The Weston leader. [volume] (Weston, Umatilla County, Or.) 189?-1946, 1916-07-28

The East Oregonian closes leading
editorial entitled why Weston b
Eliminated. I" with the words:
s'oregon has passed through the lit
tie town normal stage and finding such
schools unsatisfactory has wiped them
OF the slate with the exception Of the
Monmouth school. The reconstruction
period Il now st hard and the pendle-
ton measure offers sane and meritor-
ious solution Of the problem"
So that's the reason. is III We has
ten to welcome this evidence Of PEN
dleton's self sacrificing and exalted
spiritl "with characteristic vigor and
earnestness" Il Is asking Old Man Ore
gon for siaSooo down and $4,000 a
year In order that he may have a real.
genuine, blown-in-the-bottls normal
school In this section Of the state.
We are now enlightened. We had
erroneousy supposed from the soothing
story slipped US BY the paregoric push
sent here from Pendleton after Il had
launched its campaign. that Weston is
entitled to an Eastern Oregon normal
school but that Pendieton just had %
70 after IL 10 keep La Grande from
getting il. =
Nevertheless we would ask the e.
teemed East 0regonian for light upon a
few additional points:
Was not the Pendleton normal school
endorsement s.railroaded" last fall
through the Eastern Oregon institute
with but few Of the teachers knowing
its naturel How many teachers voted
on this resolution
why, II large-town normals are 50
popular, did Umatilla county outside
Of Weston cast majority Of 500 votes
against the badly needed Southern Ore
gon Normal at Ashland, which in 1910
had larger population than Pendletcng
Weston gave the Ashland school q ma
jority Of 29s at the 1914 election. Did
not Pendleton. however, vote against
that self-same large-town normall
Why, ditto, did the small-town nor
NAL at Weston receive in 1914 nearly
ten thousand more votes than the large
town normal at Ashlandl
why does not Portland seek to take
over the smaIl-town Monmouth Nor
NAL, or Spokane the small-town Cheney
Normal? Is it because they are lacking
in public spirit or merely in conscience
less acquisitivenessf
why did the voters in the general
Of 1910 turnadown the normal
schools at both Ashland and Weston
and support the normal school at Mon
mouth, which Is q smaller town than
either7
why is the small-town Cheney Nor
NAL the school most favored in WASH
ington BY Oregon students?
As matter Of fact the esteemed
East Oregonian is merely talking for
effect, with disingenuousness SUR
prising in a pioneer newspaper we had
respected for its apparent
eandor. As matter Of fact the East
is as well aware as Is the
WESTON LEADER that small towns and
large towns have nothing TO do with
the normal school problem in Oregon.
It well knows, as does the LEADER.
that the Weston Normal was closed by
The state senate in 1903 through the In
iuence Of Pendleton political boss
and Pendleton state senator. The
boss was deeply peeved at Weston be-
:ause this town helped 70 defeat him
Tor the Oregon governorship, after he |
had left the democratic for the republi-
an party. He played the game Of pol
tics in the old way by rewarding his
friends and furnishing his enemies. He
,unished Weston by striking at the
Weston Normal. which had not injured
sim. His senatorial henchmen had
,lso to close the Monmouth and Ash
and schools in order to reach the Wes-
on school. We fancy that he ID rather
,roud Of this feat and win not deny 1t.
he is now one of the sponsors Of the
,endIeton bill.
The Monmouth Normal was reopened
. popular vote in 1910. It fought for
,ut one school itself. Fighting for
hree schools, Ashland and Weston
we're both beaten. They were beaten
gain four years later. Polk county,
Iome Of the Monmouth Normal, voted
eavily against them in both campaigns.
he results showed conclusiveiy that
)regon wanted but one school and that
little town normal. +"
The East Oregonian's fiub-dub re-
olives itself into a feeble slap at the
fonmouth Normal and slap st the
efara frr s,.ainfairin0 II. Tksg crook