Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1915-11-25
ACTION AGAINST
THE DIRECTORS,
ACTION BROUGHT FOR FAILURE4
TO OBSERVE FLAG AND AT.
TENDANCE LAW

Mandan, N. D., Nov. 2O.-Follow--
ing an investigation of the past three
weeks of the schools of Morton county
States Attorney William LANCER this
afternoon started action that may 1e-
suit in wholesale arrests, when he
brought mandamus actions against dl--
rectors of 81 school districts OFT var
ious charges.
The North Dakota statute demands
that each school be provided with Q.
flagpole and the United States flag and.
that the flag shall be flown above tho
school during all sessions. With the
one exception of the city of Mandan
schools, not another school of 293 in.
the county comply with this. The
writ of mandamus issued calls upon.
each school director to Immediately
obey the law or appear in court. and
show cause why it is not done.
LIS Not In School.
In addition to this States Attorney
LANCER says that there are 1,7l6 chill
dren between the ages of and 1G
years who are not in school.
This afternoon he mailed a regis
tered letter to the parents or guar
dams of these children and ordered
them to Immediately place the chill
dren in the nearest school. Unless
this is done within five days. after
receipt of the registered letters, az
rests will follow.
The state laws permit absence from
school on five excuses, Sickness, woLk.
of necessity at home, attendance at;
some parochial school, or requirement,
by some other manner of the common!
branches of learning taught in tho
schools. If the child lives two and
a quarter miles from the, school, at
tendance is not compulsory, but the
action then falls on the district board!
which by law is required to furnish
transportation. As tLlis latter is the
plea of some of the parents Of the1 -
ZIG not in school, mandamus proceed
ings will be brought against the sctooK
officers for failure to provide trcns--
portation.
School System Bad
"Morton the largest county in NORTH,
Dakota has the poorest rural school
system of any county in the state" ="
says States Attorney LANCER. "Farm-
ers generally give the excnses tass&.
children are needed at home for as
sistance with threshinE There isr
hardly a farmer in the county who.
needs what help the older boys might
give for moro than two dAys,st; ttor
most.
"Threshing assistance is no excuse.
in 80 per cent of the delinquent cases.
/ fail to see where girl or boy of g
or ten years can help. Each child has:
a God-given right to education" said,
the prosecutor. ~ know for Il fact.
that there are not few but hundreds:
of children in the county who have
never attended full term and there.
are many who have never been inside.
school house.
"In my investigation l found that
tsome school directors, living less than.
a mile from schools, are themselves
keeping the children out. The equip
ment Of the schools in the rural dis
tricts is splendid, but the general lax
ity and failure to compel attendance
is the cause Of this action.
Doesn't Expect Trouble.
The states attorney is not looking.
for any trouble in connection with
the writs of mandamus against the
school district directors, aimed to
cause them to have the United States
flag flown in Reasonable weather."
He believes failure to have done so
before was because of ignorance of
the law.
However, in the case of the action
of parents in not sending children to
school he expects to make Wholesale
arrests. He asserts that he has the
"goods" on practically all Of the par
ents of the 1,716 children not in school.
However to arrest some 800 parents
would entail tremendous expense to-
the county. Therefore heegave WARM
ing to each parent or guardiann byy
registered letter and allows five days
Of grace from the receipt of the let--
ter.
Reports from the 29O teachers in
the county will be received in the next
ten days, following which all delin--
quents will be arrested and brought
into court. Attorney LANCER believes;
that the warning will suffice in large:
percentage of the cases.
He quotes school No. in the Crown
Butte district as one example. Ten
farmers all living within radius of
mile and half from the school are
parents of 27 children, ranging from
8 to Is years of age, who are not in
school, 1t is the rural schools that are
mostly affected, although some of the.
towns and villages are delinquent At !:
Hebron there are 22 children not in,
school, according to the figures of the,
states attorney.