The twice-a-week Twin Falls times. (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1916-1918, 1918-03-12
live TIME AT
SCHOOL BOARD
MEET MONDAY
SEVENTY FIVE PROTEST
AGAINST RETENTION OF
BLUE AND BOWMAN
Vigorous Discussion on
the Subject
Claims of Dancing in School Are
Strongly .Denied-Friends of
Professors Demand Charges and
Say Nothing Is Wrong

Say Nothing Is Wrong.
"Peleg," the juvenile character in
the "Old Settler" tales. who tied the
cats tail to the wing of the pet hawk
to see which would fly fastest, feath
ers or fur. would doubtless have had
his peculiar tastes gratified had he
been present at the meeting of the
school board Monday night at which a
protest of seventy-five- citizens was
made against the retention of Hal G.
Blue as superintendent. and c. II.
bowman, as principal. in our public
schools, alleging inefficiency, lower
ing of morals on account of jancing
said to be in some way coanect d WIN
the institution, and personal unpopu-
larity of the superintendent and
principal and other faults or lapses
Mr. Blue was unanimously re-elect-
ed for a period of three years at a re-
cent meeting of the board, and his
contract has been signed, sealed and
delivered. AT that board meeting
some protest was made, and the pres
ent remonstrants credit Mr.. Blue with
having then promised that he would
resign and cancel his contract in case
he was unanimously requested so to do
/ by the board. With such understand
ing, last nights protest was an at
tempt to induce the board to ask for
the resignation The board did not
act
Attorney E. NJ Sweeley asked if
there were any definite and formal
charges filed. when Chairman V. H.
Decker stated that the meeting would
hear protests at the request of ID. M
Denton and others. Mr. Denton pro-
tested against Sweeley's intervention
on the ground that it was unfair for
"a paid attorney to try to intimidate
a meeting and prevent a protest being
made by citizens, and asked the board
to prevent such interposition and in
terruption. Mr.. Sweeley said he sim
ply wanted to know what sort of pro-
test was being made. Chairman Deck
er said that as Mr.. Blue was not pres
ent it was thought fair to allow him to
have representative. Later, when
it was intimated that Mr.. Blue was not
present because of fear to face the
charges, Mr.. Decker said that the su-
perintendent remained away because
Mr.. Denton had requested that he
should do so.
Mr.. Denton outlined the charges
against the heads of the school, saying
that the schools had come to be looked
on with suspicion. When the meeting
was called over $50 said that they
would be there to protest. He said
that the people wanted a man at the
head of the schools on whom they
could depend that this was not the
case with Mr.. Blue, who had told Miss
Shotwell untruly that he, Denton, had
abused her. He said teachers were
intimidated and afraid to tell what
. they knew for fear of losing their
places. The janitor had been told If
he noticed anything wrong not to say
+ anything about it. All were afraid OF
their places. Teachers sai& when
= asked to give evidence wait thirty
: days and we will tell after our posi-
! tions are secure" Mr.. Denton plead
r ed for a hearing but said "do not ask
- for specific charges at this time" He
e wanted the board to promise that any
4 teacher giving evidence would not be
S Disseminated against.
S ]. w. Hays spoke on the subject
f along the same line, especially depre.
eating dancing in the schools. Chair
o man Decker and w. G. Nixon of the
n board protested that there had been ne
{ dancing since the public meeting last
r year. Messrs. Hays and Denton insist
e ed that there had been. The former
gave Mrs. White as his authority, while
the latter said Blue told him. Mr.
g Hays was seemingly not quite clear as
= to whether the dancing after the dis
cussion last year had been partly IA
the school or exclusively in the Parish
= hall. Others suggested that the dances
4 in the Parish hall were called high
school dances, and that girls in other
: schools whose parents opposed dane
: ing looked forward to the time when
. they would get into high school and
: free from parental restraint
9 Lysander Hassen started to make a
vigorous protest, when the chairman
: told him that he had come into the
n store of said chairman and threatened
to boycott his jewelry business. Mr..
Hassen denied this but said that he did
tell Decker that he would never buy
anything more in his store, and that
there were 800, 400 or 500 others who
I would take the same position. He
said that they would never do business
n with the First National bank because
+ of Nixon's connection with that in
a stitution. Should anyone tender him
o check on the First National bank he
% would protest against taking it.
$ Mr.. Denton asked If it were not true
that on the evening on which the su.
u perintendent had been selected. Mr.
Us Nixon had called up c. E. Munson and
m told him that an election would b