El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-02-05

funds arising from the assessment and
collection OF any special tax in such
) city or town, for public free school
1 purposes, SHALL BE, BY THE ASSES
SOR AND COLLECTOR, OR OTHER
PROPER OFFICER OF SUCH CITY
/ OR TOWN, WHOSE DUTY IT IS TO
COLLECT THE TAXES, TURNED
| OVER DIRECTLY Z THE TREASUR-
Err OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
or SIGH CITY OR TOWN. WHO
SHALL EXECUTE AND DELIVER HIS
RECEIPT TO SUCH COLLECTOR, AND
THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL OR
BOARD OF ALDERMEN, OF SUCH
CITY OR TOWN SHALL HAVE NO
POWER OR CONTROL OF SUCH
FUNDS"
Has Kelly Obeyed Law:
The attention of mayor Kelly and
I those who say with him that the
schools of Ell PasO are not IN politics
is called to the foregoing quotation
from the school laws of the state and
mayor Kelly is requested, in all sin
/ cerity, to say whether or not he has
kept his hands off and his voice out
OF the direction of the expenditures of
the school funds of the city Of Ell Paso
as required by that law.
schools Not Political PIaythings.
1t was intended by the trainers of
the school laws of the state of Texas
that the public schools of the state
should not be made the playthings of
politicians and to that end ordained
that the school should be governed by
q board Of trustees, independent of the
governing power of any municipality,
elected by the people and answerable
tOthe people, rather than to any pollt-
ical boss who by the fortunes of poll
tics might rise TO power in the mun1S-
ipality.
Theory and Practice.
Theoretically I'll Paso schools are
un6ar illumination Of = hoard tTug-
tees, elected by the people, but as
matter of fact have not the elections
Of school trustees for several years
past been rather badly played farces
and in reality only Publications of ap-
pointments dictated by mayor Kelly?
Was not this particularly true at the
last school election, when, but a few
hours before the opening of the POLLS
names of members of the Kelly ring
were substituted for the names Of other
competent men, in order to make it
absolutely certain that Kelly would be
sure of a majority of the board when
it came to carrying out his wishes re-
garding the government Of the schools!
No Choice for Voters.
This change was made so late that
the voters of the city among the pa
irons Of the public schools had no op-
portunity to canvass the situation or
put a new ticket in the field and the
Few who took the trouble to vote at
all had no choice but to vote the ticket
dictated by mayor Kelly and yet mayor
Kelly says that the public schools OF
the city OF Ell PasO are not in poll
tics.
Were Regulations Made.
Readers will note that in the quo
tation above, from article 28SO of the
Texas Statutes governing the public
schools Of the state, that 1t shall be the
duty of the board of school trustees
to determine the amount of taxes to be
raised for public school purposes and
that IT SHALL BE THE DUTY OF
THE CITY COUNCIL UPON THE
REQUISITION OF Thu BOARD OF
SCHOOL TRUSTEES TO LEVY AND
COLLECTED PLACE IT AT THE DIS
POSAL OF THE SCHOOL BOARD TO
BE USED FOR THE MAINTENANCE I
OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF THE /
DISTRICT.
Does any voter in Ell Paso. even those /
who have been members of either the
city council or the board of school /
trustees, recollect that this law has !
been lived up to in any particular since /
mayor Kelly has been mayor?
Has He Not Violated Laws
Article 2SS2 of the Texas statutes !
governing public schools as quoted /
above provides that the mayor and /
city council or board OF aldermen or I
any CITY or town in which there exists I
an independent school district shall /,
have no power or control over school I
funds" Has there been any time since 1
Mr.. Kelly has been mayor when he /
has not violated that law in every par
ticular?
Pnrsimony Not Economy.
In order to make a showing for /
economy the schools OF FL PasO have /
been starved and their starvation is di- !
rectly traceabie to the sinister influ- :
ence exercised by mayor Kelly over
school boards, the personnel Of which 4
has been dictated by him for political
He Usurps Rights.
It matters not that every dollar col
lected for school purposes since Mr..
Kelly has been mayor may be ac-
counted for. His usurpatiOn OF the I
right to control the schools in direct
violation Of the spirit Of the laws re-
power to dictate who shall and VINO
shall not be employed by the school /
board from superintendent to lanltorS
and makes every person so employed
member of the Kelly ring and a pOten-
tial worker for the purpetuation in
office Of members of that ring.
Schools Half Starved.
Allusion was made above to the fact
that under Mr.. Kelly's domination of
the public schools of FL PasO those in
stitutiOns had been half starved In /
his advertisements urging the voters !
of FL PasO to give him another term as !
upon the fact that during his four
years in office, 5000 children of school !
age nave been added to the scholastic
population of the city and yet, in all
that time, he has added but one small
building to the housing equipment of
the city's schools As a result of this
Increase in scholastic population with
out a corresponding increase in equip !
nent the schools are crowded far be-
yond their capacity and thousands of
children who might be receiving an
education in the public schools are
forced to be sent to private schools, if
they are sent to school at all. This is
an economy, Of course. though of n
very doubtful character but it is a long,
Ong way from being efficiency"
What n Principal Says.
As an evidence of the crowded cOndi-
ion of the schools read the following
letter interview" published in The
Herald Of Feb 2, in which the principal
If one of El PaSo's public schools says:
we are trying the experiment of
shorter school hours and fewer stu
tents to a teacher to see IL the same re-
suits can be obtained as with the long
chool day with teachers having 60 chill
lreu and over in a room. The school !
louse has not enough rooms to try the !
fary system, although that would be
IN excellent way of handling the num-
ief of pupils we have There are four /
'Ooms in the school and we have $50
with more coming in every /
lay. To accommodate all the children ]
81 : !