The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1907-08-16
LETTER FROM N. M. RAINIER
Former County Superintendent Touches on tie
Summer School Question

ia the Grant County News a
series of articles criticislne
the administration of affairs OF
the oficeofcounty superintendent
of schools of Gran: county dur
ing the time l held said office.
These articles were without a
sponsor but we're evidently pre-
pared by Mr.. Kerr. present
county superintendent, though
he now denies responsibility by
saying they appeared as ''editor-
.ials" and were not signed.
| abhor a newspaper contro-
versy, and should not have paid
any attention to these slandercus
articles had / not learned that
copies of this paper had been
sent to many men prominent IN
educational work and otherwise
throughout the state, and from
the fact that Mr.. Kerr stated to
various parties whom he inter
viewed that his purpose was ITO
wreck Ramer's reputation IN
order to drive him from politics.
He made several trips for this
purpose, consuming, according
to his own statement, about two
months of time, at an expense to
the county in salary of something
over 5000, while attempting to
promote the political interests OF
his bosses. Had he found any
indications of graft it certainly
was his duty to have reported
the matter to the county COM
missioners or have made a speci-
6c charge so that the matter
could have been investigated.
But the charges we're made by
iusinuatiOns andinnuendOs, there.
by hoping to create an impress.
sion IN the public mind that I was
a CRATER, without placing him
sell in an embarrassing position.
Relative to his insinuations | de-
sire to enter an emphatic denial
of every point he attempted to
make, and | stand ready at any
time to appear before the proper
officers to give an account of the
administration of affairs during
my term of office.
Mr.. Kerr stated to me that he
would plunge the whole school
system of the county into politics
if necessary to carry out his
political ends, and the county
now sees for the first time the
fortunes of it's thirty-five hun
dred children subjected to the
whims and manipulations of men
whose only motive is to perpetu
ate themselves in Office.
Mr.. Kerr complained about the
expense of the Interstate Sum
mer school in connection with
his insinuating articles against
: me, and l wish to say here thai
the summer school of four weeks
with from eight to twelve in
structors and with an average
t attendance of $50, never cos
: Grant county, to the best of ny
memory, to exceed 1875 durins
my administration, while IN Mr.
Kerr's summer school of twt
weeks, with three instructors
and an average attendance Of 40
; held at Milbank this year for tn
purpose of wrecking the Inter
| state Summer school, and in re
: yenge toward Big Stone City be
} cause"thosefellows never dds any
{ thing for u.s. cost $780, IS &C
corGing to a recent statemen
published by himself.
The News in it's write-up of tn
Summer school this year says
Last year the institutefund wa
: overdrawn 500. 90 and this yea
the institute was conducted with
!. in the appropriation and ther
: remains 1923 SO balance to tn
credit of the fund.-
/. Nj. Kerr's report shows tina
there was a total enrolment Q
Is, which under the law that wa
in force when the institute wa
held would have given him $15z
or two dollars for each teache
= enrolled, which would have bee
$148. IS less than the cosC of tn
t institute, but Mr.. Kerr took &C
e vantage of the law that went int
effect July 1st. which bases tn
institute fund on the school POI
ulation of the county at ten cent
for each person of school age
: thereby giving him $4,000 il
instead Of 1852. The glory {
! conducting the institute With
= the amount of the legal institut
= fund is not due Mr. Kerr, it
due to the change of law.
d l have gone somewhat int
b detail as a matter of comparis OF
y and am more than willing that m
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