The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1909-01-16
PROSPECTS GOOD FOR A
SIXTH NORMAL SCHOOL
Location Will Have TO Be Fought Out
Laler.-Good Prospects for
Bemidji.

Stillman H. Bingham, the St. Paul
correspondent of the Duluth Evening
Herald, who is considered one of
the very best legislative reporters
in the state, yesterday sent the
Herald the following communica-
ton relative to the contest which
is being waged between Bemidji and
Cass Lake for the location of the
proposed sixth state normal school,
The chances for the new normal
school for Northern Minnesota,
which is needed so much, are better
today than they ever have been
before, and the reason for it is
that the two chief rivals for the
location of the school, Bemidji and
Cass Lake, have agreed to join
together in a fight to interest the
state at large in the need of the
new school, and to leave the vexed
question of it's location to be settled
later.
Two years ago there was a fight
for this new normal school, and it
ended disastrously, because the
rivalry between the several candi-
dates for the site put the cart
before the horse by fighting over
the location of the school before the
legislature had been convinced that
a new school was needed. It is
needed, and needed badly.
THE existing schools at Duluth,
St. Cloud and Moorhead have about
all they can handle, yet there is
large area between them which is
utterly unable to equip its schools
with trained teachers. The three
schools named are not even able to
supply their neighborhood with fully
trained teachers. But under the
circumstance, as they stood two
years ago, there was little possibility
of any action on the part of the
legislature, which found itself con-
fronted by fight for the location of
a new state institution before it had
been convinced that the institution
was needed.
This year it is going to be differ
ent, as a session of the house CON-
mittee held yesterday afternoon
disclosed. P. H. McGarry of
Walker, the author of the Cass Lake
bill, and ]. ]. Opsahl of Bemidji,
the author of the Bemidji bill, got
together at the meeting and agreed
upon a course of action that was
thoroughly satisfactory to the COM
mittees and to the contesting COM
munities.
1T was decided that the commit
tee should first hear arguments as to
the need of the new school. These
will be presented at public hearing
held by the normal school committee
of the house during next week, at a
date to be fixed by the local superin-
tendents of schools at Bemidji and
Cass Lake. AS result of this
hearing, the committee will decide
whether or not the new school is
needed, and as there exists large
quantity of figures and arguments in
favor of the school, there is at least
a reasonable hope that the committee
will decide in the affirmative.
Then, the question of whether
the state needs the school being out
of the way, the contest for it's location
will be carried on latter. The two
chief rivals will present their argu.
ments, and the committee will decide
between them as best it may. Two
years ago there were four candidates.
Theft River Falls and Park Rapids
getting into the game, but so far as
present indications 20, Cass Lake
and Bemidji will have fair field this
time, and such favor as their argu.
ments may draw 10 them. The ques.
ton of whether the school is needed
or not is comparatively simple, if the
committee and the legislature see ii
that way; the question of location is
by no means so simple, as both
towns have good arguments. How
ever, that is to be left until later
Since the above was written Thief
River Falls has gotten Into the
game" and has pressed Senator
Hanson into service to introduce a