The Virginia enterprise., 1909-12-10
TOUCHING UPON School AFFAIRS

4 Letter BY Super;nteadeat bliss to
President Olcott Reproduced for
Perusal Of School Patrons.
Virginia, Minn.. Dec. 9, 1909.
HON. w. J. OLcOTr,
Pres. Oliver Iron Mining Co.,
Duluth, Mimi.
NY DEAR MIR. OLC0Tr,-
1t 10 not often
that complain of anything or any
body. but there are things going On
in this town that believe you
should know about. In modest
way I can claim to be a friend to
your Corporation, not one of the
loud kind, but one who wants to see
justice to your rights recognized,
and one who has struck effective
blows in behalf of your rights on
several occasions. IN the admin
istrat,on of these &C hools l stand
for no extravagence, waste or graft,
neither does any member of our
board. We are administrating these
schools on the basis of the greatest
efficiency, at the least expenditure
of revenue. We need no private
detective standing over US to see
that we do our duty.
To come to the point my com.
plant has to do with the actions and
intrigues of Capt. Theodore James.
Last summer when you were in
Virginia you assured me that Capt.
James would work harmoniously
with me and assist in making our
educational plant as effective as
possible. Both by word and deed
he has done far otherwise. After
your visit here last summer, James,
feeling that he had received q turn
down, on the new high school mat.
ter, poured out the vials of his wrath
against me. Having nothing else
to do, only to 20 up and down the
street making trouble, he puts in
over time on this. He is nearly al
ways present at the school board
meetings and always consumes
more time than any member on the
board. His schemes are all direct.
ed toward the end of obstructinx
public business. Before every meet
ing of the board he trots around to
see certain members "to put them
on" a nd "instruct them." His cor.
duct is perniciously officious and
intolerable. Much of his "advice"
is directed against ME.
About ak weeks ago under the
pretense Of exapin;ag ta,ezAooks Of
the district he, with Mr.. Wasgatt,
got themselves ensconced in our
high school library room in the
Roosevelt building, which they
have appropriated as an Office and
smoking room. excluding teachers
and students from it's proper use,
during all these weeks. More re-
Gently by Misrepresentation and
underhanded work with certain
members of the board, he has rail.
roaded resolution through which
if carried out would give him our
library room for the rest of the
winter AS you we'll know we are
much crowded for room in the
Roosevelt. We need, for school
purposes, all available space. Now
understand, l want the most
thorough and searching examina-
tion of the books of this district
possible. If there has been any
thing wrong in the conduct of the
business of the district, want it
shown up and corrected, but l do
not want this made an excuse to in.
terfere with the internal workings
of the school. The cheating us out
of the use of our library room is
bad enough, but the disturbance
arising from conversation in the
corridors after school calls, the Of
fensiveness of tobacco smoke and
spit in a school where children are
being taught better things, the in
reference with the help about the
building, etc. is situation that I
am sure you do not ask the man
| who represents you in the town to
produce. Capt. James poses as
THE STEEL CORPORATION" The
people here are laboring under the
impression that he is very small
and unimportant adjunct to that
great company. Personally l have
cause to know that the men at the
head OF the Oliver Iron Mining
Company are fair, liberal and hon.
orable. I put the question to you
straight: Do you want or expect
the Roosevelt school building to be
used as an office building? Do you
want Capt. James intriguing to
poison the minds of the school
board? Do you want him meddling
in an officious way to obstruct pub
lie business? Do, you, want him in
terfering with the internal manage
ment of the schools. thereby render
ling them less efficient? Do you
want him to husy himself stirring
up strife in the community Dc
want him insinuating graft where
there ia nones For instance: l am
obliged to use a livery RIG occasion
/ allu To u;sit onfaide achoola Rx