The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-01-07


ming revolutionary changes in the School
Department and racking the minds OF
hundreds of school teachers with anxiety
the honorable body is disturbed within it
self. The Directors are working only I'M
der a mask of harmony, and the struggle
for control between the factions is not by
any means over. AS the situation stands
now, Directors Brandenstein, Eells, STAFF
ford, Holbrook and Stow fiippantly
known as the club fiush," are hopelessly
cut off from any share of the patronage
or any direction or suggestion in the ex-
penditure of public school funds
The "solid seven" have seized absolute
~ all the fruits of victory and have left
the minority members to protest as Wig
orously and as vainly as they please. Hol-
brook has been hoodwinked with the
empty honor of the craftsmanship Of the
Finance Committee, but he has as much
TO do with a supervision of expenditures
as a janitoT. The four important COM
mittees of the board are completely out
of the jurisdiction of the minority. The
Committee on Supplies, which governs
the, vast expenditure of money for the
department, and which is essentially the
most important committee of the board.
is held by the solid. SEVEN
b.. The Committee on Buildings and
Grounds, which has to do with contracts
and contractors, and which, in the past,
has been so prolific of scandal, is con-
trolled exclusively by the majority. The
Committee on Janitors, the weapon of the
spokesman and the mecca of the politician,
is altogether beyond the reach of the mi
nority. The Committee on Printing I'M
der: the direction Of which much money
Is expended, is graced only with the in
1iuence of the solid seven" The solid
seven have grasped, therefore, every
thing of advantage in the honorable body
OF which they are members.
The minority is fretting under the re-
straint upon it. The members want some
thing more than the shell of power, as
they seek to work reforms more. thorough
u. than by simply acting as a check upon
the majority. Since the board went into
Office; several efforts have been made by
the. minority TO overturn the organization
effected by the majority. While a revo-
luton was set in motion in the School
Department, a rebellion has been in prog
ress In the School Board.
. The. members of the minority have stood
solidly together since their term of office
began. They say that if they could cap
ture one member from the majority they
would form a deadlock and force terms
from the other side. If the minority could
gain two members they would then be-
come the majority and would organize
the board as they saw fit. The first over
lures Of the minority were extended to
Director Cole, and for a time it seemed
as If success would crown the efforts of
the "club flush" Cole wanted certain
concessions and a promise was given that
ne would receive them if he would desert
the majority
:. He agreed to do so, and the deadlock
seemed to be reality. So sure were the
Club flush of their position that they
offered to the other side the terms of a
compromise that might be acceptable to
both sides. The terms of this agreement
were that Director Stow should be elected
president of the board and the other side
Should name the committees, or that Ber-
gerOt should be chosen president and the
club flush should name the committees.
= All the while the minority was holding
Cole up its sleeve. The majority suspect
ed the play and threatened Cole with its
vengeance. He weakened, and his son,
Grant G.. Cole, was made assistant store
keeper of the department. There may be
. no association between the two incidents,
but the Club flush collectively shakes
its heads and the solid seven" mods con-
tentedly.
The minority tried again; this time, 1t
seemed, with prospect of more success.
Director Gedge was the objective point Of
attack, as he possessed more than one
vulnerable point. Dr. Gedge is dentist,
who. has offices in the same building with
DIR; Drucker, who was a member of the
last board. Gedge and Drucker are
friends.
- In the general scheme Of retrenchment
and reform Director Head has planned
two measures that beyond question merit
approval One is the abolition of most Of
the special departments established by
the late board of unlamented memory
3 The Raglan board loaded the department
with their favorites in the form of
special teachers of cooking, drawing,
sewing, stitching and what not. In the
general scheme of public school education
these teachers and the departments they
teach are worthless, and Director Head
q has planned their abolition after the work
e of consolidation is over. Director Gedge
has not taken kindly to the plan, and once
or twice was caught flirting with the
"club flush"
Director Head also wishes to secure the
abolition of the Jackson Primary School,
an institution that was created for no
other earthly reason than to provide a
place for Mrs. Elizabeth Butler a sister
of Dr. Drucker. The Jackson Primary
School has not a single class in it that
reaches half the standard of attendance
established last Wednesday night The
children attending the school belong to
the Dudley Stone School and to the
Honda School, and Director Head wishes
to send them where they belong by abol-
ishing the Jackson Primary School and
removing an ineXcusable extravaganza
To this plan Director Gedge also objects,
although there can be no question that
the school should be abolished.
The CLUB flush heard of these disa-
'greements in the solid seven" and smiled
approvingly upon Gedge. He has, how
ever, remained with the majority, and 1t
> is believed that some deal has been made
to keep him firm. Overtures were also
made to Armstrong by the minority, but
the fight is not yet won. The minority is
not in despair, and it is determined that
If it's members are to bear the RESPONSE
bilities and criticisms of public officers
they must have some share in the conduct
of the public office they hold.
If they succeed in winning over two
members Of the majority they will revo-
lutionize the organization of the board.
The committees as now formed will be en-