The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1918-07-19
NO POPULAR ELECTION FOR
SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT
Board of Mayor and Aldermen De-
cline Request for Election.

At meeting of the Board of May
or and Aldermen last Tuesday night
resolution from the Board of Edu-
cation was presented, requesting the
Board of Mayor and Aldermen to re-
consider its action and submit to the
people of Union City in a popular
election for white voters the ques-
tion of whether or not A. C. Mute
shall remain in Union City as Super
intendent of City Schools to fill out
the term for which the Board of
Mayor and Aldermen claim he was
Illegally elected. He was elected by
the Board of Education for a term
of three years, two years of this time
having been filled. In a meeting
held last week the Board of Mayor
and Aldermen, upon the advice of its
city attorney and from other counsel,
found that the Board of Education,
in electing for term of three years,
had proceeded upon grounds that
were wholly illegal and without war
rant and therefore declared the Of
fee of Superintendent of the Public
Schools of Union City vacant and
ordered that the Board of Educa-
tion proceed to the election of an
other superintendent The Board of
Education met Monday afternoon
and declined to conform to this or
der, but drafted a resolution, setting
out that the superintendent had been
elected for a term Of three years and
they desired to have an expression
from the white voters of Union City
as to whether or not Mr.. Mute shall
complete the contract, which they
claim to be moral, If not legal
one.
This the Mayor presented to the |
for action, and in lieu of
that the following resolution was Of
fered by Mr.. Reynolds:
Be it resolved by the Board of
Mayor and Aldermen of Union City;
That the proposition or request con-
tained in the resolution passed by the
Board Of School Directors on July
Is, 1918, to submit to a vote of the
white voters of the city the question
as to whether Mr.. A. G. Mute shall
be elected or retained as Superin-
tendent of City Schools for the en-
suing school year, be rejected and
declined, among other reasons, for
The following:
First. The duty of elccting a Su-
is imposed by law up
IN the Board of School Directors,
md there is neither precedent nor
for the calling of q popu-
ar election for such purpose.
Second. Mr.. A. c. Mute has been
eliminated from consideration for
aid Office of Superintendent by rea-
on of the Board of Mayor and Alder
nen having on July 9, 1918, disap- I
'roved his election thereto by the
Board of School Directors on July s,
918.
Third. The Board of Mayor and 1
Aldermen do not admit the correct {
less of the premises set out in said 1
esolution. I
Be it further resolved that the '
'oard of School Directors be, and {
ney are hereby, ordered to proceed t
0 the election of another person as
superintendent of Schools at a
leeting to be held Friday, July 10,
91S, or before, and that they report n
heir action to this Board at a meet v
lg to be held Friday night, July 10, e
91S; and that copy hereof be t
furnished to each member of the O
oard of School Directors by the Re- f
order. U
After motion and a second, the "
uestion was discussed, Mr.. Rey- c
olds taking the grounds, in the first Il
lace, that the charter of Union City n
ade no provisions for such election. ii
addition to this, when the ques- d
on of whether or not Mr.. Mute Fl
lould be elected for term of three n
ears was up for action, the then Il
Oard of Education decided to hold 81
iendly lprimary to determine
neither Ii Mute should be elected k,
r one or three years. This was Ii
,out the middle of the week and m
Saturday following they decided b,
! holding this election. This was H
ought to be, by those opposed to W
r. Mute, snap election, falling to lo
We sufficient time for the proper 70
lblication OF such election and to
{ 1T properly before the people. We
It the people did learn of the facts, tfe
lereupon the members of the Board
Education favorable to Mr.. Mute, at
airing defeat, met and decided to m
II off the primary and this was do
ally done. Now these same gem W,