The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-09-04
TO PATCH PA TRUCE
PROPOSAL TO. BOARD
OF CONTROL
5 BOTH s1DEs9 coNcIuAToRY
Messrs. Ankenyn and Lee Declare
That ALI Differences VIII BE
AmicalsIy settled Within
IA week.


state board of normal school directors or
the board of control of state institutions
VIII force judicial settlement of the
questions of authority in the management
or normal schost affairs upon which they
nave so widely differed during the past
Few weeks. AT this time indications
point to a compromise between the con-
tenolng boards, but it cannot yet be said
that any definite agreement has been
reaehed. The situation is perhaps best
described as one of temporary truce, fol-
the purpose of agreeing upon terms.
The first advances toward an adjust
ment of the strained relations which be-
gan some weeks ago and which on the
part of the normal board took the form
OF open hostility when that body met
ten days ago were, as was expected, made
by the normal board.
Inc normal board held it's annual meet
ing yesterday and although the impera-
tive routine business, such as the re-
ports of the president and the resident
directors, was given the attention it de-
manded, the matter of the boards rela-
lions with the board of control and its
status in the management of the normal
| schools, oyershadowed all other questions
IN Importance and the time devoted to
Its discussion. After a closely executive
session in two parts, divided by brief
lntermissson for luncheon and lasting
until nearly o'clock, the following reso-
lutions were adopted:
PEACE PROPOSAL.
whereas, The situation as affecting the
state normal schools of Minnesota, grow
ing out OF the course of administration
under the act creating the state board
of control of state Institutions is serious
ly affecting the interests of the schools;
and,
Whereas, This board is DESTROYS of ar
a 1ocfT-1 If1ti ion hot LON
which shall permit the necessary bust
ness pertaining to the schools to proceed
without Interruption; therefore, be it
Resolved, That's committee he ap-
pointed, of three members of this board,
to confer with nthe board of control of
state institutions flor the purpose of for
mulating series of questions covering
such points of difference as have arisen.
as well as thesggeneral question of the
conStitutionalityG of the law:
Resolved further, That these questions,
when so formulated ne submitted to the
attorney general, and that he be request
ed to grant to dashboard and to the board
of control of state institutions public
hearing for their discussion;
Resolved, further That the opinion and
findings of the attorney general upon
such questions shall and will be accepted
by this board as a final determination
thereof and as a. guide for its own course
of procedure, provided The board of con-
troll of state institutions shall also agree
o accept such determination
The details offthe process of discussion
and elaboration by which the resolutions
were evolved could not be learned from
the members of the board and will prob
ably remain a sec act. Soon after 4
o'clock President Ankeny and Messrs. w.
S. Hammond, Of St. James, and w. B..
Mitchell, of st. Cloud, went to the Endi-
colt building to lay the resolutions before
the board of control, while the other
members of the normal board patiently
awaited results. The conference between
the committee and the members of the
board of control was also in secret ses-
sion. President Leavitt. of the board OF
control. being i'll at his home and his col
leagues unwilling to- take action with
out consulting him, the afternoon visit of
the committee merely resulted in dis
cussion of the question and an engage
ment for further meeting in the even
ing to continue negotiations. When the
! committee returned to the capitol the
board of normal directors held another
secret session which lasted until about
G O'Clock, and then adjourned to await
the result of the second conference OF
the committee with the board of control,
which took place at o'clock in the of
flee of the last named board and con-
tinued for nearly two hours. Between
the two visits of the committee Messrs.
Lee and Gould had called upon Chair
man Leavitt and had learned his views
as to the acceptance of the terms pro-
vided in the resolutions.
AT the close of the second conference
the Normal board retired to the apart
ments of Director Phelps at the Ryan
hotel and remained in executive session
for nearly an shour.
Mr.. Lee, of the board of control when
questioned by the Globe as to the result
of the negotiations, said
LEE STATES HIS POSITION.
eve have netsagreed to the terms pre-
scribed in the normal boards resolu.
ton for the reason that Attorney General
Douglas has already given his opinion as
to the board of control law, and that
opinion is not in accord with legal adj
vice we have received from other sourc-
es. Besides, we do not consider this to be
properly legal. question. The boards, as
we understand the case, have not dis
agreed as to the validity of the law The
normal board accepted the law~as valid
and was Willings to be governed by it.
and permitted itself willingly to be guild
ed by 1t in all particulars. Our dis
agreement, if there has been a disagree
ment, is regarding. other matters entirely
we think, and always have thought
that the board Of control and the normal
BOARD can get along in perfect amty
we recognize that the normal board has
certain functions and powers in the gov
eminent of the schools and we are will
ing to accede to them all of their rights;
but we also feel that we have our duties
IN the same connection. At some of the
points of contact perhaps the powers Of
the TWO boards may not be distinctly de-
nned, but we feel that we should be able
TO agree upon those matters without
difficulty and act in unison There has
been no definite agreement as yet be-
tween the two boards, but at this time I
think it is safe to say that we will be
able to adjust all our differences without
application to the courts
ANKENY SAYS ALL'S LOVELY.
When the normal board had finally adj
Journed President Ankeny made the fol-
lowing statement of the situation to the
U b e: 'The board of control had de-
cEned to accede to our proposal to have
our differences adjusted by Attorney Gen
eral Douglas on the ground that Mr..
douglas has already passed upon the law.
however, the members of the board have
SHOWN disposition to compromise the
points on which I'VE have disagreed and
we now believeithat a settlement is pos
slble. The normal board after hearing
the report of our committee has continued
the committee with power to arrange
terms with the board of control and I
think we will bedable to adjust matters
satisfactorily within a week. The plan
is to reach a definite agreement as to the
rights and functions of each board In
regard to the management of the~normal
schools. Our committee will formulate a
proposition in detail and then submit II
to the board ofrc6ntrol. Then there may
be notifications of that proposition, but