The Arizona sentinel., 1910-01-13
That is All Professor
Mcclure Asks or Has
Asked.
A MANLY STATEMENT
BY the Gritty Educator Giving
Some of the Trivial Causes OF
His Persecution

Believing 1t to be duty OF mine to
issue a statement to the public To
garding the cause of the charges pre-
ferred against me to the Board Of
Education, / submit the following
facts of the entire history of the
causes leading up to the preferring
of the charges against me by Prof.
KeRdric Babcock.
In September, 1905, / assumed
charge of the Yuma public schools,
and l found said schools in a poorly
organized condition and lacking great
Iy in discipline. Being assured by the
Board of Trustees that / should have
free hand in the management of the
schools, and having the loyal support
of a splendidly equipped corps Of
teachers the work of complete re.
organization Of the schools was at
once inaugurated and strict discipline
enforced. The result of the re-organi-
zation and discipline introduced were
soon apparent and a general uplifting
of the school resulted. With each ad-
ditional school year the Yuma schools
took higher rank in educational work
and the good name Of her schools
spread over the entire territory of
Arizona and even travelled to distant
states. The Yuma schools have for
some time since been acknowledged
to be the equal of any school system
in Arizona. l am not claiming all this
glory myself, but have always given
credit where credit belongs, to the
very excellent corps of assistant
teachers who have been associated
with me ever since my connection
with the Yuma schools and to the 10y
al support of majority of the Board
of Trustees. This majority of the
board deserve large portion of this
credit for the uplifting of the schools
for they have at all times shown
great wisdom and business manage
ment in selecting the best teachers,
procuring suitable supplies and look
ing after the finances in general.
In the enforcing of such discipline
as to bring about such healthy condi
lions for an ideal school system Il has
necessitated the offending Of some pu
pills and patrons. The world over we
will find some people-may l say in
every communicative want and ex-
pect special privileges. This has been
the case in Yuma and / have been
unable to see that any child was en-
titled to special privileges and the
child from the Rincon has had the
same privileges that the child OF the
lord mayor or other influential and
wealthy people of Yuma have had, and
because of my stand for such equal
rights some people have been offend
ed. These offences have not been
made because of any direct acts on
my part, for in most part they have
come because of some act of some
assistant teacher and the attacks
have been directed at me because of
my maintaining strict discipline in my
schools at all times.
The immediate cause of Kendric
Babcock preferring charges against
me was brought about by my oppos.
ing resolution in the Territorial
Teachers Association in Tucson at
their annual meeting in November
1908, which Babcoek favored. l con-
sidered these resolutions as a per-
sonal matter between Babcock and
another man and did not believe that |
our annual meetings should be used |
as a place for fighting out personal
matters, and SO declared myself and
the result of the debate was that the |
resolutions were overwhelmingly de-
feated ] believed l had done right in