Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-11
BONDS FOR
SCHOOLS
RATIFIED
Judge BledSoe Holds That
Election Was Legal
ATTEMPT TO HAMPER BOARD
OF EDUCATION FRUSTRATED
HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT GIVEN
STATUS UNDER LAW
bubble Over Petty Irregularities at
Polls Is NuIIifed-Praise Given to
Herald by President of
the Board
in educational facilities

n ROGRESS in educational facilities
in Los Angeles citv is assured as
Il g. result of the decision in the
case Of the school bond election of Jan
uary 3, making available for improve
ment of the schools in the city the sum
| of S720, 000 for which the bonds were
voted. The judicial opinion, declaring
| the legality of the school bond cleo
| ton, attacked by man believed to be
| backed by a morning newspaper, was
handed down yesterday by Judge Ben
! jamin f. Bledsoe of the San Bernar-
dino county superior bench, sweeping
away the obstruction which for months
| has stood in the way of SOrely needed
extension of common school facilities.
This gives leeway for the eXpendi-
ture of $480000 on the common schools
of the city and $240,000 on the high
school.
In holding the bond election legal,
Judge Bledsoe also settles the question
of the legal existence of the Los An
geles city high school district, which
also had been attacked by 7. j. Spen-
GER presumed to have been stirred to
action by the same newspaper.
Spencer Not a Freeholder
Spencer himself ceased to be a free
holder in the city some weeks ago, and
taxpayer of posing as plaintiff in an
action designed to prevent the sale of
the bonds and the carrying forward OF
needed improvements in the schools,
as we'll as to call in doubt the legal
existence of the Los Angeles city high
school district.
Counsel for the school board have
been considering a petition to reopen
the case for the purpose of having the
nominal plaintiff disqualified, but as
this course would have left the way
open for any actual taxpayer to OBJ
struct the work, which the people
voted to have DONE the decision OF
Judge Bledsoe was awaited.
That decision, defeating the attack
upon the public schools in both partic-
ulars, leaves no means of further OBJ
struction, even If any person could be
found to take again the position as
sumed by Mr.. Spencer.
General Public Gratfled
eneral qualification is expressed at
the outcome of the case.
Joseph Scott, president of the Los
| Angeles city board of education, made
the following statement yesterday:
Judge Bledsoe's opinion, which I
have read only cursorily, however Is
source of great satisfaction to the
board and certainly will act as a slim
ulus to the department all around. 1t
would be idle at this late date to ques-
ton the motives of any party to the
controversy, and 1 believe my position
has been pretty well known as to the
attitude we ought to assume all along
in this matter.
"The board of education cannot
shirk it's responsibility and throw upon
DIR. Moore or anv other subordinate
officer the responsibility which rests
upon the members of the board as the
trustees of the school department. To
do so would be coWardly and unmanly.
Hence, we were prepared to take our
medicine If the decision had been ad-
verse; but now that it Yindicates us
all along the line, it is all the more
satisfactory.
But the needs of the department are
most urgent and the lack of school ac-
commodation most deplorable. Nobody
who has failed to study the school situ-
alton can have the faintest idea of the
stagnation in certain sections of the
city owing to the tieup of these school
bonds. We were unable to make any
provision to relieve the situation and
we shall go into the next year very
much handicapped and oVercrowded.
Rush Work Is Needed
1--WE shall strain our best efforts to
have the architects to whom have been
assigned the preparation of the plans
| proceed at once to eXepedlte their
work and enable US to let the con-
tracts which, l hope, will be made so
as to secure night and day work.
do not care to anticipate the action
of the board which will take this mat
ter carefully under consideration, but
| am hopeful that some rush work
of that kind will be inaugurated. The
misery of the situation, however, is
that, whoever may have been at fault
In q
damage and injury has been sustained
by the boys and girls of Los Angeles,
| who are the innocent victims in the
matter.
1.-THE Herald has done steadfast work
in behalf of the. schools and trust 1t
will still continue to stimulate public
interest in this most important feature
of the life of the city,
The opinion of Judge Bledsoe, with
quotations from authorities omitted, is
as follows:
were submitted together upon demur-
rer and were tried and submitted TO-
gether upon their merits. They have TO
do with the validity of certain bonds
purported to have been authorized py
a vote of the electors of the Los An
geles city school district in the one
| case and the Los Angeles high school
| district in the other case, and which
bonds. having been ordered to be issued
bv the board of supervisors, are now
| about to be sold.
ONLY Two Questions Involved
"Two questions only are presented
one as to the legality of the election
held and the other as to the existence
or non-existence of the corporation
called the Los Angeles high school dis
trict. All other matters involved in
these cases were disposed of in the
opinion and order made on the hear
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