don't think il any more out
| Of the way for the normal board to
held a secret session than the other
boards, such as the regents Of the
state university. The work of the re-
gents Is much the same as that of the
normal board. They have TO canvass
the merits OF great many teachers. -
| rs there any statute which allows
the board to hold executive sessions,
does II not say that all its meetings
and deliberations shall be pubIc?''
FOLLOW A CUSTOM.
Il don't know ais to that All the
state boards hold executive meetings.
It has been a custom for quite a num-
Der of years. You See. if we called a
meeting Of the normal board in the
Grand opera house and invited the pub
lie to attend. the members of the board
would not enter into as free q dis
erSSion of the business as If the meet
ing was held by Itself AS good results
could not be had. What good would
1T do if we did hold public meetings
! Why. the members would get together
and in an informal way transact bust
ness and ratify 1t later at a regular
meeting"
do you mean to say that entire pub
licity of the jurisdiction Of the board
over these four large schools is an
imrossibility?
well, no, but can't see why a dis
elimination should be made against the
normal board when all the other
boards hold executive sessions"
rs it not a fact that the normal
beard knows, little or nothing about
any one OF the state institutions, out
side Of such information as may be
furnished by the resident director or
president, barring your own knowledge
as state superintendent?
Matters of minor importance are
usually disposed OF upon the recon-
raendatien OF the president and resi-
dent director"
rs it not a fact that none of the
board knows anything about any par
ticular institution except the president
and resident director? ,"
SECRETS OF HIS DESK.
"Oh, yes. have whole box full OF
letters from various parties waiting
positions"
| well. aside from yourself. as state