The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1917-07-19
Current School Appropriations
Crippled to Rectify Governors
Veto---Injunction May Follow

| SIdGe SOOu Will lIS CltlHSllS. WHICH II
passed a deficiency appropriation bill
for the benefit Of high, graded ana
rural schools Of the state amounting
in all to $1,070,000. Gov. Burnquist
vetoed the measure with the result
that the state stood before the world
| as repudiating its own credit. The
storm of protest heaped upon the
head of the governor brought him I'D
standing. In an effort to rectify his
bone-headed play and to save his po-
litical hide he urged the state high
school board to use part of the funu
passed by the legislature to maintain
the schools for tho coming two years
and pay the districts the deficiency
due them of $1,070,000. The governor
in his statement said that the incom-
! ing legislature could care for the fu-
ture, perhaps figuring that at that
time Minnesota would have gov
eTnor who would be friend Of the
idea of state aid for public education
and who was big enough anj broad
enough to be governor of the entire
state.
The frigidity of the governors
pedal eXtTemities and his appeal to
the state high school board to pull
his chestnut out of the fire was al
most pathetic. His two recent ap-
pOintees on the board fastened to do
the masters bidding. State Superin-
tendent Schultz, realizing that the
move would work q detriment to the
educational interests of the state, and
Judge Ell Terrence of Minneapolis. a
sturdy citizen, also opposed the move.
Dr.. Burton, the new president Of the
state university, who, in the nature
OF things, cannot be familiar with
conditions, broke the tie, and the fund
set aside for school expenses for the
coming two years will be robbed to
pay the deficiency. Practically all of
the better posted school men of the
state were opposed to the move, but
when a cheap politicians life is in
jeopardy the public cuts no figure. (
sin commenting on the matter the
Minneapolis Tribune of Tuesday adj
mitted that the vetoing of sthe def
cheney bill had practically signed the
death knell to his nobs political
career, but claimed that the action of
the state board settled all trouble
and that his sailing would be clear in
the future. Unless the people of the
state feel differently over the matter
than they do in Sank Centre ami
vicinity, Burnquist is due for lovely
trimming the next time he comes be-
fore the people of the state for any
office. The country folks are not
slow is recognizing their friends and
are too intelligent to fall for any
subterfuge that merely defcrs the day
of reckoning on any matter as i'm
portant as the school deficiency meas
ure which directly affects every rural
community of the state.
In spite of the ruling of the at
torney generals department as to the
legality of the use of this money
many good attorneys disagree with
the ruling and it is not improbable
that an injunction will be asked to
prevent using of current school funds
to pay for the governors mistake.
The following account .. Tuesdays
meeting of the board appeared in the
Pioneer Press of Tuesday morning
"The State High School Board late
yesterday voted 3 to 2 to pay i'm
mediately the outstanding state high
school and graded school aid deficits
of 1914-1o and 1915-1G, totaling S..
07O,193, from available funds.
"Thc action of the board ends, tenn.
porarily at least, a spirited con.
troversy which began when Governor
Burnquist vetoed the special appro.
priation passed by the last j-egisla.
ture to cover the deficit and which
was waged openly in three specia
meetings, of the board.
Defers Reckoning.
"The payment will be made from the
remaining current appropriation oil
about $2,80O,000, but C. G. Schultz
state supe rintendent of education
maintained that consistent adoption
of the same policy would reduce the
aid to rural schools at best, and that
the action merely defers for a year
the final reckoning.
After vetoing The item, Governo,
Burnquist explained that be believed
the state school aid system should be
recognized. Later he requested the
high school board to use current
funds to cover the deficit, citing an
opinion from Attorney General Smith
that such use of current funds would
be legal.
gu" Head Votes Yes.
"John Monroe, superintendent OF
schools at Faribauit, offered the mo-
tion to adopt the Governors proposal
and President Leroy Burton of the
University of Minnesota and George
B. Alton, former state high schoo