Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-01-04
AUDITOR MUSHET AND
BOARD OF EDUCATION

II AlOA Will lIldIy OIL InG ROOQ ClLl-
zens of our city, has been made
excessively ennui by the outgivings of
our city auditor concerning his dispute
with the board Of education of the
city. This feeling has been increased
to one of positive fatigue by the COM
munication recently addressed by Au-
ditor Mushet to the city council, and it
is with the hope of putting a stop to
further infections of this character that
The Herald proposes to give some at
tentiOn to Mr.. Mushets most recent
emission.
In considering what Mr.. Mushet has
to say about the board of education
and Prof. Moore, superintendent of the
public schools of the city, it may be
well to bear in mind that the board
of education consists Of Messrs. Jo-
seph Scott, Melville Dozier, H. w.
Frank, J. M. Quinn, Roger F. Page,
F. w. Steddom and F. J. Stilson-men
whose records of professional and
business success in the community
have shown them to be citizens of not
only the highest integrity of character.
but of excellent business qualifications.
1t is further a known fact that these
men have devoted their talents and
their time, without stint and without
other reward than the satisfaction of
patriotic duty well performed, to the
educational affairs of the city.
In view of the character of these
men and the very great care and eff
cheney with which they are known to
have administered the duties of their
position there is an amusing amount
of naive egotism in Mr.. Mushet's dec
laration that: 81 am aware that the
board of education is composed of es-
Unable men, but I also know that
they are very busy men and cannot
and do not give school matters the
time and attention they need-that
they have to depend upon others and
that they have been misinformed.''
In other words, in order to sustain
himself in his attitude of opposition
to the board of education the city au-
ditor does not hesitate to charge
these eminent and able citizens with
neglect of duty and to allege that they
do not give school matters the time
and attention they need"
Notwithstanding the fact that Mr.
Mushet is endeavoring to criticise some
of the best and ablest men of the COM
munity in order to make his position
good, we might presume that there
was a chance of his being right and
they wrong, were it not for the fact
that Mr.. Mushet's criticisms of the
tendent of schools have all been turned
down by other equally responsible
bodies.
Some time ago, upon the application
Of the board of education and in an
swer to criticisms which Mr.. Mushet
had made upon its acts and those of
the superintendent of schools, DR..
Moore, the chamber of commerce, the
Merchants and Manufacturers asso-
citation and the Municipal league, act
ing in concert, appointed a committee
to investigate and pass upon Mr..
Mushet's accusations. This committee
was composed of Messrs. D. A. Ham
burger, D. K. Trask, Prof. George A.
Gates of Claremont college, Rev. Burt
Estes Howard and H: c. Witmer-a
committee which was in the highest
sense representative of the business,
educational and professional inteIli-
gence and honesty of the community.
Mr. Mushet claims that this committee
made its report without having had
the books examined by an expert ac-
countant.
Mr.. Mushet should know, however,
as The Herald does know, that at
least two of the members of this COM
mittee have special ability and expert
ence in the matter of accounts, and
that these men, instead of intrusting
the investigation to a hired represen-
tative, gave their personal time and
attention to examining the books and
records and ascertaining by personal
investigation the truth Of the matters
involved in Mr.. Mushet's charges.
AS a result of the investigation these
men, whose reputation in the commun-
ity is such as to absolutely forbid the
thought that they would have passed
upon a matter of this gravity without
having all the facts before them, and
acting for three organizations which
include almost the entire representa-
tive business and professional life of
the city, exonerated the board of edu-
cation and DR.. Moore from Mr.. Mush-
cts accusations and sustained their
actions in every particular.
The matter, however, was not per-
mitted to rest here, but again, at the
instance Of the board Of education,
was brought before the present grand
jury, which in its membership repre-
sents to a rather unusual degree in
bodies of that character the best and
most intelligent citizenship of the
county. The result of the grand jury's
examination was the same, to wit: A
complete exoneration Of the board of
education and DR.. Moore and full
and complete finding against Mr.
Mushet's contentious; the grand jury
stating that they found only some
trifing errors in bookkeeping involv-
ing the assignment of expenditures of
less than $1,000 to one fund when these
expenditures should have been as
signed to another, and which errors,
by the way, had been corrected. The
Grand jury closed their report upon the
matter as follows:
I'm view of the early bond cleo
ton to supply additional school
funds for this rapidly growing city
nd h. int re