The record-union., 1899-08-24
ANOTHER INQUIRY FOR GAGE
SAN JOSE ALUMNI APPEAL TO
THE GOVERNOR.
They Send Him Voluminous
Charges Against Principal Nc
Naughton of the Normal.

Now that it is the fashion to refer
State institutions to Governor Gage
whenever people think they need re-
modelling, the San Jose Normal School
muddle is up to him."
Many people had supposed that when
the State Normal School Trustees re-
Gently exonerated Principal McNaugh-
ton. and pronounced him guiltless OF
many charges, there would be no fur
ther trouble-but they went wide OF
the mark in their guessing.
State superintendent Kirk of the De-
partment Of Public Instruction, gives
the San Jose Herald the following
statement Of the case:
THE vote to continue McNaughton
of the San Jose Normal School IN ms
position was unanimous, although some
Of the members, before the vote was
taken expressed themselves as in favor
of asking for his resignation on the
score of expediency in the school IN
terest in view of the discussion which
had been set afoot in the matter"
Governor Cages office has been Sc
lected as the repository for some vol
luminous complaints against Principal
McNaughton, because the Governor is
ex-officio a member of every Board OF
Normal School Trustees, and because
he appoints every board. So when
Governor Gage arrives in Sacramento
he will find a petition from alumni of
the San Jose Normal, asking that Prin-
cipal McNaughton be removed.
The following is the substance Of
41n n
alumni now seeking McNaughton's re-
moval:
Looking at the case of President
McNaughton in the ordinary legal as
pect, as a person charged with an Of
Tense, presumed to be innocent until
proved guilty, and with the burden of
proof upon the prosecution, possibly
no serious fault could be found with
the verdict of the Board of Trustees,
although they combined the functions
of Judge, jury and, in some cases, ad-
vocate for the defense. Perhaps a
court of law would have found the ac-
cused not guilty. A Scotch jury might
have rendered a verdict of not
proven
But that is not just the way to look
at this case. 1t involves something
more than clearing an individual from
an accusation and letting him go. 1t
involves putting him in a position of
the highest trust and responsibility.
IT involves the welfare of a great State
educational institution. If, in the dis
charge of their duty to investigate the
charges against President McNaugh-
ton as an accused person, the trustees
decided that they We're bound to give
him the benefit of the doubt and ae-
quit; then in the discharge of their
duties as trustees of the Normal School
they should feel bound to give the
school the benefit of the doubt and ask
for President McNaughtons resigna-
tion as a matter of expediency.
1T now appears that this was what
some of the members of the board de-
sired, and with all due Difference to
their judgment, we believe that some
thing to that effect should have been
made part Of the report. 1t would then
have been a fair and full statement OF
the opinion of the board. AS it stands
it is one sided and partly, to all in
tents and purposes, a whitewash. That
is, it is a whitewash as it will be used
by Principal McNaughton and his ad-
vocates.
"Of course the report merely finds
that the specific charges against Prin-
cipal McNaughton are not sustained
But it will be used here, and elsewhere
if needed, to prove that he is the right
man in the right place as principal OF
the school. That is an unwarranted
assumption from the terms Of the re-
port and the circumstances connected
with its adoption. A man may be
guiltless of charges and still not the
most available principaT of the Normal
School
What the people of San Jose and
those of the State familiar with this
matter want, is that the Governor
should look at this matter not from
the technical but from the expedient
point Of view. The board has done
presumably what it considered its ju-
dicial duty in clearing Principal Me
Naughton of the charges preferred
against him Now let the Governor
consult the interest of the school and
do whatever is in his power tc sub
serve it, Let him talk with Sunerin-
1endent Kirk
The documents that have been SEM
to the Governor bear the names OF
John G.. Jung, Eli Wright and T. z
Carl of the San Jose Alumni Commit
tee. Their petition contains about