New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1917-09-12

GOVERNORS VETO OF MEASURE
TO REIMBURSE DISTRICTS
IS INVOLVED.

Vance Chapman, the we'll known
d ewspaper writer Of St. Paul, sums up
tie suit started last week, in the Ramsey
county district court, against the State
High School board, in which the country
schools as well as high and graded schools
are deeply interested. Mr.. Chapman
says:
Patrons of the humble Little Red
School House and its more aff1uent
neighbors, the high and graded schools,
will be much interested in school
suit filed last week at St. Paul in the
Ramsey county district court. Every
school district in the state is concerned.
"The suit in question was instituted
by J. F. Nutshell, a taxpayer Of Foley,
Benton county, thru Harris Richardson,
a prominent attorney of st. Paul, and
is for the purpose Of determining the
right of the state high school board to
use state school moneys for purposes
other than that intended by the legis-
slature. incidentally the veto of his
ekcellency the governor which reduced
available state school moneys to the
extent of nearly $2,000,000 is involved.
In addition to the state high school
bard c. G. Schulz, state superintendent
d education, State Auditor ]. A. o.
Preus, and Henry Rines, state treasurer,
custodians Of the state school fund,
are made defendants.
Questions Right Of Board.
ITO explain briefly, the court is asked
by Mr.. Nutshell in his application for
a restraining order to pass on the right
of the High School board, which: is
ansWerable only to The governor, to
pay out of current school funds available
for the next two years deficit of nearly
81, 100000 covering the past two school
years. It was the legislative appro-
priation for the deficit named that the
governor vetoed, he explaining that
the times demanded retrenchment and
that the next legislature, if it saw fit,
could provide the needed money.
Under pressure from the governor
the state high school board, with the
exception Of two of it's members, G. G..
Schulz and Eli Torrance of Minneapolis,
decided that any past Indebtedness
confronting the high and graded districts
could he met from the current school
funds and it is at this action that the
suit instituted by Mr.. Nutshell is directed.
Where the Little Red School House,
and the debts confronting it stands
however, is still matter of controversy,
but it is sufficient to say that the school
moneys coming to it will not be impaired
if Supt. Schulz has his way. Court
action only, he says, will sway him
from his determination to see that such
are provided for as he believes the legis-
lature intended.
1915 Legislature Blamed.
THE present mixed condition of the
legislative appropriation in aid of high,
graded and rural schools, which was in
excess of $6,250,0O0 hanks back to
the last session Of the two legislative
bodies when the law makers and the
governor clashed on a number of mat
tiers. Chief among these was the crea-
ton OF department of public domain
which his excellency very much desired
and which was denied and moneys in
aid of the several school divisions. To
the latter he gave evidence of early
hostility in the shape of marked re-
ductlon In the school budget, as sub
mitted for his approval, and the former
he supplemented with Legislative
message to the effect that executive
displeasure in the shape of his veto
would follow noncompliance with-hiis
demands. How he made good much
scratched appropriation act testified.
Included was goodly chunk of the
legislative aid for state schools, and
which is now in a measure the basis
OF the suit begun last week in st. Paul.
Budget System is Wrong.
Prior to 1913 state aid for the
schools of the state was met thru the
medium Of standing appropriations.
With. the adoption Of the budget system.
however, standing appropriations be-
came thing Of the past and it was in
accordance with such that the last
specified in detail the amounts
to be expended. In setting aside
81 ,O70, 1913 to cover deficit for the past
two years, whieh the governor vetoed
specific use Of the amonnt|
was not stated and this fact features
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