Fergus County argus., 1902-07-30
Supt. Welch Reported to Have Issued
an Ediet That No Teachers In.
stitutes Shall be Held.
THE HIGH BOSS HAS A HOBBY
Wants Several Counties to Combine
and to Aid That Scheme He
Takes Arbitrary Action.

the county seat Of Ravalli county
comes the news that there will be no
teachers institutes held in Montana
this year; that Supt. OF Public In.
struction Welch will not call them
and since no one else has that power,
none will be held.
II appears that the county superin.
tendent OF Ravalli county wanted to
know when the institute in that coun.
ty would be held and further that she
was more successful in obtaining re.
plies from the Office of Supt. Welch
than most other county superintend.
ents have been: she was notified that
none would be held and that settled
it. Down here in Fergus county Miss
PEBBLES. superintendent, has been try.
ing to find out something about insti-
tutes but has failed.
The Rayalli Republican reports
Supt Welch as taking the ground
that owing to the contradictions in
the law, profitable institutes are not
possible and therefore he won't have
any. 1t is true that one section OF
the law makes the attendance Of the
| teachers upon the institute compul
sorry and that another section says
the trustees of district may" permit
the teacher to attend, but notwith
standing this difficulty, which has
caused some disappeintments in this
county as we'll as probably every 9th
er county in the state, the Fergus
county institutes have been well at
tended. well managed and without
doubt have been profitable to the
teachers.
Last year the instructors from Gilt
Edge and we believe one other dis
trict were not permitted by their trus
| lttb " 'oiHt W lsc~NtoWh until htdI
ly the last day, but while their pres
ence would have been appreciated a
sufficient number were present to
make the discussions of interest and
advantage.
| But the Ravalli Republican contin
ues and pulls the covers almost com
pletely of the state superintendent
and his pet schemes. in stating that
Supt. Welch favors dividing the state
into four or five districts, several
counties to compose each district
and then have one institute held year
ly in each district. at points, of course
which can easily be reached by the
state superintendent without chang
ing cars. and when his masterfu
thought and towering eloquence may
ensure its success whether any teach
ers come or not.
Now. wouldn't that be nice. Il
the selfishness of Helena did not al
together predominate probably Grea
Falls would be designated as the mec
ca of all the teachers of northern Mon
tana and those from Fergus count.
would be attached as the tail of thu
kite. How many teachers would e
from Fergus county to an institute il
Great Falls? About the same mum
Der as go to the annual convention
of teachers-none And in how man,
districts would the trustees clos'
down the schools for couple Of weeks
to permit any such foolish scheme t,
be even partially successful.
This latest idea" of the state su
perintendents is about as feasible a,
his plan to each morning collect al
the children in each township am
take them to one school and then al
ter four o'clock take them home. I'm
agine what a roundup II would be II
Naginnis township for instance, whicl
is something like forty miles wid'
and sixty miles long; or Ubet towr
ship. which includes everything from
Rockford to- Lavina and for fiftee'
miles each side.
But the man who was suddenly Gle
waited by the Populist party from
teaching two young Grow Indians II