Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1914-07-28
IS IT RIGHT TO ASK
PAY FOR GROUNDS?
Member of iChautauqua Committee
Takes Webster City School
Board to Task.

| TO the Public: The Webster City
school board have seen fit to charge
the Chautauqua association $50 for
the use Of the school grounds for
| their recent sessions and we are ask
ing you the question: Is it right
The Chautauqua is recognized by ev-
cry one as educational and a great
uplift to the community, and for the
school board to charge anything at
all is an injustice, not savoring in
the least of square deal. In the
seven years existence of the Webster
City Chautauqua the different offic-
ials have labored most diligently and
earnestly to make the meetings a
benefit to the community and we
think you will agree that they have
succeeded in every way, except fl
nancially. The Chautauqua in Web
ster City does not receive the en-
couragement it is entitled to. Com
pare it with our annual Watermelon
day or base ball. The city gives the
free use of our parks for the former
and when the doings are over they
resemble swine yard more than a
park and the city cleans up the
whole business without one cent of
expense to the committee in charge.
Take look at base ball with it's
booster days-bank and business
houses closing for the occasion.
Those same firms would go up in the
air if the Chautauqua asked them
to close for ten minutes. Before
making this kick we thought it best
to find out what other places were
doing in regard to the Chautauqua
and the school grounds. We wrote
to five different Chautauqua associa-
tons and here is what they say:
Forest City: The school board
here never made any charge for the
use of school grounds TO-. Chautau-
qua. The board considers the Chau-
tauqua an educational endeavor on
the part of the promoters and do
not wish to discourage the ones at
the head and for the past eight years
have been pleased to donate the use
of the school grounds without any
expense whatever.
Eldora: We have fine school
grounds and give them freely to the
use of the Chautauqua. We believe
in encouraging the Chautauqua spir-
it. 1t is educational work and
should be so recognized. The use of
our grounds in Eldora for the past
four years has not resulted in their
injury in the least. Their use does
not involve any expense.
Odeboldt: Have used the school
grounds for the past three years and
have never been asked to pay one
cent for their use. We would con-
slider it an outrage if the school
board should attempt to charge us
for the grounds. The others, Stuart
and Grundy Center, write much in
the same manner, saying they pay
not one penny for use of school
grounds.
Now, why the local school board
take the stand they do in this mat
ter is hard to understand, unless it
be that they are trying to make a
record for reelection. We have
heard it rumored that the reason
they charged for the grounds was
that they wanted to help the high
school athletic association pay off
their Indebtedness. Now that's a
bright idea. Making the Chautau-
qua association, which, by the way,
has numerous debts of its own, pay
the debts of the athletic association.
How would it be to have the
Chautauqua association pay off the
bonds on the new high school build
ing? Strange the schools board new
er thought of that.
Most respectfully,