The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1910-01-14
TIE REAL School ISSUE

| Ia the Voting of Bonds for the Com.
pletion Of the technical HIGH.
Voters Should Not For.
get It.
A special meeting of the Board OF
Education of the Independent
School District OF Virginia called
for last Monday evening did not
tnateriaiize owing to the absense OF
the three "1ron Men," Directors c.
b. Moore, Joseph Roskiily and Guy
H. Moore. The call issued by N. A.
Hoimer. chairman, named the fol-
lowing important subjects for con.
sideration:
l. The acceptance and payment
Of lots IL to ~, inclusive, block s
Anderson's Addition.
2. The discussion of the issuance
and sale of bonds for the new High
School.
3. To act on the report of the Fl;
nance Committee.
1t is not the province of the En-.
terpriee to state positively or to
even surmise why none of the three
members named responded to roll
call; we shall leave this to the in.
vestigation of school pat, ons if they
see fit. But the Enterprise, as a
newspaper which has eyer endeav
ored to look to the interests of the
community as whole, and which
has never teen bound by 10 per cent
mortgages or hope of heaven to as.
sist in carrying any mans burden
IN opposition to the educational up
lift and interest OF the masses, feels
that at this time it is opportune to
call public attention to the greater
of the three questions scheduled to
properly come before this meeting
in accordance with the terms of the
call.
1t seems that owing to some tech.
nicality in the notices given last
July the vote for $125,O0O bonds for
the new high school was illegal,
and a vote of the people must again
tie taken on bonding the district
for funds for the erection of this
building, already under construc-
tion. And it is needless to say that
those who we're against the high
school last summer are against it
now and it does not require post
graduate course to surmise that
they yet hope to accomplish the de.
teat OF the high school project by
keeping the board tied three to
three, 80 that the bonds cannot be
issued. -~
This ie the real issue.
1t certainly is a paternal and pat
riotic move on the part of those
"higher up" who telephone "orders"
from Duluth and NEARER POINTS
as to how certain members of the
board are to vote. The "Big 'Uus
Higher Up' have evidently under
taken to run the politics of this
community, and through the medi.
um of an employe have passed it
out cold that the schools on the
ranges are mere departments of the
"big interests"
Oh, how nice! How grateful a
community of American freemeu
should feel toward any "interest"
which would relieve them of their
rights and duties as American citi.
zens!
When the people elect men as
members of board of education
and these men qualify bv taking
oath to Faithfully perform the du.
ties of said Office" this does not
mean that they are to act as OBJ.
structionists to every move for the
betterment of the school system; it
does not mean that they are to be.
come chronic "knockers"; it does
not mean that they are to act like
kids or that they are licensed to
stir up strife and discord; it does
not mean that they are to do illegal
acts, like creating offices for pur
chasing agents not members of said
board. 1t does not mean that thev
are to do these or similar acts that
are calculated to hinder education
al progress or get in the way of
true advancement; it does not mean
that they are warranted in pursu-
ing a narrow, illiberal policy to the
detriment OF school interests: it
does not mean that they are called
upon to surrender the right of ev.
cry true-born American to vote for
the sacred interests of the children
-your children and mine-pIaced
in their keeping, because someone
"hlgher up pulls the string on
them and commando them to cease
to be free moral agents, or because
of any other reason which swervee
them from the plain path of duty.
The oath Of Office taken by a mem.
Der of a board of education means
that he is to be true to his couvic
tions az a NAN, and a free born
American citizen; that he is to b<
sincere, earnest, conservative, wide
awake and active by word of mouth
and good deeds to advance the gen
eral cause of education IN his mid.
and particularly to push for the ad