The Weston leader. [volume] (Weston, Umatilla County, Or.) 189?-1946, 1916-07-07
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Indalring IN felicitoas fellcltations
that Psndleton secured 5000 slgners
10 its normal school initiative petitions
fled Monday with the secretary Of
state. the esteemed East 0regonian
remarks:
The facts show general recogni.
ton Of two things. first that nermal
school education in Oregon 10 not prop
erly provided at present Secondly.
that Pendleton 4 Tar and away the
most desirable place for the location OF
= normal school for Eastern Oregon.
| Not only & Pendleton liked because OF
its geographical position hut also be.
cause Il is place that does things and
does them right. The town is broad,
energetic and progressive. u oHers
community advantages second TO those
~ no place In the state outside Of Port
land. II y the sort Of place In which q
normal school should be located because
| Il means a successful institution"
zowie. how that PendletOn burg does
hate ITSELF For intense self-esteem
lit has premier actorine backed
Ion the boards and elutching the
prompter. II should be roped and hog
| tied at the next Roundup to keep Il
from hugging itself to death.
The facts, however. show nothing OF
the sort asserted. They merely show
what everyone knows, that almost any
body in Oregon win sign almost any
kind Of an initiative or referendum
petition in order 10 get rid Of the cam
vasser In the easiest and quickest way.
Given a weeks time. an efficient organ
isation and ample funds with which to
pay solicitors at the rate Of from ive
to ten cents per name. and It would
perhaps be possible TO get the required
number Of signers in Oregon to a bill
dispensing with all Of its state institu-
tons. We know that few years ago
Il was easy enough to get sufficient
number Of signers for an exasperating
referendum hold-up Of the general ap-
preparation bill for their support.
Secondly, that Pendleton Is far and
away the most desirable place for the
location Of normal school for East
ern Oregon" is a banal bit Of bal
derdash. Weston Is more desirable
location than Pendleton. with far more
beautiful surroundings and with a cli-
mate that Is cooler in summer and
warmer in winter. Moreover. as the
Pendleton papers and boosters are care
full to avoid mentioning. Weston al
ready contains state school plant EN-
braced within ten acres Of ground pre-
sented to the state by the community.
Buildings and grounds have an approx
mate value Of s75, 600. In the name Of
common sense, reason and economy
why should the people Of Oregon be
asked to continue the abandonment Of
a SIS, 900 school plant at Weston in or
der to build sl25. 900 plant at Pendle-
ton? Jumping Jehosophat. what q |
puerile. piffiing proposition for Demen-
tiaburg to love itself for makingi Pen
dleton certainly needs the Eastern Ore
gon asylum. It is showing all the
symptoms Of incipient paresis.
The East Oregonian's implication
that an Eastern Oregon Normal
would not be successful II revived at
Weston is as false as hell. The Weston
Normal was the largest in Oregon when
abandoned by the state senate in 1903
through the connivanee Of Pendleton
men. With an uncertain income Of
,nly s12, 900 year IL had so many nom
'csident students that they ovcrfiowed
he dormitories and filled number Of
'utside cottages when the school re-
,eiyed its death blow at the hands, in
Iirectly, Of then powerful Pendletcn
who thus sought to punish
Weston for helping to defeat him for
he Oregon govefnorship. Entirely in
ocent and neutral in this and all other
oIitical campaigns, the normal school
yas nevertheless made to suffer vicar
,usly for Weston's alleged offenses.
The Monmouth Normal receives ut
his time thrice as much annually In
as the Weston Normal
yer received. IL asked 10 addition at
he last session for an appropriation for
improvements, and got it. We under
land that it will ask at the next ses-
ION for large sum for an entire new Z
liant, which it win probably get also.
he Monmouth Normal is q big and
rowing school and in every way justi-
es its maintenance. The point we
ish to bring out is that the Weston /
iormal would by this time have un- l
been just as large and just
, useful had It been accorded similar
Ipport.
The Monmouth Normal is located in
town no larger than Weston, yet it is
ost decidedly "a successful institu-