The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1901-02-19

Space is given Superintendent o. A,
Wright. of the public schools, in this
issue, to make explanation of the gum
shoe proposition, and he has made a
candid and fair statement that Is
worthy of consideration. The News
Democrat has taken occasion to Gen.
sure the methods adopted to get the
school board out Of the bad financial
hole it's mismanagement has put it
into, and the art exhibit and the gum
shoe proposition were referred to spe.
cifically. We thought, If we would go
fishing with the right kind of bait,
that we would get bite, and success
has been attained. Superintendent
Wright clearly shows in his letter, that
It was the board of education that au-
thorized the art exhibit, whereby hun
dreds of Canton school children were
given their first lesson in begging and
as he is under the direction of the
board there is little difficulty in deter.
mining where the real blame lies. Mr..
Wright has not been judicious in his
references to Canton schools at all
times, but in his letter he goes long
way toward explaining the fountain
source of his utterances. Since the
Republicans got control of the school
board, there have been numerous fool
propositions set forth, nearly always
through the medium of the superinten.
dent, but, as he plainly states, at the
instigation of the board itself. The
art exhibit was for the purpose of rails
ing money enough to help the board
conduct the schools and the gum shoe
proposition, according to Mr.. Wright,
came to him in such circuitous fashion
that it is not straining a point to pre-.
sumo that the board is back of that.
Everybody who has watched the
trend of events knows that the present
board, which is run by the five mem.
.bers of Republican faith, without con.
sulting the other member, Mr.. Young,
has run the schools so far in debt that
it is impossible to see financial day
light ahead. Only the best business
methods put forward by business men
can rescue the schools from the flnan-
cial condition in which they have been
placed. Mr.. Wright has made a mis-.
take in not setting forth the real facts
before, but it is never too late to tell
the truth and all of the truth. The
board is hard up for money. Caucus
schemes have depleted the treasury
From the time the sound Of President
Baird's trumpet died away, at the
opening session, to the present day.
there has been nothing but scheming
and wire-pulling, always in caucus,
away from the hearing of the public.
The inevitable result has been reached
when it is necessary for the board to
work up such schemes as selling tick.
cts for entertainments, after the cir
Gus plan, and CT working of gum shoe
plan to raise more money. The people
of the city have never before been
placed in so humiliating position and
that they resent 1t is evident from the
many words and letters of congratula.
tion that the News-Democrat has re-
ceived for the stand it has taken for
the integrity and upbuilding of the
schools.
Under the present board, children
have acted as money making devices
and have been invited to become
scavengers, to delve in barrels of gar
bage and bring forth the refuse that
is salable, so that the board could have
money to proceed with what it has set
out to do. With the large amount of
money that has been received from the
various sources and from taxation, it
enough money available for a few pic
lures and few cheap frames, If nee.
essary, without calling for donations
or making scavengers and carrion gath,
erers of the children of the schools.
From indications, nothing better is
going to be offered by the Republicans
this spring. Two of the present mem
bers are about to ask for an endorse
ment, and are going to see that another
of their ilk is put on the ticket with
them.
The course Of the Democrats Is
plain. Put a good ticket in the field
and it will be endorsed at the polls.
The ship subsidy bill is sidetracked
Mr.. Hanna has had his explosion ant