The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-04-29
REGENTS HIT BACK
Make Statement Concerning the
Removal of Russ.
No Personal Revenge or Politics
in 1t.
TOO MUCH WRANGLING
Charge Pittsburg PrincipalWlth
Causing Trouble.
SaIve for the People OF the City
of Pittsburg.
roo MUCH WRANGLING

1t has settled down, say the re-
gents, to see whether r. S. Russ Prlh-
cipal of the Pittsburg Manual Train
ing Normal school or the board Oh
regents of the Kansas Normal schools
is the biggest. The board of regents
has asked Russ to resign and ne mas
refused to do it. 1t is now up 10 the
board to remove him from the pay
roll in some way. The board VIII eA
ercise its authority at the proper In'le;
The resignation of Russ was asheu
for on the grounds of incompetency and
characterization. Sheffield lngalIs,
president of the board OF regents ol
the state normal schools came to To-
peka today and had long COM terence
with the attorney general about nor
NAL school affairs. Mr.. ingalls, salo'
in a. statement that the government
of the Pittsburg school had come to be
a question as to whether or not the
board had any authority or Whether
it was all vested in Russ.
Il have been reading all the pup
lished articles about the removal OF
Russ or rather the boards request
for his resignation and decided that,
as president of the board, it was time
to tell something of the boards SIDE
of the matter" said Mr.. Ingalls,. 50
much has been printed from PlttSourS
that it has become necessary Tor the
resign and the conditions at the school
which made this request necessary.
Il have been reading, from day to
day, q number of press notices pur-
porting to emanate from Pittsburg, re-
ferring in an unfriendly way to the |
action of the board of regents of the |
State Normal schools in asking for the
signation of r. S. Russ as principal |
of the school at Pittsburg. l have
also been receiving numerous letters |
ntk acsfT inc
against the action of the board and |
asking for his reinstatement, all of |
which l read very carefully.
ut is needless to say that I am very !
much surprised by all this excitement |
for l have supposed, up to this time |
that the board was acting entirely |
within its rights when it attempted to !
exercise jurisdiction over the schools |
under it's control. l thought it was
acting within the spirit and letter of |
the law when it undertook to assume |
the responsibility of the proper man |
agement of the normal school at |
Pittsburg. It seems, however, that we |
were wrong, and that we should have |
left this important duty to Principal |
Russ and his partisans.
1T is true that the board, after a |
full hearing and due consideration ask /
ed for the resignation of Principal Russ, |
to take effect September 1. There was
no summary removal. 1t was the in
tention of the board, out of Difference
to the finer sensibiIities of Principal
Russ, to permit him to quietly with
draw from his present connection and
in a dignified way, becoming a scholar
and q gentleman, and seek employment
elsewhere. The board had no inten-
ton to handicap him professionally or
embarrasS him financially and for this !
reason extended to him a probationary
period, as it were. until September l in
which to make himself ready for any
work he might have under consider
alton.
Action Was Unanimous.
THE action for the board in asking
for the resignation was unanimous and
yet Mr.. Russ boldly refused to abide
by the action of the board, which puts
it squarely up to us to adopt heroic
measures for his removal and if the
temper of the board has not changed
since it's last meeting this phase of
the situation will have attention at the
proper time. l wish to say, emphati-
cally, that the board asked Mr.. Russ
to resign because it thought it was for
the best interest of the normal school
system for him to do so. OF course,
it was to be expected that designing
persons would attempt to make political
capital of the boards action. That is
a cheap and easy way to muss up the
situation. But the fact remains that
the board had duty to perform in
behalf of the educational interests of
Kansas and it was performed calmly
and deliberately. without any motive of
personal revenge or punishment, or at
the dictation or suggestion of Cover
nor Stubs, as has been charged.
Il challenge the statement that the