The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1910-07-22
FLEMING AND McGhEE
Voters Of School District Elect Then b
Big Mdoities ia Face Of Desperate
Fight.

Dl6 maJVIIu6S IN ToIe VI VUSpUlate
Fight.
"Sev' Come Elev'!"
The voters of the Independent
School District of Virginia were not
trying to beat the sporting element
at their own game on Saturday, al.
though the returns show that they
"shot natural"
True to the prediction in our last
issue. w. H. Eaton made formal an
nouncement of his candidacy "after
the last issue of the Enterprise pre-.
ceding election had gone to PRESS
aud with him came the name of w
B. Shaver, with the idea of making
whirlwind finish.
And they made it-but they were
not in at the finish; in fact before the
close of the count every last one
swearing allegiance had 80 far for
gotten any feigned temporary in.
terest in the result that they had
evaporated from the room-even az
the gasoline in the numberless
autos with which the losing ticket
had hauled scores upon scores OF
good citizens to the polls to vote for
the successful candidates had evap-
Grated and left naught but hole in
the purse of the men who had guar
anteed the bills.
The fight was one of the most ex-
citing contests put up in the warm
contest experience of the city, but
the voters knew the men and the
principle upon which they were
running, knew the animus which
backed the opposition to the elec-
ton OF members OF the board favor.
a bile to the retention of Superinten-
dent Bliss, and voted in accordance
with the only conviction that could
have come to one interested in ed
ucational ma tiers.
The hackers of Messrs. Eaton and
Shaver had evidently made thor
ough preparation for the fray
even though no formal announce
ment was permissible until "the
last issue of the Enterprise preced-
ing the election had gone to press,"
having employed every availa bile
auto for the day and arranged with
many of the mines for quarter
holiday for employees after they had
been voted, the workers being
brought in by the load and voted,
but evidently managing in many
instances to "slip the cut" as
shown by the outcome.
On the other hand, it did not take
the city voters long to understand
the situation, and to the numerous
ladies is due great credit for their
untiring work throughout the day,
contributing largely to the final
result which showed 1876 for James
H. Fleming, 1119 for r. J. McGhee,
751 for w. B. Shaver and 765 for one
William H. Eaton.
1t is understood the losers had
also made every preparation for an
appropriate celebration of anti.
cipated victory, several hundreds of
dollars being invested in fire works
gasoline for "tooting" purposes
and an additional purse being in
readiness to pay for the fire-water
But like the hackers of the move.
ment who decamped from the poll.
ing place before the end of the
count without bidding adieu to any
the autos forgot to bleat as they
came down the street one by one
giving the first inklinS to many o1
the actual standing of the princi
pals in the contest.
Virginia is acknowledged as hav
ing the best school system on the
iron ranges and one of if not the
very best in the state, and while
personalities may have prompted
some to wish the dismissal of Sup
erintendent Bliss from the service
we, in common with the great ma
jority of those who seek first the
efficiency of our schools, deem il
poor politics to attempt to rob the
children of school district of Their
rightful heritage through an at
tempt to "square" personal scores
1t is evident the people as a Who'll,
stand with this view of the situa
ton, and we believe that should {
similar contest be made for simila,
reasons in future the people woule
still be found on the side of right
on the eide of the school system
and on the side of the children il
their efforts to prepare themselves
for a future.
| Close Out Their Retail Business,
] The Macbeth Il Gar6nor Com