Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1913-01-30
ANSWERSMR. TOU VELLE
School Supervisor Henry Takes En-
ceptiOn to Statements of the
County Judge.

ford Mail Tribune. while printing
Superintendent Wells reply to
Judge Tou Velle in its daily edition,
only published the Tou Velle attack
in the weekly Mail Tribune, and ask
ing the Tidings to give place to an
answer from Mr.. Henry which ap-
peared in the Gold Hill News. AS
heretofore stated, the Tidings does
not wish to take sides in the fight,
but wishes that all sides may be
given full opportunity to reach the
people. The following is Mr.. Henry's
communication:
To the Taxpayer:
Although it is not likely that the
article in the Medford Mail Tribune
of January IA, by County Judge F.
L. Tou Velle. will make the impress
sion it might have done some years
ago. yet any article coming from a
county judge could not but be given
some attention in the public mind.
Whether the misstatements which
appear in this article are made pur-
posely or from lack of information,
that county judge should make
them at all does not augur we'll for
unbiased judgment on public ques-
tions for the next four years.
The first misleading statement ap-
pears in the headline, Enforced
Minimum Instead of Maximum" 1t
is a fact which the judge should
know that the schools of Jackson
county now get the minimum in
every item of which he makes COM
plant. The law provides at least
$S per capita from the county for all
children of school age, and in ac-
cordance with this provision the
county court levied 1.6 mills, which
is the very least the law permits.
The article further states: The
people of Jackson county are paying
more for school than they are for
state and county or municipal gov
! ernment." The coGnty levies in each
case are 1.9 mills, with an additional
IL mill state levy, so it would ap-
pear that this is also a misstatement,
and we wonder if the judge took
into consideration when he made his
cry of excessive expense" and
graft" that for the year 1911-1912,
231 teachers were employed, while
there were not more than 35 or 4C
county officials. If this is the
judge e'saTeal attitude toward the peo
ple's spending money for the support
of their schools, we should not need
to be surprised if he should come
out some day with a very startling
article condemning some of his con
stituents for spending more of theil
money for the support of their fami-
lies than they pay for the support
of the county and state governments
Certainly the public schools are Sec
ond to nothing but the providing
shelter and food fer ones family.
Again the article says I'VE have
superintendent ct $500 year. .
1t can as truthfully be said that the
county Judge receives $1,000 year
but we have not seen where he has
said his salary is excessive"
Then it also says I'VE have two
supervisors at $12O per month, be-
sides their expenses" This is mis-
statement. The supervisors are al
lowed only their postage, stationery
telephoning, etc, but not travelling
expenses. The law provides that
their salaries shall not be less than
500 per month and expenses, and
the county educational board fixed
the salaries of the supervisors al
this minimum, adding $40 per month
for travelling expenses, and the SUI
pervisors have travelled mostly or
bicycles or on foot in order to keel
Their travelling expenses within lht
$50.
The article again says: Eve lave
the maximum number of supervis
ors." Again a misstatement, for this
county has enough districts to enti
tie it to three, very nearly four, su
pervisors, but only two are appoint
ed by the educational board.
The supervisory law was passed
entirely in the interest of the rura
; schools on the grounds that the boy
or girl in the country is entitled tC
just as good school advantages al
those in the city. Though MedforC
accepts only experienced or special!
r trained teachers, and these have thu
, responsibility of not more than on
grade, Medford alone spends NOR,
) for the supervision of her 45 teach
ers than is spent for the rura
: schools of the entire county.
1t would be in accord with tn
judges logic if he had mentione,
that there is a loss number of pupil
= in the country schools, hence the