The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-01-09
AFTER PHELPS SCALP.
DULUTH MAN WILL BE ASKED To
RESIGN FROM NORMAL
etN.* BOARD
HE HAS TALKED TOO FREELY
Normal Board Embarrassed by Aged
Members LOquacity-HOt Shot
From Phelps at Board
of Control.

There is no longer any attempt at con-
cealing the attitude Of Gov. Van SAINT
and his friends on the normal board
toward Director Phelps, of Duluth. They
want to throw him overheard, and his
resignation will be asked for within a
few days, unless present plans are can
celed. Members of the board, supposed
to be in harmony with the administra-
ton schedule, have been approached on
the proposition to freeze Phelps out, and
unless decided opposition develops the
governor will try to make Director
Phelps see that it will be- best for him
to go way back.
The expressions of Gov. Van SAINTS
organs, and the statements of his Of
fetal friends, prove beyond question that
the governor wants to Roosevelt Phelps.
Director Phelps will hardly submit tame
ly to this programme and lively fight
is possible.
The governors friends say his excel
lency desires to end the spirited contro-
versy engendered by the supreme court
decision 1t does not seem probable that
the discussion viii be blanketed by this
process.
The charge against Phelps is that he
talks too much, and that his constant
talking embarrasses the board and in
jures its, influence. The, last statement
Of Director Phelps, which has caused
most Of the trouble, and which the gov
ernor considers good grounds for asking
Phelps to quit, is this:
1.-The board of control is made up of S.
w Leavitt, of Litchfield; w. E. Lee, Of
Long Prairie, and d. B. Gould, of Wi
mona. They are the most commonplace
sort of men; not one Of them being u2
to the average in intelligence or business
ability. Their acts will show this. What
a crowd to hold the destiny of the uni
versity and normal schools of the state
in their hands!
yet each of them receives q salary of
$3, 400 a year, and their secretary and
clerks bring the salary, list~of the board
up to about $4,000 a year. In addition
they are allowed expenses, which are not
limited by law,
''Who Is there to restrict, supervise or
regulate the expenditures Of these men?
Who is to see that the outlay of funds is
as it should be? 1 would like to see a
legislative committee appointed to inves-
tigate that crowd, and 1 would like to
give evidence before it. /. think could
say some things which would be inter-
esting.
THE people will want to know what
good purpose this board serves. They
have recently devoted most of their en-
CT Is les 10 Trying 10 get COHITOt OF the UNI
versity, the normal schools and other IN
situations Of which they can know Moth
ing or next to nothing, and which they
seldom or never see, instead of allowing
them to remain in the hands of men who
are acquainted with their workings. IT
is my belief that, when the legislature
assemblies, the law will be amended, and
amended it, ought to be-
Some idea of~the canber of the mem
bers of the board of control may be
gathered from the following little anec-
dote. AT the time the local normal school
was being built, when it came to letting
the contract for the plumbing, the board
of control hunted up a certain Minneapo-
lis man, who claimed to be a plumber
and recommended him for the contract
This same man, some time before had a
contract for the plumbing of school at
Hibbing, and after it was partly done the
architects, who We're also. the architects
on the normal, Cancelled the contract be-
cause the plumber" was utterly incom-
petent to carry on the work properly.
We let the contract to another party. and
L advised the board of control of the fact
and also stated why we could not let II
to the Minneapolis man. A few days
later L received a letter from the board
regretting that the contract had not been
let as they recommended.
And this is the board of control. By
! all means turn the university and the
normal schools over to them-if you want
to ruin the university and the normal
schools