The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-02-25
The People of School District No.
ID Stirred Up.
LETTERS AND PETITIONS
Afidavits in Great Number Are Received
With Reference to the Wisdom or
Foolishness of Dividing the
School District

eTal residents or tnar school district
signed a petition to have the district
| divided and that another district be
created to be known as district No. "a.
! This petition was signed by a number
| of persons and was sent to the coun-
| ty superintendent of schools. A re-
| monstrance was also signed by num-
| Der of other persons protesting against
/ the DIVISION OF the dlslrlct. The petit
ton ana the remonstrance We're poIn
published IN the Standard at the time
VI their receipt.
/ Since that time there have been aIfi-
davits ana counter affiday1ts Tor and
against the proposed DIVISION, and the
| Wnole has been received by Miss
/ QulgIey. The matter is still pending
and before Adhesion is rendered 1t Is
| likely that a few dozen more aftidayits
| and petitions will be on hand.
| The first paper, in addition to the ORR
| ginal petition and remonstrance, is an
other remonstrance dated at Ovando,
| Feb. Z, and is as follows:
| ITO the Honorable superintendent of
Public Schools, Miss Anna Quigiey:
Dear Madam-We, the undersigned,
residents of school district No. Is, be-
| lieve there has been circulated a petit
| ton for the division of the district and
we do hereby submit a remonstrance
against same and herewith append our
| reasons:
.'F'irst--If such division occur neither
district will be self-supporting and
must lapse.
"second-only an inferior teacher
will apply for such length of term.
Third-For various reasons which
cannot herein be stated such division
| is wholly unnecessary and uncalled for.
Trusting you will see this is not to
the interest of the district we remain,
Yours respectfully: Mrs. N. e. Stout,
Mrs. Iona Lynn, Mrs. Alma Hoyt, Geo.
q. Hoyt, Edwin T. Tregilgus, May ID.
Tregilgus, Charles Stewart, Mrs. HI.
Stewart, Nels 0. 0psata, Jacob Rachel,
o. G. Muchmore, Frank Haun, u. ID.
Spencer, Mrs. Sadie B. Spencer, Ole
Opsata, Henry Bignell, c. +. Stewart,
A. Stewart, f. NJ. Lynn
Then came a letter dated Wood
worth, Feb. 10, which is signed by
James T. Manning, and is emphatically
against the division of district No. 49,
Mr.. Manning charges that the petition
for division was never presented to
him and he had to ask permission to
see it, He alleges that the petition
was gotten up hastily and privately
SO as to take US unawares." He further
states that in the map accompanying
the petition it is shown that the pres
ent school house of the district is on the
east side of Montana creek, Whereas
everybody knows 1t is on the west side
of the stream" and the false map was
made to create the impression that the
school house was too much to one side
of the district, and that it was done
purposely and malicously." The let
ter states that the school house was
located by vote of the people, and
that it was put in the best place for the |
real school children of the district"
Mr. Manning charges a certain Mr..
Howard, the clerk of the school board /
in district No. Is, with having gotten up /
the petition in a spirit of malice. Mr.. +
Manning further charges that certain /
of the signers of the petition for divi-
sion are not taxpayers, and he names
those who do not own one cents worth I
of property, neither are they registered +
voters here" and he suggests that the T
superintendent can verify his charges /
by calling at the county treasurer's Of
fee On the other hand. he states that /
the signers of the remonstranee are all /
bona fide residents of the district and
are all taxpayers. Mr.. Manning says I
that the children mentioned in the Pc
tition are largely mythical and if they
had school probably two or three
would attend"
The next paper In this school district I
war is letter from Charles A. Jack
ways, United States commissioner,
dated at Woodwork. In his letter
Mr.. Jackways says that none of the
children whose parents or guardians
signed the petition for division can at
tend school at any point without trav-
cling at least five miles across cattle
range, entirely uninhabited, which for
school children Is dangerous" He fur
Their says that there are no facilities
for boarding children near the present
school. He states that he read in the
Standard of the remonstrance and de-
sires to say that all the signers with
one exception ARE old bachelors, and
that none of them have any children,
and further that every signer of the
original petition is a bona fide resi-
dent" Mr.. Jackways also refers Miss
Quigley to the county records for cor
roboration of his assertions.
To the original remonstrance is
signed the name of Michael Delaney.
Now comes an affidavit from Mr.. De-
1aney which sets forth that his atten-
ton has been called to an article in the
Anaconda Standard which states that
his name was signed to the remon-
STRANGE. The affidavit states that 1.-THE .
said Michael Delaney deposes and I'M
der oath says that If his name was on
said remonstrance 1t was an entire for
gerry, and was put there unknown to
him, and further that he did not see
said remonstranee. and further that as
one of the permanent residents of the
Cottonwood valley he is fully and en-
tirely in favor of said proposed divi
sion as petitioned for"
The next Is very volumnous affida-
Wit from A. ID. Howard clerk of the
school district No. is. He affirms that
he has made various returns of the
school census as required by law; that
his attention was called to the femon-
as published in the Standard.
which stated that some of the children
named We're not children of permanent
residents of the district. He deposes
that there is not a child listed by me
in said census, and named in said petit
ton for division but what is an actual
resident of said district. The affidavit
continues and shows that Mr.. Howard
made census returns on certain dates.
and he names the children who are res
idents of the district. He states that
all of the signers of the remonstrance
are bachelors and widowers except |
Lewis A. Wells and his wife. who he !
states, have no children so far as re-
ported" He also gives the distances
that the children live from the present +
school house and states that he under
stood that when district No. Is was