The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1912-08-11
GOVERNOR CRUCE
REPLIES TO DUNLOP
YOU HAVE NOTHING TO RE.
SIGN" SAYS EXECUTiVE-HlS-
TORY OF BOARDS REMOVAL.

Oflahoma City, Okla. Aug. 10
Il am not asking you for your res
ignation; you have nothing to resign
YOU ceased to be member of the
state Board of Education OF Oklaho
mona at 9 o'clock Monday morning
July %, 1912"
Foregoing was the closing para
graph in Gov. Lee Cruces letter to
state Treasurer Robert Dunlop, an
swering the communication sent the
governor by Dunlop last week re-
garding the status of the state board
and the recent teXt-b book adoption.
The controversy over the adopt
ion and attending circumstances are
taken up by the governor in detail,
treasurer that he Cthe governor) had
ignored the advice OF Attorney Gen
vice OF the law firm of which the
governors brother is member. The
governor says that when the ques-
ton OF appointing Dunlop on the
state board was up he told Dun
lop that he did not believe an cleo
tive officer could serve in the ap-
pointed capacity The law firm held
in an opinion that the state treasur-
er could not legally hold a place
ON the board while the attorney gen
tral held that he could.
4 todk the attorney general
opinion, and made the appointment.
the governor says. but YOU request
ed that before | acted upon the at
torney general advice YOU be per
mtted to consult your attorney, and
after you received favorable reply
from him, YOU asked that the ap-
pointment he made.
Not only have l followed the a.
torney general in matters that |
have submitted to him hereto Ofore, but
in removing YOU as member OF
the state board OF education. ! am
following the advice OF the attorney
general He has given m, an opin-
ion that ! have the right to remove
members Of the board of education
and that all acts attempted to be
performed by the three members re
moved after the order OF removal was
entered in my office at 9 a III. july +
22 1912. are absolutely void"
In his letter the governor again
explained his reason for asking a ,
postponement of the school book
adoption, as follows:
School and Politics.
Il stated to the board that | had
tried as hard as | knew how from
the time entered the governors
office. to divorce the schools from
politics, and to keep politics ont OF
the schools, that felt that it Wa,
the duty of every member of the
board to do what he could in that
direction; that the adoption. no mat
ter when it took place, no matter
how honestly made, would occasion
criticism: that under ordinary cir
cumstances it would be largely con
fined to hotel lUbbies in Oklahoma
City and to disappointed book men.
but that at the present time, in
the midst Of a heated political cam
paign. when politicians were seeking
every sort of political advantage, the
criticism of these book men would
be seized upon by thousand speak
rrs, and from every stump poison
against the boards work would he
circulated. with the result that thou
sands OF the school patrons would
become dissatisfied with the board,
and that it was the duty of the
hoard. SO lar as it lay in its pow
or. TO avert this calamity to the
schools. You and every other men,
bor of the board know that my en-
tire argument was along the line OF
pursuing the course that would pre-
went your work from becoming
factor in the political arguments. The
game of politics, as it is commonly
interpreted to me. is by no means
an interesting one. and when played