El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-01-23
WHY SUCH
UNDUE HASTE
In Selecting An Architect To
Construct School Houses2
WAS THERE A CAUCUS2

The Call For the Meeting Was Issued
January 20 By DR.. Race, President
OF the Board.-Other Members
Say They Knew Nothing OF 1t.
The school board meeting
(see p. '5) held Saturday
afternoon Is thought to have
been called rs the result of u caucus
held com etime lset week.
The call was i-sued by DIR. Race, pre-
sident of the board, who il al-o one of
the two members OF the external com
mittee, and it was Ostepsibly for the
purpose of relieving the two members
Of the committee from further bother
and responsibility in dealing with the
erection of the new buildings. How
ever the other member of the commit
tee, Il. G. Foster, knew nothing about
The called meeting until he received
notice from DR.. Race Saturday after
noon.
AS o matter .of fact, All memb ers
OF the board seen this morning profes-
sed ignorance of the intended meeting
before receiving notices. There is,
however, little doubt but that caucus
was held during last week and it was
then decided TO call the meeting and
have.an architect summarily selected
without resorting.to the usual open and
above board method, as agreed on .
the last meeting. The object of re
sorting to this method of selecting IN
architect can only be surmised.
AS to calling meetings of the school
board, it may be done either by the
president of his own v0lition or at re-
quest of three members Of the board.
Saturdays meeting wac called by the
president and II 1t was at request Of
the board those seen this morning were
not aware of 1t.
Prof. Pullman was called on at the
He said:
"This is none of my funeral; you
will have to 90 TO the board for In
formation. knew nothing about the
meeting until 1 got . note from DIR.
Race asking me to eeud jsnitor to
prepare for the meeting.
II expected the architects would be
there as agreed upon at last meet
ing;
architect, as we'll as I -uud erstaud it,
was to avoid any complication or
trouble to the external committee; 70
have some one to guide them.
II have nothing to do with the Sc
lection of an architect but after one is
prOCuroQ WOOlu llk0 10 COuSulb nlM
in regard to the new buildings"
Judge Harper said the object in Sc
lecting an architect Immediately was
threefold; to save two weeks time; to
have some competent person to advise
the board; and to save thes expense OF
having bids put In and plans drawn up
by all the architects in town-all Of
which would have to be paid for.
The architect elected ssid he would
- . -
board, make specifications and call for
bids.
E. A. Shelton said: "At the last
meeting it was moved to invite all
architects to attend the next meeting.
1 received notice OF the meeting last
Friday and knew nothing about it's
contemplation until then. l have no
idea why the meeting was called and
the plans changed so suddenly"
Secretary Pew when seen said:
'The meeting was held to elect an
architect who:would.take charge of the
erection OF the new buildings and re.
lieve the external COMMITTEES of respon.
sibility and further worry.
"The call was issued January 20 and
stated that the meeting was for the
purpose Of choosing and electing Nd
architecs.
.'Action was postponed Saturday to
8ilOW the external committee 70 draw
up q contract for the architect to sign
and II the one selected does not sign IL
We will elect another.
"My motion for q secret ballot was
misc0nstrued. I only meant that the
election should be held by means of
written ballots go that no architect
would know who was voting for or
against him.
"I know of no caucus having been
held to devise the scheme before the
meeting was called. All we want is q
good honest architect to superintend
the whole matter"
Treasurer Foster, one of the mem.
bers of the external committee, said:
81 did not know that meeting was
to be held until received q NOTICE to
that effect Saturday. 1 opposed the
plan of selecting the architect and did
not think that we we're treating the
other architects fairly, for they had
all been invited to attend the next
meeting of the board.''
w. r. Martin was out of the city and
DR.. Race could not be found, but his
views were expressed at the meeting
of the board Saturday afternoon.