The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-11-25
THE SCHOOL ELECTION.

The school election, which will occur
in this city a week from next Wednes
day. is arousing q considerable inter
est among tho people who arc well
disposed toward and interested III school
work. And set, there is not likely to
he the heated contention III this clcc-
tion that has sometimes been mani.
tested. The school board is not as
the best school sentiment of the city
would like to have il. by any means,
and yet il is probably as good as We
can get, especially so far as some of
the membership is concerned. The three
grating members arc nuisance on
the board and a grievous handicap
to the school work: but unfortunately
two of them do not como up for re-
election this year One of them, Mr..
Newman of thc Third ward, sees the end
service or not is questionable. The
people Of his ward seem to like hi:
ways, and have retained him in tho
school board. to The disgust and shame
of al the enlightened schooI citizen.
ship of the city. His service on the
board is nnspeakably bad, and IT is
really astonishing that the people of
the Third ward viii rally to his sup,
port and continue him in that office
when his predatory proclivitics and
small. .mindednoss are SO manifest and
contemplate.
SO far as We arc aware, there will
be no opposition to the return Of the
present members In the First ward,
and in the Second ward The awfu;
Newman should, of course, be defeated
in the Third. but we doubt very much
whether ii can be done in that uncn-
lightened constituency if Newman really
wants to succeed himself, which il is
very likely that he does
In the Fourth. Mr.. Hammond has
proved a weak member on the board.
His health has been so very poor that
he has not been able to give the atten-
tiou and energetic services that the
position requires He should be retired
on this account, and also because Of
to prevent him doing the things that
ought TO be done with the promptness
and energy that is needed, Besides,
on the general idea that fhe school
positions should be fairly divided as
between the chief classes of the popu-
lation, the non Mormons are entitled to
one member of tho board from the
Fourth ward, the holdover member, Mr.
Thomas, being a Mormon. 1t would
be no moro than fair for non Nor.
mon TO succeed Mr.. Hammond, The
equilibrium of the board is preserved
as between the two classes with the
return of two Mormons from the Third,
which is inevitable, and of two non
Mormons from the Fifth, which is
equally inevitable With the proper
concession of a non Mormon member
in the Fourth, the board would be
fairly balanced, although even then the
Mormons would have rather the better
of it, because rs a matter of fact they
do not have one-balf of the popula-
tion of the city while now having six Of
the ten members of the board of edu-
cation. Still, with the elimination of
Newman and with the election of a
non Mormon IN the Fourth ward, the
board would be about as fairly con-
stituted as we could expect at this time.
Two years hence, of course, the two
other graftcrs besides Newman should
be retired, also in favor of honest and
effective membership.
But little has been done meanwhile in
the matter Of calling conventions or
calling out candidates; aud with
fairly good feeling all around and dis
position toward fairness, and equitable
division, there would appear TO be no
reason for the stirring up Of bitter
ness In this school campaign