The San Francisco call., 1898-02-09
REFORMERS
 AFTER THE
 PATRONAGE Los Angeles School Board Offices Are Snapped Up. Crusaders Get the Plums With Dr. Mathus'
 Assistance. Fill Two Vacancies With Men Chosen From Their Own
 Ranks. ENDING OF A DEADLOCK. Concessions Made to the Director Who Had the Deciding
 Vote.
ENDING OF A DEADLOCK.
Concessions Made to the Director Who Had the Deciding
 Vote.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

LOS ANGELES, Feb. S.-The devel- opments of the session of the school board tonight tend to show that the leaders of the purity crusade, backed by the syndicated local press, are about as good programmers and are also about as greedy after the spells of of- fee as any heelers that ever handled a ward caucus or carried a precinct pri- mary. For five weeks the election of a secretary and superintendent of school buildings has been held up. The better government combination was unable to command the five votes nec- essary on the board to secure the place It had only four. On the other hand, there were four solid votes In the op- position. and pr. Mathus, director from the Sixth Ward, had the deciding vote
 The doctor for five weeks tied up the election to fill these two offices. One day he would promise one side, and the next day he would revoke. his promise of the day before. But the Conrey- Davis -Braly combine on the board was determined to have the two jobs, and 1t finally effected 1t by a very cleverly arranged trade.
 
 have Dr. Mathus' vote. In considera- ton of that vote, it permitted pr. Ma thus to name c. $. Hogan as superin- tendent of buildings and took N. $. Av- erill as clerk of the board. By a vote of to 4 this combination was put through tonight. MT. Averill is an eld- erly gentleman, and his election Is reward to Director Conrey. Davis has been rewarded by his election as presi- dent of the board.
 Braly is rewarded by having no fn- vestigation made as to his violating the law in being a party to the dis counting of warrants for School De- partment employees. Dr. MathuS has been bulldozed by the syndicated press until he, out of fear, joined the Davis Conrey- -Braly combine, for which he has also been specifically rewarded in being permitted to name the Superln- tendent of Buildings.
 The Syndicated press has, however, accused Dr. MathuS of being a party to the displacement of school teachers who refused to take policies in life insurance company of which he was the medical examiner. This charge he has never disproved, but it is understood that in consideration of his allying himself with the truly pure combine on the board he will no longer be held up by the syndicated newspapers. This will be great relief to the doctor, but it is probable that his troubles in this regard have only commenced. When the board meets again next Monday Judge A. NJ. Bragg will take the seat now held by c. J. Kubach, and that may result in some good work being accomplished, as he will have the deciding vote between the truly good and the so-called truly pad rings seek ing to control the School Department and its patronage. Judge Bragg is certain to be elected, as there Is no opposition to his candidacy.
 Director Webb created a sensation tonight by offering the following reso- lution:
 Whereas, It appears from letters from Superintendent J. A. Foshay and Deputy Superintendent l.. c. Ennis that nineteen teachers, previous to June. 1897. teaching rating than Miss Mae Owen, who was re- elected last Monday evening, and that |. these nineteen teachers were dropped at the same time as Miss Owen, and seven- teen have not since been reelected; there- fore, be 1t
 Resolved, That all of these seventeen having the same mark or better than Miss Owen be reelected to teach in the city schools on the substitute list, and that they be given regular positions as any new applicants.
 This resolution was boomerang in the camp of the truly good combine Director Conrey moved that the resolu- tion be referred to the teachers com mittee. This was done and the effect of 1t will be to shut off all argument and some startling disclosures as to the favoritism shown in the reinstatement of Miss Owen.