The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-09-07
Ats For w. L. Clifton
Presents Latter'S Side
Continued from pare 81


this was denied him. In the investiga-
ton before the Governor and the At
Itorney General at Tallahassee, even
after the indictment had been re-
turned and before the trial, where
everything, both for and against Cliff
ton, was gone into, the Governor, af-
ter hearing Clifton's statement, re-
fused to suspend him from office.
When Clifton was tried, he offered to
show to the Judge and jury by docu-
mentary evidence that he did not pro-
fit one cent from the transaction with
the stenographer, that the money re-
ceived by him was used in defraying
necessary expenses of the Office and
in the purchase of dictionaries for
certain country schools, but on ac-
count Of an arbitrary rule of law in
yoked by the States attorney the
court had to deny Clifton this privi-
lege. This documentary evidence is
accessible to any real friend of or
searcher for the truth, but Clifton Is
advised by his attorneys not to pub
lish same now because he may have to
produce 1t before a committee of the
next Senate.
But some good, at least, has come
out of this trouble. The Supreme
Court in its opinion in the Clifton
case has declared that there is no
law authorizing the Board of Public
Instruction to employ and pay book
keepers, stenographers and other help
In the Office of the Superintendent Of
Public Instruction. The office help
must be employed by the Superintend-
ent and be answerable to him instead
of being employed by the Board and
being answerable to the Board only.
Henceforth, the Superintendent, like
the sheriff, clerk of the Circuit Court,
and other county officers, can hire his
own help and be the boss of his own
Office.
The personalities that have been in
jected into this matter and the effort
OF one side to put the other party to
the controversy out of business by a
criminal prosecution, have beclouded
the issues involved. The issues in
volved are far more important than
the personalities of the principals to
this controversy.
The question at issue is not whether
or not Clifton has committed crime
in Office, but whether or not the Board
of Public Instruction shall be permit
ted to exercise autocratic powers.
call upon every person who has
ever served as trustee Of sub
school district in the county to bear
witness that during the past ten or
twelve years, irrespective Of the men,
bership Of the Board, the Board Of
Public Instruction has gradually en-
,croached upon and taken away prac-
tically every prerogative Of the trus-
tees of our sub-school districts. Local
self-government as applied to our
schools has been practically usurped
by the Board of Public Instruction,
despite the fact that most of the local
trustees in the county are men Of
the highest integrity and of the wild
est experience in business affairs. The
Board has finally encroached upon
the prerogatives of the Superintend-
ent The Board employs an Office
man and, contrary to the Constitution
and laws of the State has created for
him the Office of Assistant Superin-
tondent of Public Instruction. This
man-and I am not criticising him
responsible to the Board alone, has
been the real Superintendent of Pub
lie Instruction of the county for past
six years. In recent years the mem
bers of the Board have claimed the
right to visit and inspect schools, an
assumption of the duties of the SUI
perintendent, and have paid them
selves a per diem and mileage foT
such visits, plainly in violation of
law. Finally, 1t has become the set
tied policy of the Board to call and
hold special meetings on the members
own responsibility when such meet
ings, according to law, should be con-
vened only ION emergencies when re-
quested by the County Superintend-
ent of Public Instruction.
AS | view the controversy, there
fore, find these questions are more
interesting and far more important
than the personalities of the princi-
pals to the controversy, namely
Shall the Board of Public instruction
be permitted to assume autocratio