The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1907-03-09
THE SCHOOLS
AND POLITICS
An Open Letter From Prof. Joubert to the
Patrons of the Friday Harbor
Public School

THE following open letter from
~ Prof. Joubert is well worthy OF
the thoughtful consideration of the
people of this district, to whom it is
addressed. For nearly four years
he has pursued the even tenor of his
way among us, thoroughly devoted to
the work which he came here to do
and giving to that work more hours
of earnest and efficient labor daily
than any other teacher in Cis position
here has ever done and accomplishing
far more for the good of the young
people under his charge than many,
even of his best friends, realize We
hope he is mistaken in what appears
to be his present impression that the
result of the recent school election
was. in any material sense, verdict
against him. Many who supported
Mr.. Murray profess to have no COM
plant whatever against Mr.. Joubnrt,
while practic lily all who voted for
Mr.. Ne xhall are his earnest support
ers. Having taken no part in poli
tics here he should not be made to
suffer because of the animosity of a
faction opposed to the retiring di-
rector, who declined to permit the
use of his name as candidate for re-
election and gave his earnest support
to Mr.. Newhall, knowing him to be a
man of strong character, strict in
tegrity and a high sense Of justice.
Mr.. Joubert says:
To the patrons Of the Friday Har
Dor public school:
A man desires justice even after he
is hung, especially when he has been
condemned and executed on the secret
testimony of false witnesses and not
given an opportunity to testify ir
self-defense.
I'm talking with different ones last
Saturday I made the astonishing dis
covery that a number of false state
ments about our school had been in
dustriously circulated to influence
voters at the then impending school
election, evidently for the unavowed
object of using the school to pay up
old political scores. am forced to
this conclusion by the fact that the
leaders in this movement had, before
the political fight of last fall, express
ed themselves as being entirely salts
fed with the condition of our school.
During all my career as teach
er 1 have assiduously refrained from
taking an active part in politics or
school elections, but under present
conditions silence ceases to be a vir-
tue, and I have accordingly asked
space in the ISLANDER to state some
facts and express few opinions.
when read Mr.. Muir, ay's "plat-
form" l thought, ''That is good. But
we all agree TO every plaf k. There
is no issue. Why publish it 2" My in
terviews answered my question The
people we're being told that all these
good things could be had simply by
removing certain school officials. How
easy it all must have seemed to the
listener Let us see.
sMr. Culver was the first man in
Friday Harbor to suggest to me the
desirabiity Of organizing union high
school. We looked up the law to-
gether. One evening in the summer
Of 1904 we went out to attend ameet-
ing Of the patrons of one of the valley
schools and urge them to take the
necessary legal steps. but the meet
ing was not held. There seemed to
be no interest in the matter. Subse-
quently Mr.. Culver several times
mer toned to me his having discussed
the union high school project with
this or that patron Of one of the ad-
Joining districts. At our last COM
mencement exercises, in his address
on the subject Of "The Taxpayer and
the School" he spoke strongly in IA
vor Of union high school. So far,
however, the neighboring districts
have failed to act. In 1904 | felt so
confident they would call the neces-
sary special elections that | wrote
the state superintendent that BY an