The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1908-11-19
TO REDEEM THE SCHOOLS.


hands Of those least competent to man
age it, from the rule of class which
is entirely partisan and clannish. will
take active form in the American
ward conventions TO be held next Tues
day night. 1t is eminently desirable
that the schools in n progressive city
like Salt Lake should also be progress
sivc, competcntly managed, a real, vital
force in the community.
The live. active citizenship of this
city is tired of seeing the schools man
aged with an eye open to the Mormon
church claims and ideas fully as much
as to the cause of education itself,
This citizenship is tired OF the rcproach
OF having n school board that can
openly and fairly he charged with bad
faith in the payment of its grade
teachers. It is tired of having board
that discriminates in favor of a few
favorites and leaves the mass Of the
teachers to tic hardship of being so
undcrpsid that it is difficult for them
to meet their necessary expenditures
every year. 1t is doubly hard upon the
teachers to face this prospect when
they know that through their efforts
alone the Board Of Education was
granted an increase of tax limit which
would have brought to each and every
ono of them, if faithfully applied ac-
cording TO the direct understanding,
an increase of from twelve to fifteen
dollars per month. The existence OF
this understanding is expressly ad'
mittcd by members Of the board, the
only difference of opinion between
the members so admitting and those
before whom the teachers appeared be
ing that those members admit that
half the increase was To go TO the
teachers. while those who listened TO
the teachers in their representations at
the time when tho feeling for this
increased taxation was worked up were
distinctly informed, and agreed to the
increase on the specific understanding,
that all of such increase was TO 90 to
the grade teachers. But the Board Of
Education which Will not keep Its
agreements NlNH 10 t'b'u'lH ''i''.N
cannot be defended by tho community.
And when that board complains, rs it
die complain short timo ago. at GER
tain of its teachers being induced TO
leave its employ and 90 elsewhere 10
get better pay and with brighter
then TO bad faith was added
tho tricky whine that put The board
distinctly in tho hue of imposture and
deceit.
Under the present management there
is no question of the fact that the
administration OF The schools Of this
city has fallen into rut wherein certain
favored interests aud individuals are
very large and uneoTned
benefit at the expense of the com
muplty and ai the expense of the real
working force IN the corps Of teachers.
This is such a well.known fact that il
needs but very little inquiry on the
part Of any person to satisfy himself
or herself Of the facts as stated. Ger
tain tendencies Of The board give 90 the
favored ones private snap, and To
those not favored, much work and lit.
tie pay.
There is no lodging the point that
the American portion of this COM
is the active, live, competent
portion, especially in school work. 1t
is the majority Of the population of
voters of this city, and it ought to
have control Of the schools; this IN
order 10 secure real IN place Of pre-
tended non -partisapship, and to secure
the best results in the work Of the
school system.
The present pretended nonpartisan
ship-in the schools Is, IN fact and to all
iptents and purposes, the most bitter,
the most determined. the most exclu.
sive partisanship that was ever
known in any portion of the United
States. Its noupartIsarship is mere
sham, the sorricst kind of humbug. 1t
is a nonpartisauship that is devoted
entirely and selfshly 10 the interests,
the desires, and the needs OF the
priestcraft faction. 1t is a nonpartisan-
ship that considers nothing whatever
in the broad sense, but only from
the church standpoint. with sufficient
affected concern for education to i'm
pose upon tine public. The idea of such
men as Newman, Giauquc, Martin.
Thomas, and others, being uonpartisans
or having any particular interest in
education aside from the demands of
the Mormon church, is too absurd for
one moment S consideration. And vet
that is the kind of people put into the
board all the time by the Mormon
church when 1t has the power 10 do ii.
as it has had for number Of wears
past in this city, 1t imposes upon the
public with pretense of nonpartisan,
ship which is the bitterest partisan.
ship that could possibly be imagined.
Real nonpartisanship in the schools will
receive recognition precisely in proper
tiou as the progressive part Of the com
munity is represented upon the board.
and not otherwise. Any continuance
Of the present sort of nonpartisansb;,