The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-03-27
THINKS THE TEACHERS
CAN STAND ALONE
J. C. o'coNNoR OPPOSES coMPRo-
MISE WITH MERCHANTS.
Teachers Can Fight as individuals
and Win Under the One
Twelfth Act

There is still great division of opin-
ion among the teachers regarding the
compromise question. Referring to this
]. c. O'Connor. principal of the Mission
High School, speaks follows:
If anything was made clearer than another
Mondays meeting it was that the only
hope for the payment of the November and De
stitutional amendment: 1 understand that the
proposed amendment brought forward by the
Legislature for that purpose will not be ap-
proved by the Governor, but be that as it
may 1 fail to how the turning over to a
trustee of my claims against the city will help
the passage of the amendment or how ii will in
any way further the payment of those claims.
Neither can L see how giving the merchant
creditors a lien on my claims TO help to make
good their outlawed claims is going to make
my equally outlawed claim any better.
force. If all claims in excess of the unex=
pended balance of $35.67O for the first term of
this fiscal year are void and the Auditor cannot
that amount In view of these facts it seems
to me that the Auditors quandary in regard
to legal and illegal demands is simply his own
affair; that he cannot without breaking the law
and at his own risk allow cent on the
cess of the amount standing to the credit of
these months, and therefore all the arguments
suggesting further loss of salary to the
teachers are-well, let us say groundless.
1 attended the meeting Monday hoping
that the discussion would enlghten me regard
ing the proposed compromise L heard only
one side of the case the affirmative but the
letters and speeches in favor of the compro-
mise showed me clearly how we stand and
proved to me that such a compromise could
do the teachers no good and most likely would
destroy any chance they might have of being
recouped by a kindly disposed Board of Su-
pervisors in connection with the Board of Edu-
cation.
perfectly willing that they should take the
whole S35 900. I said when this controversy was
so suddenly sprung upon US that the only SEN
sible thing to do was to let the merchants be
paid so far as the available funds would per-
init, and thus enlist them as our advocates for
an increased appropriation for the next fiscal
year by means of which claims could be
paid. This could have been legally done had
we not gone to law and in anxiety to
find where stood discovered that we are
not statutory officers. Now. however 1 be-
lieve it is better that We stand alone. We can
recover only by the favor of the public and to
me 1t looks like impudence to say to the good
people of this city, Whatever you do for us
You must also do for these merchants"
There seems but one way now left by which
our claims may be satisfactorily settled. and
Supervisors to appropriate for the School De-
partment such an amount. within the legal
maximum, would enable the Board of Edu-
cation to increase our monthly salaries for the
next fiscal year by an amount equal to one
twelfth of the sum due to each of us Mr..
Creswell says this could not be done under the
law, but Supervisors have the right to make
appropriations and School Directors to fix sal
aries and this was done, without objection If
remember right, in the case of Mr.. Yoder and
Miss Ball.
Mr.. Broderick, I understand. still thinks we
are statutory officers. But 1t might be well
to consider the propriety of appealing to the
Supreme Court that point.
There has been great deal of silly talk off
and on against teachers who failed to join in
this movement, and sort of assumption that
the majority rules. A moments reflection
should show that our claims are all individual
claims. No majority, for example, has any
right TO assign my claim to any one, and OF
course, no majority committee acting for
them could make any arrangement by which
some of those to whom salary is due could be
paid and others not paid. but although 1 am
satisfied that the action taken without my con-
sent and later against my earnest advice
has cost two months salary, yet I think
the attorneys employed should be paid and
for the credit of the department 1 am willing
to contribute my share toward that end and
1 further think that we all should be as Will
ing to pay them as though they had succeeded.
They should be paid and discharged as soon as
possible.