The Saint Paul globe., 1901-06-19
MUST KEEP CLEVELAND
FIRST AND SIXTH WARDERs JOIN
IN PROTEST AGAINST HIGH
SCHOOL UNION
BRANCH SYSTEM Is WISE
Ex-MayOrs Kfefer and Doran Aid in
Pointing Out Reasons why
Cleveland School Should
BE Retained.

Wait few years and there will be
plenty of children to go to the Cleveland
high school," is the promise voiced last
night by the residents of the First and
Second wards at the mass meeting held
in the school building to protest against
the proposed consolidation of the Cleve-
land high school branch with the Cen
trail school.
The first speaker of the evening, Rev.
H. c. Ashcraft, of Grace M E. church,
declared himself to be in favor of hav-
ing the school remain as it is, but he
thought that the people Of the Cleveland
district should take into consideration
the fact that something must depend
upon their own attitude. He thought the
attendance at he school should be much
larger, considering the number of fami-
lies in the district. To that argument
several subsequent speakers replied that
the Cleveland district was comparatively
a newly settled part of the city, and
there were out few children of the high
schoGl age, although there were plenty
OF them growing up to that age.
Mr.. Ashcraft spoke in a comforting
way, saying that he believed the school
board, upon ascertaining the sentiment in
that part of the city regarding the re-
moval Of the school, would decide TO let
the high school department. remain.
Former Mayor A. r. K1efer spoke in
complimentary way of the excellent re
suits accomplished by the Cleveland
high school, and said he believed that
community of 5000 people was entitled
to high school of its own and should
have one. He spoke of the expense to
which the pupils of Arlington hills would
be subjected if they were compelled to
attend the downtown school, as an argu-
ment against the proposed action of the
board of education.
Mr. Kiefer was followed by another
former mayor, Frank B. Doran, who said
he had come to the meeting from feel
ing of sympathy and self-protection. He
feared that if the school board was per-
nlitted tc remove the Cleveland high
school it would soon try to Go away with
the Humboldt, on his side of the river
He agreed that the smaller children
should be first considered in the matter Ct
school accommodations, inasmuch as so
large a proportion of them were obliged
to leave school before they had reached
the higher grades, but he thought St
Paul should now be in a position to af-
ford ample accommodations to all He
thought that it would be safe to wager
10 to 1 that the Cleveland high school
would not be removed, and that when the
school board had learned the sentiment
that existed the plan would be changed.
KEEP PETITION GOING.
B. s. Osgood urged that the petitions
which had been circulated be still kept
actively moving through the district and
that every resident of the First and
Second wards be asked to sign them
II. W. Phillips, chairman of the meet
ing, called upon Octave Savard, who was
the only member of the school board
present, and he expressed himself some
what as follows:
Il am here tonight, not so much for
the reason that am a member of the
school board as because I think it well
for the Sixth ward to join with the First
in this matter. We have branch high
school of our own to protect. A week
ago it looked very much as though yours
was in serious danger. There was no
positive action taken by the board at
that time, but Mr.. Waite, who is sup
posed to represent your ward in the
board, favored the consolidation, net be-
cause he is opposed to high schools, but
because he considered that plan to be
the most expedient. It has been argued
that with the new charter we should
have ample funds for all school needs.
but there is not such a, large amount Of
money available after all. Under the
charter there is allowed for school pur-
poses for the coming year $25 for each
pupil of the average daily attendance of
the past -ear. There must necessarily
be more teachers for the coming year,
so you see it is hardly right to jump
onto the board on the assumption that
1t has at its command unlimited funds. Mr.
Waite is certainly of the opinion that
the students from this part of the city
can attend the Central school as we'll
as those from Merriam Park and the
rest Of the eastern portion Of the city
do not think so. The citizens of this
section are largely like those of the
Sixth ward, mechanics and working men,
and they cannot be compared with the
residents Of the eastern portion of the
city.
"Whe ther there will be any further ac-
tion in this direction by the board or no=
/ cannot say, but this I can say, that
the Cleveland high school will not be
closed by my vote.
c. S. Schurman, editor Of the West st.
Paul Times. said that since the first class
had been graduated from the Humboldt
high school he has favored branch
schools He believed that there were
many Of the graduates of that institu-
ton who would never have had a high
school education if they had been re-
qulreu LO 20 10 the Centrat building TO
get it.
DR.. Robert o. Earle announced him
self as comparatively a new resident of
the First ward, but said he felt a deep
interest in the people of that part of the
city and its institutions, of which he
considered the Cleveland high school to
be one Of the most important
AS TO ATTENDANCE.
Alex LindahI thought that one reason
why the attendance at the Cleveland
! high school had been small was that the
| rule as to boundary lines had not been
enforced and pupils who lived across
the street from the Cleveland could go
| to the Central building if they so desired
| In other districts children were REQUIRED
| to attend the schools in the districts
| where they lived. Beside that only a
! small percentage of the families in the
| Cleveland district had children old
! enough for the high school, but there
were a great many that would soon have
reached the proper age.
c. J. Nelson, assemblyman, was will
| ing TO follow the Instructions of the First
| ward in every respect, and as far as the
| jurisdiction of the council might extend
| in the matter, he would use his influence
| to have the school left where it was
Rev. o. P. Peterson, pastor of the First
| Swedish Baptist church, said that at
! present the number of children in the
First ward old enough to go to a high
| school was small. but he felt sure that
| in a few years there would be different
| results.
A M mn I,.o,E