The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-04-11
It Brings Out a Vigorous Reply
From Frederic.
HAULED OVER THE GOALS
Charges Were to Have Been Used as q
Campaign Document-Oid Boards
Notorious Record of Extrava-
gance and Mismanagement

Hall one OF the retiring trustees. who
preferred charges of reckless extrava-
gance and made i~nsinuations of a mis-
appropriation of funds. has aroused a
great deal of indignation among people
who have memories long enough to re-
member what the old board of trustees.
of which Mr.. Hall was an honored and
active member. was like.
1t is understood hat Mr.. Halls SEN
sational charges were intended to be
used as a campaign document for the
school election. but owing to the fact
hat the Mcconnell election was in
definitely postponed by h supreme
court decision. Mr.. Hall concluded to
spring the matter at a school board
meeting as a sort of a farewell. j. II.
Frederic. chairman of the teachers
committee, makes the following apt re-
ply to Mr.. Hall:
Trustee Halls attack was no sur
prise to me. l a expected he would
put his foot in IT, long before this.
MIR. Hall was one of the prime pushers
in the big four deal of last He
was a member Of the board of trustees,
famous for its large collection of scan
dals and for filthy school buildings, de-
moralized schools and reckless ex-
penses. He Is just now reaching white
heat In his rage at the present most
excellent condition of the schools. He
can't understand why 1t is that there is
nothing wrong this year. when every
thing was i'm a continual uproar last
year. 1t is beyond Mr.. Halls compre-
hension to understand that every
penny is accounted for by the present
board.
He has gone to Helena and to a SYM
pathizer. State Superintendent Garlic
ton. for something upon which to base
the charges made at the last meeting
of the trustees. The supply of free
text books, apparatus. etc. has cost
Butte nearly &c. 600 this year. Every
child of 5,265 enrolled is provided with
two reading books, n when needed.
with arithmetic. geography. language
books, grammar. history, spelling book,
two writing books and drawing books,
and this is at a cost of $4,000, or about
SIS o a pupil.
Last year MIR. Halls big four were
buying 5000 building lots for $13. 900,
81 school desks for IS. a $1,000 heating
plant for ST.. 900. sticking up lightning
rods for 20 cents a foot. which can be
purchased in the market for Z cents a
foot, and building h monument
known as the High school at a cost of
$108, 900, when 1t Is now worth sac, 000.
District Clerk Paxson vas spending
So, 900 for books for INDECENT children,
llt NltlS NtIt ll'N bV Iblktl1 III
dren in Butte last year, nor even one
half that number. MIR. Parsons 50. 900
worth of books were sold. what were
found this year for s6S.15. want to
ask Mr.. Hall what became of the SO, 600
worth of books? There is no record in
the office to show where the books
vent. 1t has cost this board about
$40. 900 to buy a complete supply. and
every book is paid for and recorded by
number.
IF 1t cost Mr.. Halls big four So, 900
to supply 50, or even 100 INDECENT chill
dren last year. IL would have cost his
quartette $50, 900 to supply all the chill
dren. and by Mr.. Parsons system of
bookkeeping. there would not have
been a thousand books left at the close
of the year to show for IL. These are
facts. as they are shown by the rec
ords.
Mr.. Halls big four left an indebt-
edness of fully $40. 900. a ~disorganized
school. and tumble-down, filthy build
ings, as a legacy for the inheritance of
this board. In the face of these facts.
he attacks the trustees on the grounds
of extravaganza.
He wants to economize on school
books. He wants the Kansas new
method system imported from Helena.
He says 1t is cheaper than ours. Just
now, Mr.. Hall Is very solicitous. When
he was buying lightning rods at three
prices. keyune stone at three prices and
erecting the monument at a profit to
somebody of owe $40. 900. MIR. Hall did
not seem to are what happened to the
Butte schools. As to the Helena sys-
tenn. it nay be all right for Helena,
but II is not what the people of this
great progressive city demand.
our people want good schools, and
they have them. and are able and will
ing to pay for them.
THE Helena system Is pronounced "A
scheme. a fraud and a disgrace by fully
one-half of the citizens OF that city.
a still born freak. too weak to be
adopted by the good sense of Butte.
THE books of the district clerks Of
fee are open for inspection at all hours.
They show just what has been done
with the school funds. They show just
how many of the debts of the old board
were paid n how much the monu-
ment and litigation and a grand jury
investigation cost the people. II these
indorse Mr.. Halls big four Boss
Tweed can rise from his grave with a
name untarnished
There are a great many things
needed in the schools which we have
abstained from buying. SO as to econo-
mize and pay h debts left us bv the
Olo DOdru. we art tItitltu 10 81 per
meeting. not TO exceed -four meetings
per month. n instead of holding them
weekly. we very often omit meetings
In this same view Of economy. The work
is done in committee meetings.
Il have put in so much time in school
affairs. which were absolutely neces-
sary. hat IL has been a detriment to
my business. and l know that my con
Messrs. Long. Morgan and
are in the same position.
But. IL we have worked hard and
honestly. we can say. with pride, that
our school system Is now on a COM
parative standard with Eastern insti-
tutions. We have now 81 teachers
first-grade certificates. 80 hav-
ing seconds grade and AZ holding profess
certificates. We do not allow a
teacher holding a third-grade certifi-
cate to teach. while in 1886 they had
so per cent of the teachers holding low
grade certificates, and besides all
teachers. under the supervision of SUI
perintendent Hendricks. whose efforts
brought this stimulating power