Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1902-02-21

cOnslOeIatlOn OF the pension bills was
resumed.
LETTER FROM Mr.. HENRY.
A Personal Protest That is Not Personal
Rightly Considered.
1t will lie conceded that Superin.
tendent Henry is fully justified in is
suing the following letter to the
Board of Directors of each school dis.
trict OF the county. Whatever may
be the dispute between the Recorder
and the chief school officer of the
county, all must admit that it is moi
proper to try the issue with q jury oil
school children. The more we discover
OF the methods OF the new paper to get
a foot-hold, the deeper impressed one
must be with the adage, "Whom the
gods would destroy they first make
mad"
Here is the letter:
"To the Board OF Directors 1T has
been reliably reported to this Office by
teachers and others that parties, pre-
sumably acting as agents for the
Washington Recorder, a weekly news.
paper recently started in this city
have been distributing large numbers
ocopies of that paper in the schools,
to the individual pupils.
"The paper so distributed, accord.
ing to the reports made to this Office,
contained abusive and defamatory at.
tacks upon the presen. County Super.
intendent of Schools, under glaring
headlines.
Personally, the County Superin.
tendent does not object to this papers
saying what it pleases to the public
generally, and comedies to the man.
agement the right to inform the pub
lie upon any matter pertaining to his
Office or to himself; but he does pro.
test against the unnecessary poison
ing of the minds of innocent children
against the person of the officer who
must work with and for them fol
nearly two years to come.
"Granting. for the sake OF argument
that the statements made in these
assaults are true, still the schools ol
the county and the minds Of your i'm
mature children do not constitute q
proper field in which to carry on such
. campaign against a school officer, be
he ever 80 bad person.
"The mails are open to this paper
and it would not be difficult for it.
managers 10 secure the postofice ad
drasses OF every patron of every school
in the county, and thus easily reach
every adult in the county. There
could be no legitimate objection raised
against there doing this; surely the
Superintendent would raise none
But the schools ehould not be made
the medium of carrying on such
work.
"This Office is not informed as t1
whether or not any Of this kind o.
work has been done through youI
school, but desires TO call your atten
ton to the matter, that you may take
whatever action you deem proper, mol
against the legitimate circulation o.
any newspaper nor for the persona
interest Of the superintendent but fol
the sake of harmony and harmoaioul
work in the schools themselves, and te
the end that this paper be compelled
to find some way OF reaching ths
homes other than through your
schools.
"From the fact that this matter tc
some extent involves him personally
the Superintendent labors under some
embarrassment in addressing schoo
officers in regard to it; but he hal
determined to allow no personal con
sideration to deter him from doing
that which seems to him to be hi
plain duty as the chief supervising
officer of the schools OF this county
an officer who, in order to accomplish
the most for the schools and tht
pupils in them, must have the har
monious cooperation of patrons
teachers and pupils.
Regretting that the acts of an,
citizen or number of citizens shoult
render such . circular as this neces
sary, I remain,
Yours sincerely,
T. N. HENRY,
County Supt. Of Schools"
The above circular letter has beer
mailed by the Superintendent to al
the school boards in the county.
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT is about Il
indulge his propensity for administer
ing reprimands once moro. Thi
time the victim will be the forme
Colonel, General Leonard Wood
General Wood has addressed to th'
Senators a circular letter representing
the sore need of Cuba Of liberal treat
ment by Congress and the Presiden
considers that his appeal should hav'
been sent through the War Depart
ment and that his having addresse,
the Senators and omitted to addres
the members Of the House was q Ger
ious error from the standpoint of tao
and diplomacy. Accordingly, the Gen
Il e.. L.