Arizona republican., 1910-08-04
AN AFFIDAVIT FILED
AGAINST SCHOOL TRUSTEE
w. T. Williams of GiIa Bend Alleged
to Be improper Official.

Frank P. Cooke, who recently insti-
tuted successful litigation against the
school board of the ella Bend district.
is not yet done with the board, though
his action for his salary under contract
was gained By default.
In the opinion of Mr.. Cooke. w. T.
Williams of the board is not proper
man for that particular position. His
opinion is supported by the following
affidavit filed with County School Su-
perintendent Fulton yesterday:
Phoenix, Ariz., Aug .. 1910.
Hon. A. II. Fulton, superintendent of
Schools, Maricopa County, Arizona:
Dear Sir-That you may be proper
~ informed Of affairs in the school
districts under your charge. so far as
| have any information which can as
sist you, l hereby charge w. I. Will
liams, Of ella Bend, member of the
board of school district No "a, Mari
copa county, with being an unfit per-
son for the position because:
L. He IS a saloon keeper, and il is
impossible for a teacher to properly
obey the Arizona school law. to teach
the children a proper sense of the evil
effects of alcohol upon the human sys-
TEN, while the spirit if not the letter
of the law is violated i'm that district
by his presence on the board.
>. He has shown himself determined
not to comply with the requirements Of
nor to enforce the school law, while
admitting knowledge of what the law
requires: (a) In that while knowing
the date on which notices of the annual
meeting for the election of trustees or
trustee should be put up and wonder
ing whether they would be put up by
the clerk. he took no pains, either as
an officer of the district or as a citi-
zen, to see that they were put up. last
spring, and il is a common saving i'm
the district that the district has not
had legal or any other kind of cleo
ton of trustee in years, until last
spring. when d full, free, and fair cleo
ton was held without notices at the
instance of people outside of the school
board but with the assistance of this
member for a successor to the clerk,
Mrs. Mcintyre. and when it was over
the people were informed from
county source it was said, that she was
not the outgoing member; OBJ That
though ii was common knowledge in
the district that the children Of the
clerk of the board Ohree of them) had
been removed from school for the term
it was understood, and Mr.. Williams was
shown that they had not completed
their school duty for the year, with
out any excuse being offered the teach
er, as required by law. Mr. Williams
plKr 70 do IN, fIat
premises but argued in general that |
it was useless to attempt to enforce |
the compulsory provision Of the school |
law, and refused to make any move, |
friendly or otherwise, TO have the |
school board grant to those children /
a permit OF withdrawal for legal cause. |
which existed, and as was suggested |
by the teacher. and so close up de
Gently and legally a school scandal |
growing out of the desire of the clerk
10 have one of her children infract the
rules which all other pupils obeyed and |
which scandal was affecting badly the
children Of the school.
3. The trouble which he assisted to
make by closing the school there on
March 25 when il should have closed
IN April %, 1910, affecting to believe
hat there was no contract with me
when he knew ! had a written con- n
tact bearing his signature, with an Il
'ther, and therefore refusing me pay
ncnt on the contract at the close of II
ne school. closing it, too, on the plea
# lack of funds when he knew there
we're $9130 in the district fund. SIS OF
ocal funds, and one more apportion-
nent for the year yet to come and
which but few weeks later proved to
,e S138 or whereabouts, to meet bill
# only $40. at the outside. may all be
but I call your attention
o the fact, heretofore perhaps I'M
,nown to you, that Mr.. Williams and
he late clerk, now resigned. have
tated in writing over their official
ignatures. that they discharged him
mel because he was incompetent"
moving that the statement was and is |
II absolute falsehood, not to use the
horter and uglier word, and proof of
which attempt to falsify public facts
nay be seen in the fact that when | 4
ecently sued them for payment on my /
ontract, they set up no defence what
yer. but defaulted in answer to the | !
X
That you may know that this is not /
matter to be treated lightly. | here !
V take oath that all these matters are
rue exactly as stated of my personal
I'm view of these facts | ask you that
9 be removed from the school board ,
the district above mentioned.
(Sworn 20 before Notary Thos. Pres I
Ott)