Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1909-04-21

that are vain,
be heather Chinee is peculiar"
So sang Bret Harte, not many
ears ago, in chronicling in verse his
bservation with relation to the ORR
htal in a game of American poker,
nd had the western poet been in at
endance at the school board meeting
Ast night and watched the game in
rogress there he would have tuned
is harp to a similar lay. The board
pet in the Winn-Barr- Chainey store,
md the session was one that is des-
ined to be memorable to the people
bf Occur d'Alene. 1t will be a mem
brable one to them because the board
bought to shift the responsibility for
Ealling an illegal election and its fail
Ire to thrust on the people against
their wishes, an expensive high school
building, upon three banking institu-
lions in the city, and the Occur d.
Alene Press, when the three former
had not been identified with the ques-
'tion one way or the other, and the
Press but voiced the sentiments of
the people. 1t will be memorable be
cause the board injected politics into
the session, and denounced and con-
demned the people for having partici-
pated and voiced their own senti-
ments in the recent city election, in
electing a ticket composed of men
who were of their choice, and who
were pledged to carry out a platform
that stood for the general welfare
of the people, for publicity, and de-
throned the bossism from which the
city had suffered for years; 1t will be
a memorable one because at its ses-
sion the board liberated Superintend-
ent Barton from the Imprisonment in
which it had placed him several
weeks ago, and for which not only
the board, but the people of the city,
merit the scorn of every neigh
boring town in the state and in sister
states. There is probably no other
board in the history of the state or
any other state that has imposed such
unjust and un-American conditions
upon its superintendent as did the
board of this city.
Seek to Shift Responsibility.
The board was slow in converting
owing to the fact that President
White and Trustee Rogers were late
in arriving, but Immediately upon
their arrival it went into session.
When a roll call had been made by
the clerk President White called for
the motion made at the last meeting
and which had been held in allegiance
pending a legal opinion on its valid
ity, and as he did so meditation sat
upon his brow and dignity enveloped
him, and it was apparent to all as
sembled that some momentous ques-
ton was about to be discussed and
disposed of. The motion had been
made by Mr.. Branson, and seconded
by Mr.. Treff and in substance was
that the bond election be declared on
and notices of election withdrawn
President White submitted an opin-
ion from Robert Elder advising the
board that the election would be In
valid because of the lack of sufficient
notice, and also advised the board
that it had the power to reseind Its
action in calling it. Because OF the
fact that it was invalid. that alone
was a sufficient ground for recalling
the election, but the board wanted
another ground, because 1t had be
come apparent to 1t that the people
were not in sympathy with the bond
issue-and that their vote at the
polls would defeat it, and Presiden'
White. smarting under his defeat al
the last city election, and desiring tc
revenge himself upon the Press
resolution was formulated and ineor
porated into the records placing th'
blame for the recall Of the election OF
the Occur d'Alene Bank & Trust com
pany, the American Trust company
the First National bank, and tn
Occur d'Alene Press. The resolution
is as follows:
Whereas. common report has i
that the First National Bank. th'
American Trust company, and tn
Occur d'Alene Bank & Trust com
pany. assisted by the Occur dAieh'
Press. edited by J. T. Scott. have seer
ut to voice objections against the pro