The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1904-03-31
DEBATE SCHOOL
QUESTION IN A
MASS MEETING
North Side Residents and Adv0-
Gates of CentraIizing Dis
tricts Come Together on
The Platform
ATTENDANCE IS DISAPPOINTING
John Schmidtman Describes Systems
Prevailing in other Cities-l.J.
Nash Argues Unwieldiness OF
Proposed Consolidation

The attendance at the mass meet
ing which was held Saturday evening in
the Opera House for the purpose of air
ing the question of the consolidation of
the school districts of this city, was
somewhat of a disappointment. This
was due largely to the fact that it was
Saturday. A number Of people who
would have liked to have been present
we're unable to leave their stores Or 9th
or employments.
Mayor Kemper, as had been previous
ly announced, presided, and in opening
the meeting gave brief but impartial
account of how the movement in favor
of Capitalization had been brought to
the present stage. He then then threw
the debate open to all, Offering the first
chance to the affirmative.
After moments pause John Schmidt
man arose and stepped to the platform.
His speech was largely devoted to the
presentation of the ideal central high
school as exemplifed in some of the cit
les he had recently visited. notably
Merrill, Tomahawk and Wausau. He
was shown all through the latter school,
and ne described its splendid laboratory,
theatre and general equipment He
claimed that Manitowoc was the only
city OF any size in Wisconsin that didn't
have central high school. He took
objection to statement in a pamphlet
which had been distributed by the op
position, in which the salary OF pro-
spective city superintendent was esti
mated at 80, 500. He stated that very
few city superintendents got over y, 600
and that 81, 800 was all that need be
paid for a competent man. He said
that the combined salaries of the city
superintendent and the principals under
the city system would not amount to
over 81. 800. He then produced a chart
on which he had compared the North
Side district with cities throughout the
state of similar school population show
ing that the former paid more for
schools during the year than the others.
He spoke for twenty minutes, being al
lowed five minutes extra on motion by
Mr.. Nash. Questions by Mr.. Nash and
Judge Anderson brought out the fact
that the figures shown on the chart did
not indicate how much the pupils in the
various cities were getting in the way
of education compared to what the pu
pills of the North Side We're getting.
The figures simply showed that the
North Side paid more for education than
other towns.
L. J. Nash then lead off for the mega
tive. While admitting that there were
others present better qualified to
speak on the technical details of the
question than he, he wanted to call at
tention the main point under dis
ycussion. The question, he said, was not
yet whether or no central high school
should be established but whether four
school districts should be joined into
one. He pointed out the fact that, ac-
cording to the proposition of the advo-
Gates of the consolidation, the form of
government of the joint district would
have to be the same rs that of the pres
ent separate districts, namely the mass
meeting. He showed the unwieldiness
of such an immense district, the impos
sibility of getting a hall large enough to
hold the voters, the difficulty of proper
ly taking the vote, etc He praised the
present system as being direct and sim
pie and as placing the control Of the
schools right into the hands of the peo
pie. He said that even if the city shol Id
finally adopt the general charter he
would regret the abandonment of the
old democratic school meeting. Henry
Stole asked the speaker whether under
the law the board of directors of cen
tral high school could not be appointed
by the mayor. Mr.. Nash replied that
he didn't believe the mayor would have
anything to do with it. A tent, he
said, would simply have to be provided
in which to accommodate the voters at
the annual meeting. He also spoke of
the difficulty of properly apportioning
the school groperty.
Henry Stole spoke next. Among other
things, he took exception to some of the
figures presented by the opponents of
the central high school. He claimed
that there was discrepancy of ~, 1000.
Thomas Torrison, following him. ex
planned the discrepancy.
Mrs. Hewitt, rising in the gallery,
asked some questions regarding the sal
aries of city superintendents Gin neigh
boring cities anl then asked permission
to address the meeting This being
granted with applause she made few
remarks on the subject Of education in
general and then retired. The serious
ness of the meeting was for n moment
jeopardized by Mayor Kemper, who re-